The inscrutable masks of Noh theatre are about to be given a second life. Literally.
A tiny room half-filled with Japanese ex-pats on Buckingham Gate held the key to finding out more.
It was billed as a "virtual seminar" on the challenges of linking the past to the future.
A talk designed to question our perceptions of art and entertainment and the boundaries we assign them. Intrigued, I duly turned up to the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Westminster.
The lecturer from Tokyo's Hosei University began by presenting a pretty standard power point. So far, so predictable. But then the power point took us to the online fantasy world Second Life, where we met his avatar equivalent. The softly spoken Japanese professor had morphed into a dashing, flying, bowing, denim-clad dude called Herc. The rest of the power point was presented by Herc in a virtual lecture theatre inside Second Life.
But then it got interesting. Finishing his presentation, Herc whizzed us on a tour of the virtual Hosei University. The Golden Gate Bridge was just outside, but the architecture was pure London. Well, it is a fantasy website.
One of the attractions was an interactive 'ride' we could go on, to learn more about Noh theatre. Ahhhh ... linking the past to the future.
There was a scan of an extravagant painting from the end of the Edo era, showing a meticulously detailed portrayal of a Noh theatre building. We explored different parts of the painting, as a disembodied voice talked us through the geography and design of the theatre.
Then, avatar Herc flew us outside to a 3-d representation of the theatre we'd just navigated. We swooped down to the reed tatami mats and soared into the rafters for a bird's eye view of the stage. A film demonstrated how scientists at Hosei University are using the "performance capture" technology used in films such as Polar Express and Beowolf to map out the movements of Noh actors performing their roles. The idea is to stage Noh theatre for people all over the world to experience virtually.
Using Second Life as an extension of real life is hardly a new idea. BBC2's Newsnight was doing it years ago. The BBC has thrown rock concerts there. Newsbeat tests out new sounds on Second Life Ibizas. People even divorce each other for alleged infidelities there.
What Hosei University is trying to do is blur the cultural lines between past and present. It's back to the future - for the world's oldest ever performance art. There's something inspiring, too, about trying to bring this complicated theatre to a wider audience. It won't be everyone's cup of o-cha.
The reason I'm interested is because it's another form of storytelling. It's what we do, but different. Now and then it's important for all journalists to reflect on what is at the heart of our craft. We're there to inform, educate and entertain. We work in a multiplatform world - but whatever our outlet, first principles apply. We need to work on our beginnings, middles and ends; rethink the boundaries of storytelling. Breathe new life into our own art.
