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Launched in 2007 by Fabien Riggall , Secret Cinema has taken the world of immersive experiences by storm. From grassroots film screenings in abandoned London buildings, to large-scale productions in some of the most spectacular spaces worldwide, we create 360-degree participatory Secret Worlds &amp

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The first approximate map of radioactive contamination density of the territory (of cesium 137Cs, 90Sr strontium and plutonium 238-, 240Pu) appeared in July 1986. Atlas of radioactive contamination of Europe was released by the Luxembourg Office for Official Publications of the European Communities in 1998.

There we can see the statistics: how the Chernobyl radiation poisoned the other world countries. From the table about the countries of Europe: country / proportion in percent of the Chernobyl contamination in Cs:

Austria 2.4

Belarus 23

Belgium 0.02

Czech Republic 0.54

Denmark 0.02

Estonia 0.08

Finland 4.8

Germany 1.8

Greece 1.1

Hungary 0.24

Ireland 0.33

Italy (excluding Sicily) 0.90

Latvia 0.09

Lithuania 0.38

Luxembourg <0.01

Moldova 0.53

Netherlands 0.02

Norway 3.1

Poland 0.63

Romania 2.4

Russia (European part) 30

Slovakia 0.28

Slovenia 0.52

Spain 0.05

Sweden 4.6

Switzerland 0.43

Turkey (European part) 0.16

Ukraine 18

United Kingdom 0.83

If you look at these data, there is a question. How could radiation from Chernobyl spread so far? Chernobyl radiation cloud was moving in the atmosphere of the entire northern hemisphere and reached the borders of the equator. Due to the developed system of monitoring. And despite the relatively small size of this cloud. It was easily detected for thousands of kilometers.

After the accident, radioactive substances were distributed in the form of aerosols, which are gradually settled on the surface of the earth. Contamination was very uneven. Because it depended on the direction of the wind in the first days after the explosion. The hardest affected areas were places in which was raining at that time.

As a result of these natural processes, radiation has covered half of Europe. Chernobyl radiation has covered many countries at a distance of hundreds of kilometers from the damaged Chernobyl's reactor. Among European countries, the most contaminated by radionuclides were Finland, Sweden, Norway and Austria.

Three most affected countries from the Chernobyl disaster are Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. In these countries, there are approximately 300 settlements in which the average annual radiation dose exceeds the norm. Total, in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia has fallen 70% of the ejected radioactive substances. Scientists have named the highest radiation stain like a butterfly because of its form.

Is Chernobyl still radioactive?

After the accident on April 26, in 1986, a fire raged for 10 days the station. It infects environment by a huge number of radioactive particles. That's why radiation poisoning Chernobyl became exclusion zone. According to the International Nuclear Event Scale, the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station received the maximal 7 points as a record amount of radioactive substances released into the environment.

After 30 years after the accident, there still is a 30-kilometer exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Officially, at the nuclear station, there is no permanently present person. Workers are allowed to stay in the town of Chernobyl. It is located about 15 kilometers from the station. But even there, employees can stay only a few weeks in a row.

Let's discuss the Chernobyl map of radiation. In general, modern Chernobyl is clean city by the standards of the exclusion zone. Chernobyl radiation radius was outlined in the 30 km. Because it was assumed that if there was a nuclear explosion, the so-called second zone would have been just 30 km (the first zone - the continuous destruction - is a 10 km). In fact, there was a thermal explosion. This zone can be a separate beam about 70 or 50 kilometers, and in some places - 10 km.

Today, the exclusion zone is not exactly the 30-kilometer. Partly it may be larger or smaller. This area is divided into several parts. In the 30-km zone is allowed conducting research work and accommodation of employees on a rotational basis. There live about 300 self-settlers. In some places, even carried out the agricultural work. But the 10-km zone, it is the area of mandatory unconditional resettlement, only Chernobyl employees are in it.

Is there still radiation in Chernobyl? Chernobyl exclusion zone is heterogeneous. There are clean places where all can live. And there are places enough dirty. But no one knows how will pass the migration of radionuclides. Chernobyl is almost clean. There are a few sufficiently "powerful black stains" near it.

So, is Chernobyl still radioactive? The environmentalists have concluded that the Chernobyl exclusion zone are beginning to recover. But radiation in Chernobyl is still dangerous for all living creatures!

How long will Chernobyl be radioactive?

Can scientists say when will Chernobyl be radiation free? Every year the radiation indicators are falling down. Reduction of the contaminated area will decrease approximately in 7 times by 2050. During the same period, the average annual doses of external and internal exposure of the population will be reduced by hundreds of times.

That is why specialists advocate for the restriction of the Chernobyl zone and the revision of the status of the contaminated territories. Despite the relatively optimistic forecasts, the period of decay of the radioactive metal is hundreds of years.

It should be noted that exist not so optimistic points of view: changes on the Chernobyl radiation map will be almost invisible and radiation standards will decrease very slowly. Only if the protective measures will be carried out, the number of localities with an annual dose higher than the norm will be reduced. Let's look at the examples of impact and duration of the disintegration of Chernobyl radioactive elements.

In the process of pollution radioactive iodine has played a significant role. It has a short half-life. Quite soon after the accident, iodine was considered as a safe substance. Today, radioactive contamination constitute substances such as cesium and strontium. Their decay period is 30 years.

Thus, they are damaging the surrounding area for several decades. It is not excluded that their negative effect is still ongoing. Plutonium isotopes and americium will be present in the affected areas, probably within a few thousand years. They cause slight radiation effects on the human body.

Surprisingly, the large area of the Chernobyl zone has become a refuge for various animals. In fact, Chernobyl has become a "reserve", where you can meet the wolves, eagles, wild boar, elk, deer and many other animals. Though the life in the zone is restored.

But the scientists still doubt that presence of people is safe there. They claim that the area will not be habitable for the next 20 000 years. If you want to know more details about the duration of Chernobyl radiation effects type in a search engine "Chernobyl how long will radiation last".

Chernobyl radiation levels

Radiation emission occurs not only because of any problems in nuclear stations or explosion of an atomic bomb. All life on Earth is under the influence the radiation background. It consists of two components: the natural background and the so-called man-made (technogenic).

What is the natural background radiation? It is formed by radiation from space and by radioactive elements of the earth's crust: uranium, radium, thorium. These elements are present even in the granite, which is often used as a building material. The reinforced concrete panels have a radiation activity, too. Also, radioactive elements, such as potassium, radon and carbon fall into the human body through the air and consumed food.

As for the role of man-made sources, they will increase in 2 - 3 times the background radiation in comparison with the natural. This is due to the widespread using of medical X-ray, staying in modern buildings, flying on airplanes, television viewing, pollution products formed by burning coal, and other factors.

We live in a radioactive world where everything is radioactive, even ourselves. But the radiation that surrounds us does not correspond to the global Chernobyl poisoning radiation. What are the radiation levels in Chernobyl? What determines these levels?

Visitors of the exclusion zone can measure changes of the radiation levels in Chernobyl by the dosimeter. The average values in the area vary from 0.9 microsieverts per hour (at a distance from the station) to 2.5 microsieverts close to it.

How much radiation is in Chernobyl? In an area where is fixed high rate (for example 214.2 microsieverts) it is dangerous to stay even for a few minutes. In some parts of the exclusion zone, the radiation level reaches 20 sieverts despite the fact that lethal dose has a total of 6.

So, there is strong "dirty" place in the Chernobyl zone, of course. Basically, this polluted places are different cemeteries. A cemetery is a place where were exported the cut of a top layer of soil and other radioactive waste. They are scattered throughout all exclusion area.

Radioactive "North" and "West" tracks, cemeteries liquidator equipment and, of course, the accommodation of Sarcophagus are very radioactive. Inside the Sarcophagus is still kept the background in several roentgen.

But don't worry! If you visit the explosion zone on our excursion you won't definitely present in this high Chernobyl radiation levels places.

Chernobyl radiation effects

Among the causes of the disaster, the experts called the flaws in reactor design and human error. A powerful release of radiation:

1. killed thousands of people;

2. was the cause of many diseases;

3. entailed Chernobyl radiation mutations;

4. caused enormous damage to the environment.

We can enumerate the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster during a long time in such or another way. But, eventually, this disaster influenced the course of world history.

In nowadays, any person and any country can not be sure that we are protected from radioactive contamination. One nuclear reactor can dangerous pollute half of the Globe.

The indicators of external radiation intensity vary from year to year. But the biggest threat is food that grown in the dirty areas. We need to take some measures to protect ourselves from the Chernobyl radiation. Countermeasures include special fertilizer for soil and sorbents for animals.

Chernobyl radiation had a detrimental effect on the countless creatures. This fact illustrates research of livestock, field mice, fish, birds, plants, trees, bacteria, viruses from Chernobyl radiation zone. At the same time, anthropogenic transformation of the region is unique. Under the influence of wind and rain and the human activities, radiation levels at Chernobyl have considerably decreased.

If to talk about Chernobyl radiation effects on humans there is perturbing fact. The multitude of people who sought medical help didn't have the possibility to know the cause of their disease. The doctors couldn't find a connection between being in the zone of radioactive contamination and a sharp deterioration in health. Such statistics remained secretive for many decades after the disaster.

Chernobyl radiation effects on nature: soil and water, animals and plants

Scientists warn that the soil, plants and water in the most contaminated areas still contain significant quantities of radioactive substances. They are dangerous to humans for several decades. The groundwater in the region is close to the surface. Therefore Chernobyl radionuclides were in the groundwater of other European countries in the coming years after the accident.

In the first months after the accident, radioactive substances were deposited on the leaves and grass. Therefore, grazing animals succumbed to contamination. Then radionuclides with rain and fallen leaves have appeared in the ground. Even now, they get into the plant from the soil. Thus, the largest concentration of cesium detected in the surface layer of soil. And from the ground, it gets into plants, berries and mushrooms.

The Chernobyl forests damaged seriously because of the accident. The most severely affected territory situated near the station. They formed the so-called "Red Forest". This name it received because of the radiation exposure. Under the effects of radiation the trees died, though left standing, and acquired red color. After the accident, workers purified this territory: the trees cut down and buried.

Thus, in the first years after the accident, a lot of areas around the station has been cleared. There were planting pine forest. The young forest has grown a bit and procedure was repeated. The trees were taken off and buried. In such way clear the soil. This is one-way anti-radiation land remediation.

Despite the scale of the Chernobyl disaster, the potential of renewable forest ecosystems proved to be extremely powerful. After the disappearance of people from the Chernobyl radiation zone, the surrounding forest began to return to the city and fill the space between the houses. By the way, scientists have noted that many of the trees have abnormal forms of growth, indicating it as the Chernobyl radioactive mutations.

The scientists and ecologist study Chernobyl radiation effects on animals. Because the contaminated area was isolated and almost there was no man influence, the number of animals and plants has been increasing, formed the new communication ecosystem. Now, the exclusion zone is permanently inhabited only by wild animals, whose numbers strong increased.

According to experts, they observe rare species of animals that were previously considered disappeared in these parts. Understanding this, the researchers introduced into the exclusion zone extinct species in nature to this area.

Chernobyl radiation victims

Experts still can not tell the exact number of victims because of the explosion at the Chernobyl reactor. The consequences of the Chernobyl disaster affected millions of people in Ukraine, Belarus and other European countries.

Dozens of people died in a few weeks, hundreds and perhaps thousands of humans in the subsequent years. However, accurate data on the number of victims is still not determined. We can not even tell approximate records because the calculations of various agencies and statistical offices sometimes considerably vary. There are main categories of victims of radiation in Chernobyl:

liquidators;

children;

prenatally irradiated children (born between 26 April 1986 and 26 February 1987);

evacuated citizens;

affected population.

The first glaring discrepancies related with the accident are in data on the number of Chernobyl radiation victims. For example, the data contradict the estimates of the World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Initially told that from the 830 000 "liquidators" who extinguished the fire at the Chernobyl reactor, engaged in decontamination and clean up the areas, only 31 people died.

This is attributed to the fact that many of the participants in the decontamination of contaminated areas died later and because of natural causes, not directly related to the Chernobyl catastrophe. Herein lies the danger; experts say that identify the impact of radiation exposure on the human body with the passing of time is very difficult. This is a feature of the effects of radiation.

Soviet researchers found that at the time of the explosion and some time after there were 237 people on Chernobyl nuclear power plant (technical personnel nuclear power plants, unite of fire protection). All of them have received substantial doses of radiation exposure. The acute radiation sickness was recorded in 134 of them. 28 employees of the station died in the first three months after the incident, 14 people dead over the next ten years. Also, need to add three people which died in the moment of explosion on the fourth power unit (one of them died of heart failure). Thus, 45 people who died directly as a result of the disaster.

Chernobyl radiation effects on humans

Chernobyl is an invisible danger. A study conducted by experts gave a large-scale assessment of the impact of the Chernobyl disaster on the health of the people. The debates on the number of accident victims are still open.

We can never set with accuracy the number of victims of the most monstrous nuclear disaster since the development of the "peaceful atom". And we can not accurately trace and establish a direct connection of some disease and radiation poisoning.

For example, studies have shown that from 10 to 20% of the adult population of both contaminated and uncontaminated areas needed of medical care due to health problems not related to radiation exposure.

As a result, more than half of the population suffers from stress, which led to an increase in the number of mental disorders, sleep disorders, diseases of the endocrine system, and many other diseases unrelated to radiation.

Nuclear power plant employees suffered the most. Especially those who took part in the elimination of the consequences immediately after the accident. Moreover, usually the cause of death were diseases that were not directly associated with the received radiation dose.

This is the so-called probabilistic (stochastic) effects of radiation exposure. They appear a few years later in the form of an accelerated flow of a variety of serious diseases. One of the most frequent effects is cancers.

The most common of stochastic effects of the Chernobyl disaster has been the rapid increase in the number of thyroid cancers. First and foremost among those who at the time of the accident was a child. Experts explain: "the thyroid gland is like a sponge absorbs radioactive isotopes of iodine."

If radionuclides get into the human body, experts say that it is internal irradiation. This kind of exposure took place after the Chernobyl accident. Internal exposure has its own peculiarities. Each radionuclide behaves differently.

The most vulnerable organs, tissues and systems of the body are called "critical organs". For example, when you receive radioactive iodine in the body, about 30% of accumulates in the thyroid gland, which is considered as the critical organ for iodine. A whole group of radionuclides is concentrated in the bones, where they are delayed. Cesium is evenly distributed in the muscle tissue.

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Chernobyl radiation: that is a given concept and which spread

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The first approximate map of radioactive contamination density of the territory (of cesium 137Cs, 90Sr strontium and plutonium 238-, 240Pu) appeared in July 1986. Atlas of radioactive contamination of Europe was released by the Luxembourg Office for Official Publications of the European Communities in 1998.

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Later this month, Barack Obama will become the first U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, Japan, 71 years after the United States dropped the first atomic weapon used in warfare on the city in 1945, killing tens of thousands. President Obama plans to tour the site with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but will reportedly not be offering any apologies or revisiting the decision by the U.S. to drop the bomb. On my last visit to the National Archives, I found a number of pre-war and post-war images of Hiroshima, and have gathered them here, a stark reminder of what happened when a nuclear weapon was detonated over a densely-populated area.

View this page Hints: full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

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Hiroshima: Before and After the Atomic Bombing

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Later this month, Barack Obama will become the first U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, Japan, 71 years after the United States dropped the first atomic weapon used in warfare on the city in 1945, killing tens of thousands.

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13/10/18

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Kyoto Travel: Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines

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About Kamigamo and Shimogamo, ancient shrines in Kyoto.

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13/10/18

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The latest weather forecast reports that the winds over the nuclear power plant in Japan have switched directions, and instead of blowing radioactive particles out to sea, the nuclear plume is drifting over Japan. Which is tragic, really. Given that there's over 5000 miles of ocean between Japan and the United States for radioactive materials to disperse, I'd rather take the fallout this way than see Japan further under siege.

But winds are fickle, and the battle to contain the nuclear crisis at the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant still rages.

You already know how I feel about stockpiling iodide pills (DON'T). And I gave you the 11 reasons why US left coasters shouldn't freak out about radiation in Japan (namely, we're safe right now). But I have yet to put on my white coat and fill you in on what you should know about nuclear radiation and how it affects our bodies.

So here goes. Are you listening there in the back (Bueller...Bueller)? Where's my chalkboard? Now keep in mind that I nearly had a mental meltdown trying to keep my grades up in my pre-med physics classes at Duke. This is not your friendly neighborhood nuclear physicist's lecture. So we'll keep this real simple.

Radiation 101: The Facts, Just The Facts, Ma'am

Radiation surrounds us all the time. It's in the air, the ground, our homes, and our food (oddly enough, bananas and brazil nuts clock in as the most radioactive foods). The average human is exposed to about three millisieverts of radiation per year, mostly from cosmic radiation and medical procedures. At these levels, any damage done can be repaired by a healthy body. While this small dose of radiation has not been shown to have any adverse biological effects on humans, higher doses can definitely hurt us.

For example, the power plant in Japan has been recorded spewing out up to 800 millisieverts per hour.

So What Happens?

When cells -- and what lies within them -- get exposed to radiation, components of DNA and critical proteins within the cell get all jazzed up (ionized), meaning that the electrons with our atoms get kicked out, causing the DNA strands to break and the proteins to cramp up (denature).
Ionizing Radiation:
· Leads to the production of free radicals

· Breaks critical chemical bonds

· Leads to changes in cellular structure within irradiated cells

· Damages vital molecules, such as DNA, RNA, and other regulatory proteins

Because our cells are mostly water, this ionizing radiation breaking H20 down is harmful to free radicals (H+ and OH-). While cells are damaged by free radicals all the time, they normally repair themselves, keeping the body healthy. However, high doses of radiation can damage the cell's ability to repair itself, and then all hell breaks loose.

This shakes things up all over the body.

Let's do a head-to-toe walk-through to investigate how high doses of radiation can damage the human body.

BRAIN: Nerve cells (neurons) and brain blood vessels can die, leading to seizures.

EYES: Radiation exposure increases the risk of cataracts.

THYROID: When a nuclear reactor malfunctions, radioactive iodine (I-131) can be released into the atmosphere (this is one of the particles that hangs out in a "radioactive plume"). The thyroid is very sensitive to the effects of I-131 (in fact, I-131's affinity for the thyroid is used therapeutically to specifically attract radiation to the thyroid in order to treat thyroid cancer and overactive thyroid). When a healthy thyroid is exposed to I-131, it can lead to decreased thyroid function and, over time, thyroid cancer.

LUNGS: When you breathe in invisible nuclear fallout particles, it can lead to lung cancer down the road.

HEART: High doses of radiation can damage the cells in the blood vessels that feed the heart, reducing cardiac function.

GI TRACT: Sensitive cells in the intestinal lining can be damaged, leading to nausea, bloody vomiting, and bloody diarrhea.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS: Rapidly dividing cells (eggs and sperm) in the ovaries and testes can die, leading to sterility.

SKIN: Rapidly dividing skin cells can be damaged, leading to skin lesions and burn.

LYMPHATIC SYSTEM: Rapidly dividing lymphatic cells die and damaged bone marrow may have trouble replenishing these immune-boosting cells, increasing the risk of infection.

How Much Does Dose Matter?
Obviously, how much radiation the body is exposed to matters a lot. We are all exposed to radiation every day. High doses of radiation tend to flat out kill cells, while lower doses tend to alter the genetic code (DNA) of cells. If enough cells in an organ are killed, organ failure can result.

Lower Doses of Radiation

It's hard to say exactly what radiation dosage is "safe," but certainly, any radiation floating across the sea from Japan to the US is currently deemed safe. While one station in Sacramento detected "minuscule quantities" of a radioactive isotope xenon-133, believed to have originated from Japan, the level detected would result in a "dose rate approximately one-millionth of the dose rate that a person normally receives from rocks, bricks, the sun and other natural sources," according to an EPA statement reported in this article.

While these levels do not put us at any known biological risk, higher doses -- such as those people exposed to ionizing radiation during cancer treatment undergo -- can increase the risk of cancers. Because radiation kills rapidly dividing cells (which is why we use it to treat fast-growing cancer cells), radiation exposure most increases the risk of cancers of rapidly dividing cells -- leading to leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer, bladder cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, ovarian cancer, multiple myeloma, and stomach cancers. Radiation may also lead to cancers of the prostate, nose/sinuses, throat/larynx, and pancreas. Many years can transpire between exposure and a cancer diagnosis.

So while we in the US do not appear to be at risk right now, the Japanese workers heroically battling against the possibility of nuclear meltdown certainly might be.

800-1600 Millisieverts (0.8-1.6 Sieverts)

Workers responding to the Chernobyl accident and some 1945 atomic bomb survivors were exposed to radiation doses at this level, which resulted in Acute Radiation Syndrome (radiation sickness). 134 plant workers at Chernobyl power plant exposed to these levels of radiation suffered from acute radiation sickness. Of these, 28 died within three months as the result of their exposure, and two died within the first few days.

3.5-5 Sieverts

It's nearly impossible to predict the threshold of exactly how much radiation you would need to be exposed to in order to die, but according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "It is believed that 50% of a population would die within 30 days after receiving a dose of between 3500-5000 mSv (3.5-5 Sieverts) to the whole body, over a period ranging from a few minutes to a few hours."

Everything In Between

For every Sievert past 1, the chance of dying within 30 days increases 15% above a base of 10% (meaning that someone exposed to two Sieverts of ionizing radiation has a 25% chance of dying within 30 days; someone exposed to three Sieverts has a 45% chance of dying within 30 days; at six Sieverts, the death rate is 90%). People lose their hair, become sterile, their bone marrow shuts down -- and at high doses, internal bleeding and complete immune system breakdown lead to overwhelming infection, hemorrhage, and death.

Perspective, People!

Most importantly, please keep things in perspective. The doses we're talking about here are the kinds of dosages we'll only see in nuclear disaster. No one except the workers at the nuclear power plant in Japan are at risk of any of these severe outcomes right now -- and because of their heroic actions, hopefully, we never will be.

May we all say a prayer for those we have lost to the earthquake and tsunami, as well as for all the power plant workers who are putting themselves at risk of cancer, radiation sickness, and death in order to protect the rest of the world. May God bring peace to the hearts of those who are mourning, and bring courage and serenity to those battling nuclear disaster, and may God watch over their families and keep them safe. And may the rest of us live in gratitude for our health, our safety, and the gift of living on this earth at this remarkable time in history.

For more information:

Does it help to talk about this? Or did this freak you out? Does this make you question your own mortality? What are you feeling right now? I'd love to hear...

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Radiation 101: How Does Nuclear Radiation Affect The Body?

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The latest weather forecast reports that the winds over the nuclear power plant in Japan have switched directions, and instead of blowing radioactive particles out to sea, the nuclear plume is drifting over Japan. Which is tragic, really.

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06/10/2018

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Noh (能, Nō) is a form of theater involving music, dance and drama, originating in the 14th century. It was developed together with kyogen, which are comical pieces performed during interludes of the main noh performance. The dual art of noh and kyogen is known as nogaku, and has been designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

Noh as we know it today was popularized and formalized by a man named Zeami during the Muromachi Period (1333-1573). It was Zeami's work that attracted the government's patronage of the art form. Zeami later fell out of favor with the government and was banished to Sado Island. Four main noh troupes were subsequently established, receiving sponsorship from shrines and temples.

During the Tokugawa Period (1603-1867), the shogunate made noh its official ceremonial art and issued regulations for its governance. Noh thus became increasingly standardized, with an emphasis on tradition rather than innovation. A fifth troupe was added during this time, making five main noh troupes which survive and perform till this day.

What is it?

Noh theater is structured around song and dance. Movement is slow, language is poetic, tone is monotonous, and costumes are rich and heavy. Plots are usually drawn from legend, history, literature and contemporary events. Themes often relate to dreams, supernatural worlds, ghosts and spirits.

Stage

Noh is performed on a square stage with a roof which is supported at its four corners by pillars. All sides of the stage are open except for the back side which consists of a wall with a painted image of a pine tree. A bridge runs at an oblique angle off the stage for performers to enter the stage. Noh used to be typically staged outdoors, but recently modern indoor theaters have also become a common venue.

Roles

All performers in noh are male.

Shite - the leading character. Depending on the play, the shite may act as a holy old man, a deity, a demon, a spirit or a living man. His movements express various moods.

Waki - the supporting actor. The waki plays roles such as a priest, monk or samurai. In contrast to the shite, the waki always portrays living people.

Hayashi - the musicians. Four musicians provide accompaniment for the performance with a flute (fue), shoulder drum (kotsuzumi), hip drum (otsuzumi) and stick drum (taiko).

Jiutai - the chorus. The chorus sits to the left of the stage and assists the shite in the narration of the story.

Koken - stage attendants. Dressed in black, the stage attendants are not part of the play but assist the performers in various ways, such as handing them props.

Masks

One key element of noh are the masks which the shite wears. They tell the audience what kind of character is being portrayed. Frequently used masks represent demons and spirits, as well as women and men of various ages. The masks are carved from blocks of Japanese cypress. Their three dimensional properties allow skilled actors to induce a variety of expressions with changes in head orientation.

Costumes and props

Costumes consist of multiple layers and textures that create an effect of resplendent elegance but also a bulky, massive figure. Expressiveness is enhanced by props, most notably a folding fan. Closed, partly closed or open, the fan may represent any object as suggested by its shape and handling, for example a dagger or a lantern.

Kyogen

Kyogen are the comic pieces performed at intervals between the main noh performance. They utilize satire and witty jokes and are often performed with rhythmical language and sometimes exaggerated actions to inspire laughter from the audience. Most kyogen pieces last for about 15-20 minutes and involve two or three actors. Plots are usually about stories of everyday life, such as men expressing their desire to find wives or farmers praying for good fortune.

Where to watch noh?

Some of the easiest places to watch noh today are modern indoor theaters with an in-built noh stage. In Tokyo, such venues include the National Noh Theatre near Sendagaya Station, the Kanze Noh Theater in Ginza and the Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre in Shibuya. In Osaka, there is the Otsuki Noh Theatre, while Nagoya has the Nagoya Noh Theatre, next to Nagoya Castle.

These days, a typical noh program lasts a couple of hours and consists of two or three noh acts with short kyogen pieces in between. Tickets range from 3,000 up to 12,500 yen, and can be bought over the counter or over the internet. Some places offer discounted tickets to watch a single act of a noh performance, which may be ideal for those looking for a short introduction to the Japanese artform. Note that ticket purchases often require Japanese language skills.

As mentioned before, shrines, temples and the nobility were some of the first patrons of the noh theater. Accordingly, at some famous shrines and temples beautiful outdoor noh stages still exist today. They hold occasional performances, but tickets may be difficult to obtain. Miyajima's Itsukushima Shrine (where the stage stands on pillars in the sea), Hiraizumi's Chusonji Temple, Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine and Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine are some places where such outdoor stages can be found.

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A tourist's guide to Noh, a form of traditional Japanese theater originating in the 14th century.