Koji Koji Moheji

Sorry to anyone who has been checking this blog for updates in vain for the last couple of weeks (I guess that means only you, Mom :D) . I have been too busy to write anything, what with school work, judo, Ed's birthday, the ensuing trip to the sentou and all.. But, I have been thinking of a possibly entertaining (a pun, you will soon find out) subject for this post.

Two months ago I went to Ueno Park, one of the larger parks situated in Tokyo. The park is surrounded by museums and contains a zoo (Japan's first it seems), a pagoda and temple and a huge pond filled with lotus plants, koi and turtles. Ueno Park is right next to Ueno Station and thus right next to the Ameyoko shopping streets, as well. Ameyoko is a bustling area filled with many shops selling mainly hats and vegetables, it seems, but naturally there are some restaurants there, too. As some of the shops are built under the train tracks you can actually sip on your ramen-broth and feel the restaurant tremble as a train passes overhead. If you haven't been there and find yourself on the Yamanote-sen without a destination, I'd say Ueno is definitely worth checking out.

But back to the park and the title of my post. If you climb up the stairs to the park next to the station and continue straight, you will eventually come to a clearing. This clearing provides a venue for any street performer to show their stuff. On the day of my visit, a brash young man wearing a white shirt and clown shoes took to the stage. At first, I was surprised to hear the sound of a bagpipe in Japan, of all places, but seeing that the player, this oddly clothed fellow, himself was Japanese was even more astonishing. I would soon find out that he wasn't equipped with only a bagpipe, though.

Please click on the photos to see them larger.

After setting up his gear, the young man proceeded to goad passers-by closer to a small area he had lined with a red rope. Lured in by this peculiar Bagpiper of Hamlin, the people crowded closer. After the lad took center stage, the playful melodies were joined by a backing recording played through speakers at the back of the stage. The music continued even after the bagpipe was discarded and replaced with a diabolo. What followed was probably the most captivating juggling performance I've ever seen (Ok, live performance. Anthony Gatto is pretty damn good...).

The young man, Koji Koji Moheji is his (stage?) name I found out later, tossed the spool any which way, occasionally letting go of both sticks and then catching them in mid-air. He would then twirl the diabolo horizontally and lash out as if beating the crowd off with a whip. Naturally, words aren't enough to describe his skill and the performance. All I can say is that the display was quite breathtaking.

Leaving the crowd with unhinged jaws, Mr. Moheji paused dramatically and produced a second diabolo from his equipment bag. The crowd looked on incredulously as a second diabolo joined the first one between the sticks and the pair commenced in a whimsical dance. After a while, as if two weren't enough, a third diabolo was introduced into the midst of the whirling duo.

By this time Mr. Moheji had completely won the crowd over. I guess it is a performer's desire to always press on further, though. After explaining his intentions and building up the suspense, Mr. M launched the diabolos up into the air one after the other. The crowd held it's breath and tried to follow the three red comets with their eyes as they streaked back towards the ground. M first caught the first one... Then the second one... But alas! The third one had separated from the neat formation, strayed too far and it crashed onto the pavement. The crowd breathed a sigh of disappointment. M wasn't discouraged though and tried again. Only to meet a similar failure..

Well, you can't blame our young lad for lack of determination. He tried again and again and each time the last spool hit the ground, M faced the onlookers, bowed deep in apology and tried again with renewed effort. After several attempts he finally succeeded and the crowd burst out in cheer. This success marked the end of the performance, though, and to reward his efforts, people went forth and handed M some coins and notes. Well-earned money I'd say.

This was my experience of Ueno. Perhaps you might have a story to tell about your time there, as well, so please feel free to share it in the comments. And you can check out more of Mr K. K. Moheji at his website:

Until next time: じゃ、また