Tonda Summer Program 2025
Traditional Japanese Bunraku Summer Program


The Tonda Traditional Japanese Bunraku Puppet Troupe, founded in the 1830s, is one of the most active groups performing traditional Bunraku puppetry in Japan, and is considered by the government to be an Intangible Cultural Treasure. The current Master of the troupe, Hidehiko Abe, invites you to join him in the Tonda Summer Program 2025 intercultural experience.


Tonda Bunraku Troupe

Located in the Torahime District of Nagahama City near Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, the Tonda Troupe has gained a great deal of fame as one of the best known puppetry troupes outside of the National Theater in Osaka. The troupe has performed in Australia, New Zealand, frequently in the United States, and most recently in Germany; locally, they put on performances on a monthly basis throughout the region.

In the community, the troupe frequently works with both middle and high school students in the instruction of bunraku, a form of traditional Japanese puppetry. Their smaller size makes this readily possible, with plenty of hands-on training from the most experienced members of the troupe. For over a decade, the troupe has hosted college-aged students from around the globe, while providing a cultural exploration experience in eight weeks that many students would miss even after an academic year in Japan.



The Program

Master Hidehiko Abe aims to combine the program’s daily practice of bunraku with a number of field trips and daily cultural activities, so as to make for a truly well-rounded experience. In bunraku itself, there are three key components: the actual puppetry, in which three members control a puppet; instruction in traditional Japanese instruments, the shamisen and the koto, which provide the music during a performance; and a type of specialized chanting, which are the voices of the puppets during a performance.

On average, bunraku practice days go Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 4:30 pm, with frequent variations depending on weekly activities. To better understand and experience Japanese culture, there are also field trips to see major cultural and historical sites in Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, and Fukui prefectures, including a variety of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, art galleries, tea houses, and traditional festivals. Students stay in homestays with local natives, and are thus more able to experience traditional mannerisms, customs, and cuisine, all while learning Japanese. The program is ideal for students experiencing their first time in Japan, or students who have had little cultural exposure while in Japan previously. All students are welcome.

On off days, while not in practice or participating in traditional Japanese activities (such as tea ceremony, flower arrangement, pottery, calligraphy, and others), students have helped on Japanese farms and orchards, tried out being a English assistant for a day in local elementary schools (very good for JET applications), as well as practiced Japanese traditional archery (kyudo) and other martial arts with nearby instructors. Nagahama is a little over 1 hour from Kyoto and Nagoya, and readily accessible for independent travel.

The summer program runs from early June to early August, 2024, with time after the program’s official end date often used by students to travel Japan. Final dates will be conveyed to successful applicants.



Pertinent Information:

The homestays are local area families; some may not have western style bathroom facilities, so please note if you have any preferences.

The homestays will provide daily breakfast and dinner meals, but students will need to find places to eat lunch themselves. There is a convenience store, train station, snack shop, and ramen shop within 10~20 minutes by bicycle. During the weekends, host families provide all meals. If students wish to travel independently, they will have to pay for their own travel expenses, though often host families will prepare fun trips with students. A Japan Rail Pass is recommended for personal travel, and must be purchased prior to entry into Japan.

Any documents needed for school credit can be prepared by request; we can work with your Japanese Language Departments, etc., on this.



Expenses (per person, for the whole program):

1. Home Stay Fee (meals, room)   150,000 yen
2. Tuition (puppetry, shamisen, etc.) 150,000 yen
3. Supplies                         50,000 yen
4. Field Trip Fees**
        a. Admission/Material Fees         40,000 yen
        b. Field Trips                             35,000 yen
        c. Freeway Travel on Trips         50,000 yen
5. Special Occasions (Parties) 20,000 yen

Total: 480,000 yen (~3200 dollars, depending on exchange rate)
(payment will be made in yen upon/before arrival)

**Field Trips (not comprehensive – participants have input on trip destinations, trips may change depending on interest and scheduling availability, though the majority are typically done)

Nara Prefecture - Todaiji Temple, Wakakusa Mountain, Houryu Temple
Kyoto - Gion Matsuri, Heian Shrine, Ryouan Temple, The Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji), Kiyomizu Temple.

(Note, Gion Matsuri fees are separate,  and vary depending on program member interest and hostel availability. Often they run an additional 5000 yen.)

Osaka - National Bunraku Theater Performance, Shinsaibashi, Dotonbori

Fukui Prefecture - Eihei Temple, Beaches, Hot Springs

Shiga Prefecture (Nagahama’s Prefecture)
- Otsu: Ohmi Shrine
- Shigaraki: traditional pottery experience
- Hikone: Hikone Castle, Kirin Beer Factory
- Takashima: Saké Factory, making Folding Fans
- Ohmihachiman: Hachiman-bori
- Anzuchi: Anzuchi Castle Site and Museum
- Nagahama: Nagahama Island, Chikubu Island (on Lake Biwa)
- Takatsuki: Eleven-faced Goddess of Mercy