今週のオーストラリア in Japan–Sept. 4–10, 2026/2026年9月4日〜10日

Australia is having another busy week in Japan, with Australian dance, Indigenous theatre and South Australian wine all on the menu. There is also a particularly interesting exhibition opening in Osaka on Thursday.

THIS WEEKEND!

UMEWAKA HAS YET TO RETURN

『梅若はまだ帰らない。＜戯曲ダンス版＞』

An Australian dancer is part of an intriguing new work exploring one of Tokyo’s oldest legends.

Sebastian Geilings, an Australian dancer, choreographer and teacher who has worked with Australian Dance Theatre and Lucy Guerin Inc., performs in Kota Yamazaki’s Umewaka Has Yet to Return. The work draws on the tragic legend of Umewakamaru, a young boy whose death on the banks of the Sumida River inspired a story of a mother searching for her lost son.

This is not conventional theatre or conventional dance. Body, language and music are used to explore memory, absence and the relationship between past and present.

Venue

Sumida Park Theater SOU
1-1-10 Yokokawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo

Dates & times

Friday, 4 September — 19:30
Saturday, 5 September — 15:00
Sunday, 6 September — 15:00

Reception opens 45 minutes before each performance; doors open 30 minutes beforehand. There are post-performance talks on September 5 and 6.

Admission

General: ¥3,000
Sumida residents: ¥2,500
U-25 / disability discount: ¥1,500
Same-day tickets: ¥500 extra

Booking

Tickets are available through Peatix.

Access

Tokyo Skytree Station — 12 min walk
Honjo-azumabashi Station — 13 min
Oshiage Station — 14–15 min
Kinshicho Station — 15 min

Official website

Umewaka Has Yet to Return – official site

オーストラリア人ダンサー、セバスチャン・ガイリングスが出演する注目のダンス作品『梅若はまだ帰らない。＜戯曲ダンス版＞』が、墨田区で上演されます。

隅田川に伝わる梅若伝説を題材に、身体、言葉、音楽を通して「不在」「記憶」「過去と現在」を探る作品です。セバスチャンはオーストラリア・ダンス・シアターやLucy Guerin Inc.でも活動してきたダンサーです。

会場： すみだパークシアター倉
日程： 9月4日19:30、5日15:00、6日15:00
料金： 一般3,000円、墨田区民2,500円、U-25／障害者1,500円
予約： Peatix
アクセス： とうきょうスカイツリー駅徒歩12分、本所吾妻橋駅13分、押上駅14〜15分、錦糸町駅15分

DAVID MILROY — AUSTRALIA SPECIAL

国際演劇交流セミナー2026 オーストラリア特集

Australian Indigenous playwright, composer and musician David Milroy is the focus of an international theatre workshop taking place in Yamaga, Kumamoto, this weekend.

Milroy was born in Perth and is of Palyku heritage. His play Windmill Baby became the first Indigenous Australian work to win the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award. The three-day workshop explores storytelling, theatre and music through three of his works: Windmill Baby, Waltzing the Wilara and Panawathi Girl.

Venue

Yachiyoza Theatre & Community Exchange Facilities
Yamaga, Kumamoto

Dates & hours

4–6 September 2026
13:00–19:00 each day

Admission

General: ¥9,000
U-22 / JDA members: ¥4,500
Observer: ¥1,000 per day

Booking

The application deadline was 2 September at noon, and the workshop has a limited capacity of approximately 15 participants. Therefore, applications should be regarded as closed unless the organisers announce otherwise.

Access

From JR Shin-Tamana Station: Sanko bus towards Yamaga, getting off at Yamaga Onsen (Yachiyoza Iriguchi). Similar buses operate from JR Tamana Station and Kumamoto Sakuramachi Bus Terminal.

Official website

Japan Directors Association – David Milroy seminar

オーストラリアを代表する先住民劇作家・作曲家・音楽家、デビッド・ミルロイを講師に迎えた国際演劇交流セミナー「オーストラリア特集」が熊本県山鹿市で開催されます。

パース生まれでパリュク族の家系を持つミルロイ。代表作『Windmill Baby』は、先住民劇作品として初めてパトリック・ホワイト賞を受賞しました。今回は『Windmill Baby』『Waltzing the Wilara』『Panawathi Girl』を題材に、演劇、音楽、ストーリーテリングを探ります。

会場： 八千代座＆交流施設（熊本県山鹿市）
日時： 9月4〜6日、13:00〜19:00
料金： 一般9,000円、U-22／協会員4,500円、見学1日1,000円
申込締切： 9月2日正午（定員約15名）
アクセス： JR新玉名駅などから山鹿温泉（八千代座入口）行きバス

サラ・オレイン

Schedule

THE TORRES STRAIT (ZENADTH KES) AND JAPAN

トレス海峡（ゼナドスケス）と日本

Opening on Thursday, 10 September, this may be the most historically fascinating Australian-related exhibition of the week.

The Torres Strait (Zenadth Kes) and Japan: History and Connection As Seen Through the Ohshima George Photograph Collection explores the connections between Japan and the Torres Strait through photographs taken by Japanese photographer George Ohshima in the 1970s.

The exhibition also examines the history of contact between Japan and Torres Strait communities, including connections through the pearl-shell industry. The Australian Embassy is a supporting partner, alongside Australian institutions including the Australian National University.

Venue

National Museum of Ethnology
Thematic Exhibition Hall
10-1 Senri Expo Park, Suita, Osaka

Dates

10 September – 15 December 2026

Opening hours

10:00–17:00
Last admission: 16:30

Closed Wednesdays.

Admission

Adults: ¥780
University students: ¥340
High-school students and younger: Free

Booking

No advance booking is indicated for the exhibition itself. Normal museum admission applies.

Access

Banpaku-kinen-koen Station, Osaka Monorail — approximately 15 minutes on foot
Koen-Higashiguchi Station — approximately 15 minutes on foot

Official website

National Museum of Ethnology – exhibition information

9月10日（木）開幕の注目企画が、国立民族学博物館の「トレス海峡（ゼナドスケス）と日本」です。

1970年代に日本人写真家・大島襄二が撮影した写真コレクションを中心に、トレス海峡地域と日本との交流や歴史を紹介します。真珠貝産業などを通じた両地域のつながりにも焦点を当てます。オーストラリア大使館が協賛し、オーストラリア国立大学なども協力しています。

会場： 国立民族学博物館本館企画展示場
会期： 9月10日〜12月15日
開館時間： 10:00〜17:00（最終入館16:30）
休館日： 水曜日
料金： 一般780円、大学生340円、高校生以下無料
アクセス： 万博記念公園駅または公園東口駅から徒歩約15分

COMING SOON OR ONGOING 継続やこれからの日豪Yartz

Ron Mueck at the Mori Art Museum

ロン・ミュエク展は、子どもから大人まで「こんなに大きい人、こんなに小さい人！」と直感的に楽しめるタイプの展覧会です。中学生以下は入館無料なので、家族で六本木へ出かける候補としてもチェックする価値があります。会期は9月23日まで。

Mueck’s huge and tiny human figures make this a particularly easy exhibition to enjoy across generations. Junior-high students and younger children are admitted free, too, making it a useful family option for a day out in Roppongi. The exhibition continues until September 23.

Official website: Mori Art Museum — Ron Mueck

Ticket information: Advance online booking is recommended but not essential if time slots remain available.

Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday–Sunday 10:00–22:00; Tuesday 10:00–17:00. Last admission 30 minutes before closing.

Venue: Mori Art Museum, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 53F.

Access: About 3 minutes on foot from Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line; about 6 minutes from Roppongi Station on the Toei Oedo Line.

Admission: Adults ¥2,500; university/high school students ¥1,500; junior high school students and under free; seniors ¥2,200.

Booking: Advance booking recommended, subject to available time slots.

Suggested image: A family looking up at one of Ron Mueck’s giant human sculptures.

A couple of dates worth putting in the diary now:

Chet Faker — Tokyo

16 September, Ebisu The Garden Hall

The Melbourne-born singer-songwriter returns to Tokyo for his A LOVE FOR STRANGERS WORLD TOUR. Doors are 18:00, show 19:00; standing tickets are ¥8,000 plus a drink charge, with general sales currently running through the official ticketing channels.

Chet Faker – UDO Music official ticket information

Marty Holoubek — 3 Days, 6 Concerts

20–22 September, Shinjuku Pit Inn

Australian bassist Marty Holoubek is listed by the Australian Embassy among its upcoming events.

Pub Choir

24 September, Shibuya WWW X

The Australian singing phenomenon arrives in Tokyo later this month.

Alexander Gavrylyuk

アレクサンダー・ガヴリリュク

Alexander Gavrylyuk will perform in Yokosuka on Nov. 21 and in Tokyo on Nov. 24.

アレクサンダー・ガヴリリュクは11月21日・24日横須賀及び東京にてリサイタルが行います。

That’s the Yartz for 4–10 September.

From contemporary dance in Sumida to Aboriginal theatre in Kumamoto, and Torres Strait history in Osaka, Australia is giving Japan plenty to think about this week.

今週のYartzはここまで。

墨田のコンテンポラリーダンスから熊本の先住民演劇、そして大阪のトレス海峡史まで――今週も日本とオーストラリアのつながりは、なかなか濃いのです。

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