The location is close to a cemetery in the Higashinakono area, near Shinjuku, Tokyo. First, an empty garage from where we descended—around and around—some three stories underground. It turned out that an audience had assembled in a small artsy café. The cold weather above was soon forgotten.

Manteboshi, as the place is called, opened just this month. As in Teater Utan Kayu in Jakarta, the audience must take off their shoes a