Tango in Japan: Cosmopolitanism Beyond the West

Why do Japanese people love tango? Starting with this question, which the author, Dr Yuiko Asaba, frequently received while working as a tango violinist in Argentina, Tango in Japan: Cosmopolitanism Beyond the West reveals tango’s history in Japan dating back to the 1910s and its vibrant contemporary dynamics, embedded in the modern transformations of Japan and Argentina. While initially brought to Yokohama by North American tango dancers, tango’s immediate popularity in Japan quickly compelled many Japanese performers and writers to travel to Argentina in search of tango’s “origin” beginning in the 1920s. The first comprehensive work on the Japan-Argentina musical relationship, this book illuminates how Japanese musicians, dancers, aficionados, and the wider public have approached, and continue to engage with, tango as an important vehicle of expression, entertainment, and academic pursuit that take their imaginations beyond the West. This talk discussed some of the key highlights of the book, including how it relates to other works on Japan-Latin America relations, regulations on tango performance in Japan, historical and contemporary performances by Japanese tango artists, and background anecdotes from the author’s research in Japan and Argentina.

 

DR YUIKO ASABA’S PRESENTATION

 

The recording of this event can be watched here:

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