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[[Image:Title.bbjapan.jpg|frame]] |
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+ | [[File:Journaljapan03.jpg|thumb|300px|Big Bird and Barkley are walking in Tokyo.]] |
| + | [[File:Journaljapan04.jpg|thumb|300px|Big Bird and Barkley get lost and miss their home.]] |
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| + | [[File:Journaljapan05.jpg|thumb|300px|Big Bird and Barkley meet the friendly young Japanese woman.]] |
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| + | [[File:Journaljapan12.jpg|thumb|300px|Big Bird exaggeratedly bows to the grandparents of the young lady's friend.]] |
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| + | [[File:Journaljapan07.jpg|thumb|300px|Visiting Mount Fuji.]] |
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| + | [[File:Journaljapan09.jpg|thumb|300px|Big Bird says goodbye to the young Japanese woman.]] |
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| ⚫ | [[Big Bird]] and [[Barkley]], having previously seen [[China]] independently, have signed up for a bus tour of Japan. The officious, hyper-organized guide has the trip organized to the detail, with little intended contact with the Japanese people. Wandering off, the pair are soon abandoned, but find aid from a friendly young woman, whose identity is eventually revealed through Japanese theater. The production included four original songs: "[[Homesick]]" and "[[Going to Kyoto]]" by [[Tony Geiss]], and "[[Ichi, Ni, San]]" and "[[Moon, Moon]]" by [[Carol Hall]]. |
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| ⚫ | [[Big Bird]] and [[Barkley]], having previously seen [[China]] independently, have signed up for a bus tour of Japan. The officious, hyper-organized guide has the trip organized to the detail, with little intended contact with the Japanese people. Wandering off, the pair are soon abandoned, but find aid from a friendly young woman, whose identity is eventually revealed through Japanese theater. The production included four original songs: "[[Homesick]]" and "[[Going to Kyoto]]" by [[Tony Geiss]], and "[[Ichi, Ni, San]]" and "[[Moon, Moon]]" by [[Carol Hall]]. |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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| − | [[Brian Muehl]] performs Barkley, but by the time the special was broadcast, [[Fred Garbo Garver]] had taken over the role on ''[[Sesame Street]]''. |
+ | [[Brian Muehl]] performs Barkley, but by the time the special was broadcast, [[Fred Garbo Garver]] had taken over the role on ''[[Sesame Street]]''. |
| + | Big Bird would return to Japan 16 years later as part of the cast of a [[Sesame Street (Japan)|local adaptation of Sesame Street]], along with [[Elmo]] and [[Cookie Monster]]. |
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| − | {{quote|What we get is a kind of gentle travelogue, although this is not a very enthusiastic endorsement for guided tours... Wandering off on their own, the Muppets eventually conclude that they "saw more and learned more than if we never got lost at all." |
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| − | ...It is all very gentle. Big Bird's dizzy innocence may be getting a bit less ingratiating as the years roll by, but the gawky creature is thoroughly convincing when it declares: ''I'm homesick for Japan and I haven't even left.'' One interesting detail: As Big Bird and Barkley waddle and scamper through public streets, the passers-by seem remarkably unfazed. There is a reluctance to stare. The boundaries of Japanese politeness seem wonderfully wide.}} |
+ | {{quote|What we get is a kind of gentle travelogue, although this is not a very enthusiastic endorsement for guided tours... Wandering off on their own, the Muppets eventually conclude that they "saw more and learned more than if we never got lost at all."<br><br>...It is all very gentle. Big Bird's dizzy innocence may be getting a bit less ingratiating as the years roll by, but the gawky creature is thoroughly convincing when it declares: ''I'm homesick for Japan and I haven't even left.'' One interesting detail: As Big Bird and Barkley waddle and scamper through public streets, the passers-by seem remarkably unfazed. There is a reluctance to stare. The boundaries of Japanese politeness seem wonderfully wide.}} |
| − | :--- John J. O'Connor, ''The New York Times''. January 16, [[1989]]. |
+ | :--- John J. O'Connor, ''The New York Times''. January 16, [[1989]]. |
==Cast== |
==Cast== |
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* [[Maiko Kawakami]] as Young Woman/Kaguya-Hime |
* [[Maiko Kawakami]] as Young Woman/Kaguya-Hime |
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:''and'' |
:''and'' |
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| + | *[[Masayuki Kato]] (加藤正之) |
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| − | *[[Masayuki Kato]], [[Akira Muriyama]], [[Kumiko Hironaka]], [[Hikojiro Matsumura]], [[Fukami Harue]], [[Mariko Hirano]], [[Akiko Nemoto]], [[Yoko Haruta]] |
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| + | *[[Akira Murayama]] (村山明) |
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| + | *[[Kumiko Hironaka]] (弘中くみ子) |
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| + | *[[Hikojiro Matsumura]] (松村彦次郎) |
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| + | *[[Fukami Harue]] (春江ふかみ) |
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| + | *[[Mariko Hirano]] as Mariko Shimizu |
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| + | *[[Akiko Nemoto]] as Akiko Shimizu |
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| + | *[[Yoko Haruta]] as Tour Guide |
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* [[Pat Morita]] as "Bamboo Princess" Play Narrator (voice) |
* [[Pat Morita]] as "Bamboo Princess" Play Narrator (voice) |
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* Executive Producer: Jon Stone |
* Executive Producer: Jon Stone |
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| + | <gallery widths="209" orientation="landscape" captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center"> |
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| − | ==Gallery== |
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| − | <gallery> |
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| + | Image:Journaljapan06.jpg|Big Bird in front of a Japanese bed. |
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| + | Image:Journaljapan08.jpg|The children's play of "The Bamboo Princess". |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan04.jpg |
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| + | Image:Journaljapan11.jpg|Big Bird and his new Japanese friend. |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan05.jpg |
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| + | Image:Journaljapan10.jpg|Big Bird and Barkley are going back home. |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan12.jpg |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan06.jpg |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan07.jpg |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan08.jpg |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan09.jpg |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan11.jpg |
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| − | Image:Journaljapan10.jpg |
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</gallery> |
</gallery> |
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==Video releases== |
==Video releases== |
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| − | <gallery> |
+ | <gallery captionalign="left"> |
Image:Bigbirdinjapanvhs.jpg|{{GNH|VHS}}1991<br>[[Random House Home Video|Random House]]<br>ISBN: 0679820930<br>ISBN: 0738927376 |
Image:Bigbirdinjapanvhs.jpg|{{GNH|VHS}}1991<br>[[Random House Home Video|Random House]]<br>ISBN: 0679820930<br>ISBN: 0738927376 |
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| + | BigBirdinJapanAustralianVHS.jpg|{{GNH|VHS}}1991<br>VDI<br>Australian VHS edition |
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Image:BBinJapanVHS.jpg|{{GNH|VHS}}2004<br>[[Sony Wonder]]<br>ISBN: 0738927376<br>{{Asin|B00016XO88}} |
Image:BBinJapanVHS.jpg|{{GNH|VHS}}2004<br>[[Sony Wonder]]<br>ISBN: 0738927376<br>{{Asin|B00016XO88}} |
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Image:Bigbirdinjapan.jpg|{{GNH|DVD}}2004<br>Sony Wonder<br>ISBN: 0738927384<br>{{Asin|B00016XO7Y}} |
Image:Bigbirdinjapan.jpg|{{GNH|DVD}}2004<br>Sony Wonder<br>ISBN: 0738927384<br>{{Asin|B00016XO7Y}} |
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Revision as of 18:14, 26 February 2014
Big Bird and Barkley are walking in Tokyo.
Big Bird and Barkley get lost and miss their home.
Big Bird and Barkley meet the friendly young Japanese woman.
Big Bird exaggeratedly bows to the grandparents of the young lady's friend.
Visiting Mount Fuji.
Big Bird says goodbye to the young Japanese woman.
Big Bird in Japan is a follow-up special to Big Bird in China. Produced in association with NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, and filmed on location in Tokyo and Kyoto, the special debuted in Japan on NHK in the late fall of 1988, and on PBS on January 16, 1989.
Big Bird and Barkley, having previously seen China independently, have signed up for a bus tour of Japan. The officious, hyper-organized guide has the trip organized to the detail, with little intended contact with the Japanese people. Wandering off, the pair are soon abandoned, but find aid from a friendly young woman, whose identity is eventually revealed through Japanese theater. The production included four original songs: "Homesick" and "Going to Kyoto" by Tony Geiss, and "Ichi, Ni, San" and "Moon, Moon" by Carol Hall.
The special was released on VHS in 1991, and on DVD in 2004.
Notes
Brian Muehl performs Barkley, but by the time the special was broadcast, Fred Garbo Garver had taken over the role on Sesame Street.
Big Bird would return to Japan 16 years later as part of the cast of a local adaptation of Sesame Street, along with Elmo and Cookie Monster.
Reviews
- --- John J. O'Connor, The New York Times. January 16, 1989.
Cast
- Caroll Spinney as Big Bird
- Brian Muehl as Barkley
- Maiko Kawakami as Young Woman/Kaguya-Hime
- and
- Masayuki Kato (加藤正之)
- Akira Murayama (村山明)
- Kumiko Hironaka (弘中くみ子)
- Hikojiro Matsumura (松村彦次郎)
- Fukami Harue (春江ふかみ)
- Mariko Hirano as Mariko Shimizu
- Akiko Nemoto as Akiko Shimizu
- Yoko Haruta as Tour Guide
- Pat Morita as "Bamboo Princess" Play Narrator (voice)
Crew
- Directed by: Jon Stone
- Written by: Jon Stone
- Producer: Sonia Rosario
- Associate Producer: Cheryl Ann Jung
- Editor: Ilene Merenstein
- Music composed and conducted by: Dick Lieb
- For Jim Henson's Muppets: Kermit Love, Caroly Wilcox, Richard Termine, Connie Peterson, Mark Zeszotek
- Executive Producer: Jon Stone
Big Bird and the tour guide.
Big Bird in front of a Japanese bed.
The children's play of "The Bamboo Princess".
Big Bird and his new Japanese friend.
Big Bird and Barkley are going back home.
Video releases
VHS1991
VDI
Australian VHS edition
VDI
Australian VHS edition
