Musical "ISSA in Paris" Words that transcend time! The opening of a new musical

この度、2026 年1月10日（土）～30日（金）東京・日生劇場、2月7日（土）～15日（日）大阪・梅田芸術劇場メインホール、2月21日（土）～25日（水）愛知・御園座にて、ミュージカル『ISSA in Paris』を上演いたします。
Haiku is a part of Japanese literary culture, known worldwide as "HAIKU." This original musical boldly depicts the unknown 10 years of Kobayashi Issa's life, interweaving the present and the past.
Maury Yeston, a master of musicals, is responsible for the original concept, lyrics and music for this production. He began creating "ISSA in Paris" after being inspired by Kobayashi Issa's haiku, "The world of dew is the world of dew, yet," which expresses in the most profound way, with the fewest words, the deep sadness and unwillingness to give up after losing one's beloved child. The screenplay and lyrics will be handled by Takahashi Chikae, who also translated the lyrics for the Disney films "Frozen" and "Tangled." The production will also be directed by the same Mo
This latest work will be directed by Shuntaro Fujita, who won the 28th Yomiuri Theater Award for Best Director and the 42nd Matsuo Entertainment Award for Excellence in Theater for his work on the musical "Nine," also written by Robert Yeston. He is highly trusted by Molly and will be helming this latest production. The cast includes Naoto Kaiho as Kaito, the protagonist, a singer-songwriter who hides his true identity and performs under the name "ISSA." Raimu Okamiya plays the young Kobayashi Issa, one of Japan's leading haiku poets, who is left behind a "blank decade" in history. Junka plays Louise, whom Kaito meets on a trip to Paris and helps him unravel the mystery of Issa's life. Erika Toyohara plays Therese, whom Issa meets in Paris and who secretly becomes involved in the revolutionary movement. How do these two Japanese people, living in different eras who should never have crossed paths, meet in a foreign land like Paris and how will their lives change? Don't miss this world premiere musical.
This time, we covered the pre-opening press conference and public dress rehearsal held on January 9, 2026, ahead of the opening.

■To a magical stage that will change the times in an instant ~Press conference before the opening~

Naoto Kaiho: The character Kaito has been struggling to write songs since his song "TALK TALK TOKYO" became popular, due to deep-seated conflict with his mother. Kaito's mother has been researching Kobayashi Issa for many years and wanted Kaito to read her manuscript. One day, he receives the sudden news that his mother has passed away in Paris. From there, he travels to Paris himself, trying to decipher what his mother left behind in the manuscript and what she wanted to entrust to Kaito. There, he meets people, finds and discovers many things, and changes as he shares Issa's journey as written by his mother. That's the kind of character he is.

Okamiya Raimu: There is a 10-year gap in the story of Kobayashi Issa that is not found in historical fact. I am playing the role of Issa, a world first, who may have traveled to Paris during Japan's period of isolation. As Kaiho just said, this is "Kobayashi Issa in the manuscript written by Kaito's mother," so I have been practicing while keeping in mind what kind of Issa I want Kaito to be, based on the interpretation that "Issa is someone who is also influenced by his mother's thoughts."
I'm really looking forward to showing it to you soon. Thank you.

Junka: Louise is a Japanese-American woman who works as a guide on the side, a choreographer by profession, and a dancer herself. While working as a guide, she meets Kaito's mother, and this encounter changes her life as well. After that, she spends time with various people, including Kaito. Since joining the theater, I feel like I'm seeing something different from when I was rehearsing, and something new. I'll do my best, so please support me.

Toyohara Erika: While I work as an actress in Paris, France, I am also playing the role of a woman who throws herself into revolution behind the scenes.
The story is about Kaito meeting Issa when he comes to Paris during Issa's 10-year gap, and how they influence each other. What kind of impact will my character have on Issa? And what kind of ending will the story of these two give Kaito? I think this will be one of the highlights of the film.
During the rehearsal, I was watching a scene from the audience where I wasn't in it, and it was striking to see people from the Edo period and people of the present day intersecting and existing together. I think this is a piece that will make people of today think, "What does happiness and our place in the world mean to us?" I'm excited to see how it will reach the audience, and I'm really looking forward to it. Thank you very much.

Shuntaro Fujita: After two months of rehearsals and rehearsals, the performance is finally here. Because this is a new production, every moment of the rehearsal period has been filled with surprises, discoveries, and growth.
For me, it's the people in this company that I absolutely adore. The planners, staff, cast, and orchestra all came together as one to create the new musical "ISSA in Paris."
This play is a story about discovering the joy and truth of creating things through a single word in the theater. Kaito is introduced to a story written by his mother, and as a result, he encounters values ​​and eras that he would never have encountered otherwise, and many people influence him. As you can see from the cast's costumes, the play features people from various times and places. What they all have in common is the image of ordinary people, those who resist, fight, and struggle to survive amidst inequality. The main theme is what values ​​Kaito will encounter when he sees, and when Issa sees, people struggling to survive in their respective eras. The entire staff worked together to create the final scene, which I would call "magical," by weaving in various devices throughout the play that instantly change the era, place, setting, and emotions, while utilizing my own unique style.
We hope that each and every audience member will remember one word or phrase that is important to them, and take home from this theater some fun songs and wonderful music that they will find themselves humming along to.

Q. What did you feel was different from your usual rehearsals when you were inside Fujita's magic?

Okamiya: Since it was a "new work," we all felt our way around as we created it, so Fujita-san listened to various opinions not only from me but also from everyone during rehearsals. As we continued with rehearsals, when we went through the final scene yesterday, it was so beautiful that I thought, "I'm really glad it was Fujita-san." I think Fujita-san's unique style shines through.

Q. Are there any highlights unique to this work?

Kaiho: To begin with, I think the structure itself is original. In many musicals, the main characters change through various encounters and experiences over the course of the story, but Kaito is basically a bystander at first. As he watches the journey of "Issa in the manuscript left by his mother," he gradually begins to feel like he is throwing himself into this revolution, and in the process, he meets his fellow members, which I think is quite unusual. The play is sprinkled with ideas that ordinary people would never come up with, so I think the audience will enjoy this work as a fresh, new encounter.

Q. Is there anything you feel you have gained from being involved in this new work?

Kaiho: Creating a new work is a very difficult task, but I feel that it has really strengthened the unity of the company. Under Fujita's guidance, not only the cast, but also the creative team and all the staff members all thought together about how to actually give shape to this world and how to make it appealing.
The rehearsal environment in Japan is by no means one that offers an abundance of time, but we all worked together to come up with as many ideas as possible and to realise Fujita's vision, so the bond we all formed is heartwarming and I am once again grateful for the time we had.

Okamiya: This was my first experience working on this world premiere piece, so we all started by asking ourselves, "How do we create this?" and had repeated discussions. My honest impression now is that the joy of achieving something that we thought was "this is it!" and the sense of unity as a company are fully expressed on stage. What I have gained are truly the best colleagues!

Junka: I think the time I spent with you all on this production is one I will never forget. Because it is an "original," I was extremely aware of the freedom, yet difficulty of freedom. As I practiced with everyone in this company, I truly felt that we were all speaking from our hearts, and that we were all moving in the same direction for this production. I'm sure the days since the opening will also be unforgettable.

Toyohara: Up until now, the productions I've been involved in have had a certain shape, and the script has already been completed, so I've been creating by adding my own personality to it and finding the right answer within myself. This time, I started from scratch, had lots of conversations and communication with everyone every day, and created it through trial and error until the very end. I think the charm of this production is that every character is packed with the personality of each actor. We all worked hard to create this production, so I think it will become a treasured piece.

Q. If possible, please express your current thoughts in haiku!

Kaiho: It's already the first day and I'm so excited and looking forward to it!

Okamiya: Here it is, I'm really looking forward to it, I'll do my best... Please cut it, lol

Photo by Oka Chisato　

A trip to Paris, where time and spirit intersect - A student's theater report

When I was in high school, I saw a production of an overseas play directed by Shuntaro Fujita, and the impact it had on me has stayed with me for a long time, so when I heard about the announcement of this new musical, "ISSA in Paris," I was really looking forward to it. Through the story, this musical allowed me to get a sense of what Fujita thinks and what he values.
Before seeing this production, I had thought that the beauty of Japanese language would be diluted when it was translated and sent overseas, but seeing the characters in this production come to life on stage made me realize that the Japanese language can be conveyed in a way that retains its beauty and resonance, even in places and times with different cultures.
And just as the cast members said, it was "magical," and the time and place changed in an instant, and I was amazed, thinking, "So that's how the times change!"
The actors' acting was also excellent, and there were scenes where the emotions were conveyed to my heart and brought tears to my eyes.
This production has strengthened my love for Japan and the Japanese language. It was a wonderful musical that allowed me to experience the world while also thinking about the importance of where I am and the language I use.

[Musical "ISSA in Paris" Performance Summary]

<Cast>
Kaito (ISSA): Naoto Kaiho
Issa Kobayashi: Okamiya Raimu
Louise: Jun Hana
Therese: Erika Toyohara
Masaki Nakagawa and Kota Someya [double cast]
Ayabuki Mao and Fujisaki Midori [double cast]
Mirai Uchida
Yutaka Abe
Daisuke Moriyama and Nao Tsukamoto
Mayuko Inoue, Haruki Okada, Kosuke Ozeki, Shotaro Kato, Kenya Kurokawa, Shinichiro Kogure,
Junichiro Saito, Maki Shibuya, Takamasa Shimada, Miyu Negishi, Manami Hannya, Fumika Hikima,
Yuri Fukase, Junta Furukawa, Mayu Musha, Kaori Mori, Mayu Omura*, Yuki Morita*
(In alphabetical order) *On Stage Swing
Nakai Masato, Hoshi Shusei, Misaki Ayumi [Triple Cast]

<Staff>
Original concept, lyrics and music: Maury Yeston
Screenplay and lyrics: Takahashi Chikae
Directed by: Shuntaro Fujita
Choreography: Julia Chen
Music Director, Arranger, Keyboard Conductor: Mori Ryohei
Art: Rumi Matsui
Lighting: Jiro Katsushiba
Sound: Koichi Yamamoto
Video: O-beron inc.
Costume: Fumiko Maeda
Hair and makeup: Hiroaki Miyauchi
Singing instruction: YUKA Shuntaro Tanaka
Orchestra coordination: New Music Association
Practice piano: Yuko Nakano and Shunsuke Tabata
Interpreter: Miyoko Ito
Choreography Assistant: Chihiro Kawasaki
Assistant Director: Yuki Moriya, Misako Odate
Produced by: Sanae Fujita
Production Assistant: Yamauchi Mio
Stage director: Kurashina Fuminori

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on July 9, 2026 by Yurie Watanabe, second-year student at Josai International University