Kabuki

Attend a Kabuki performance to see outlandish costumes, dramatic stunts, high speed action and great story telling.

Kabuki is a highly stylised form of traditional theatre which uses exaggerated movement, costume and make up to convey additional meaning to its audience. The stage sets are also highly dynamic with the use of trapdoors, revolving platforms and walkways through the audience to facilitate swift change of scenes and to captivate the audience. Dating from the Edo period, its emphasis on entertainment is in keeping with the flourishing of the arts and the 'floating world' which characterised this 300 year age of peace and prosperity. Most scripts are therefore written in an archaic form of Japanese which even the Japanese will struggle to understand but luckily English headsets and translations are available.

After a complete rebuilding, the Kabuki-za Theatre in Tokyo's central Ginza area re-opened on 2nd April 2013. Once again Kabuki in Tokyo has returned to its spiritual home with a beautiful traditionally designed yet modern theatre providing the very best space in which to enjoy this art.

Kabuki

located in Tokyo

Other Music, theatre & dance experiences

Noh
A subtle blend of music, dance and drama dating back to the 14th century
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Bunraku
See this classic form of puppet theatre at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka
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Backstage theatre tour
Permission to access all areas in Japan's oldest Kabuki theatre in Kotohira.
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