Kunoichi Kuze is writing this.
The Annual Meeting of the Japan Pancreas Society asked us to perform a ninja seminar, so we traveled to Utsunomiya, Tochigi. It was a lively lineup for the reception on the first day of the two-day conference, with our seminar as the opening and other activities, including a live jazz band and a performance by a local professional cheerleading team.
Most guests in the reception were medical professionals. Although the request was for a shortened 15-minute version, the number of guests was 350-400, so we planned to make a lasting impression if we did it.
Because it was difficult to balance, we built on the premise of improvisation. After many discussions and rehearsals, we came up with a structure that conveys the charm of a ninja while intertwining small stories related to medicine. After rehearsals backstage and on stage, all that remained was the performance. The team was ready to go and took deep breaths backstage. The doctors were gathering, and jazz music filled the space.
“Thank you very much for boarding Pancreatic Airlines Flight 55 today…”
The Ninja Seminar was introduced with an in-flight announcement by “Kuze”! The background music was Jetstream, a well-known melody among the adult generation. The audience’s eyes begin to turn toward us.
We explained the banquet venue under the guise of a tour of the in-flight facilities and introduced the names of the medical society executives under the guise of crew introductions to create a sense of familiarity.
Having created a friendly mood, it was time for the “rapid” turn. When an emergency occurred, the ninja Toraemon jumped out from offstage, running around the venue in all directions with a baton in his hand, looking for doctors coming to the stage. His call brought three collaborators together onstage.
It was very rewarding to see that more audiences than we had expected were interested and paying attention. Many were taking videos with their smartphones.
It was a meaningful experience for us to take on the challenge of learning about and enjoying the ninja in a short performance time.
To The Annual Meeting of the Japan Pancreas Society, thank you very much for this valuable opportunity.
