At a recent news conference, Satoshi Miyagi, the artistic director of Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC), gave notice of an imminent invasion ¡ª by girigirijin.

He explained that these ¡°trailblazers¡± were set to descend on the annual World Theatre Festival Shizuoka, armed with ideas and ready to challenge audiences.

¡°Division has been increasing swiftly around the world, often between relatively wealthy people rather than rich and poor in the conventional way,¡± he said.