Butoh, a form of physical expression that continues to be transmitted around the world from Tokyo, has made the leap to “post-Butoh” through its amalgamation with the dance style of one of Japan’s leading male contemporary dancers. This is a new work by Butoh artist Akira Kasai, inspired by Motojiro Kajii’s work “Under the Cherry Trees.” Featuring the popular and talented dancers Shintaro Oue, Yasutake Shimaji, Tomohiko Tsujimoto, Mirai Moriyama, and Masahiro Yanagimoto, Kasai succeeded with his body-based re-imagining of a famous short story with a pervasive Japanese aesthetic and view of life and death. For Akira Kasai, this work managed to open up a new world of expression after a hard-fought struggle.