High drama Kabuki is a traditional form of Japanese theatre. The acting is characterised by exaggerated delivery and stylised movement to help express meaning to the audience, as the Japanese spoken can be somewhat archaic. Kuromori Kabuki is an outdoor folk kabuki performance held each February at Kuromori Hie Shrine. The annual performances began around 1730 as offerings to the gods for bountiful harvests in the year ahead. It continues to this day, with local performers staging ‘plays in the snow’, as they’re called.