Takarazuka Again!

I had managed to get tickets to see the Takarazuka Snow Troupe’s performance of ‘Je t’Aime’, which was set in France, starring Mizu Natsuki. It was a great performance, though the first half (the actual play) wasn’t as much of a spectacle as ‘El Halcon’ had been. The second act, however, did not disappoint. It was called ‘Mirroir’ and was centred around the theme of mirrors of various kinds, from reflections in water (with beautiful blue silk veils as part of the set) to a new take on the Medusa story (very good statue impressions in that one) to Snow White and Cinderella having an argument over ‘who was the fairest’ (in massive hoop skirts no less!). All of this was set to various pop songs such as ‘Night and Day’, ‘Cartoon Hero’ and ‘Johnny Angel’. The dancing, costumes, sets, singing and sequins were all that I had hoped for and more, and it seemed that Dad and my friend enjoyed it all as well. After the show (and the required visit to the gift shop) we got some lunch in a soba shop in the shopping mall adjacent to the train station. It was really good, and seemed to be the real deal, complete with sweet buckwheat crackers when we sad down, buckwheat tea, and actual wasabi roots to grate over the noodles themselves. I have to say though that the best thing about the restaurant was probably the fact that it was non-smoking during lunch hours. After that I believe that we got back on the train, dropped off things at our various rooms, and met up again for dinner.
-My first Takarazuka show was no fluke: they just happen to be amazing.
-The more I look the more non-smoking restaurants and cafes I see, but they still seem to be a long way from an all-out ban.
-Takarazuka DVDs are still expensive. I bought what I thought was a cheap copy of ‘Rose of Versailles,’ but turned out to be only the scenes that a certain actress (Aran Kei) was in. Even in scenes where she was present, the camera only focused on her, often to the exclusion of the actual action in a scene. I still like it, though. So, you should probably be aware that in the Takarazuka gift shop it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.
-There’s also a nice little cafeteria-style restaurant that has good, cheap food that is quick. This is nice especially if you’re just catching a quick bite before the show.