We’ve just landed back from Japan, suitcases overstuffed and minds overflowing. Fred discovered his spiritual home there… and he’s still sulking about being dragged back to Wales. 🏴🇯🇵
A quick recap
We flew out on 23 September: first stop, Tokyo! to begin two busy, brilliant weeks of meetings, performances, and unexpected magic. The aim was simple: to build new connections with venues and festivals, explore how Hijinx’s inclusive approach might travel, and perform Meet Fred as part of the Bird Theatre Festival and BeSeTo Festival in Tottori.
Tokyo: First hellos, full diaries
Our first few days in Tokyo set the tone for the trip. We met with teams from Arts Council Tokyo, Saitama Arts Centre, the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, and KAAT. Each conversation full of curiosity about inclusive practice and how learning disabled and/or autistic artists are supported in Wales.
There’s something energising about those first international meetings. We weren’t there to pitch in the corporate sense; more to trade stories, swap ideas, and start relationships rooted in possibility. A big thank you to our Tokyo translator, Lisa Sumiyoshi, for helping us hit the right note.
Our biggest engagement in Tokyo was with our new collaborators, Slow Label — a remarkable Japanese inclusive arts organisation led by Kris Yoshie. We’re incredibly grateful for this new friendship. Kris welcomed us with such warmth and openness, and generously helped to coordinate much of the trip, introducing us to so many brilliant movers and shakers in her network. We ran a workshop and presentation for Slow Label at Human Plaza exploring how inclusive practice can shift cultural spaces, create genuine access for performers, and foster mutual learning between our two companies. It was a day full of warmth, humour, and connection.
To Tottori: On the road with Fred
From Tokyo, we travelled to Tottori (via a meeting at Toyohashi Arts Centre). Ben and I prepared the set, adding some special Japanese touches [link to timelapse], and were in production mode once the cast arrived from the UK.
The performances, two intimate shows at the Bird Theatre as part of the BeSeTo Festival, were electric. Watching Meet Fred land in a new culture, with a new rhythm of laughter, in front of an entirely new audience, felt like discovering it all over again. Not least because we had a special line-up, including the return of original ‘Fred head’, Dan McGowan.
Our Hijinx actors: Lindsay, Iwan, and Gareth each experienced Japan in their own way:
“It was very warm, sometimes too warm, but I brought plenty of outfit changes. What stood out most was how kind and polite everyone was … and I loved the food.” - Lindsay
“Walking around, I noticed things I’d never seen in the UK. It felt like stepping into a new world, but also a place that somehow felt like home.” - Iwan
“I didn’t like all the bites on my legs [from exploring the forest], but I loved performing Meet Fred and leading the workshop with Ben.” - Gareth
Osaka: Bunraku and big ideas
After Tottori, we travelled to Osaka, a city that moves at its own fast rhythm. Our first stop was the National Bunraku Theatre, where we were lucky enough to attend a full performance. Fred came along too (he promised not to heckle), and there was real poetry in witnessing the artform of his ancestors.
Gareth, Ben, and I also visited Expo 2025 as guest contributors to the “Wales & Japan: How We Collaborate on the SDGs” event, alongside the Future Generations Commissioner. Gareth and Ben interviewed each other about how Hijinx’s work aligns with the global goals: particularly inclusion, equality, and representation. It was a huge privilege to be part of such a high-profile event, and the conversations suggested that Hijinx made a real impact.
Looking ahead
We came home tired, grateful, and full of plans. Conversations with Japanese partners about future exchanges, co-productions, and artist residencies are already underway; finding ways to make the connections we’ve built genuinely two-way.
The trip wasn’t just about taking Meet Fred on the road, it was about meeting people who believe, as we do, that theatre is stronger when everyone’s voice is heard. That spirit was everywhere we went: from Tokyo to Tottori, from dinner tables to dressing rooms.
Fred’s already asking when we can go back. To be honest, so am I!
— Ellis
Supported by Arts Council of Wales / Wales Arts International, British Council and Welsh Government through the Wales and Japan 2025 Cultural Fund.
助成：アーツ・カウンシル・オブ・ウェールズ、ブリティッシュ・カウンシル、ウェールズ・アーツ・インターナショナル、ウェールズ政府（「日本におけるウェールズ年2025」記念事業)
