National Bunraku Theatre

Kabuki, Noh, and Bunraku theatre are 3 major traditional theatre arts in Japan. Bunraku was designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2003. We saw a single-act (Sushiya-90 minutes performance) of the play, "Yoshitdune and One Thousand Cherry Trees." It takes an entire day to watch the whole play (1030-2020hrs) with short breaks in between each act. The single-act Sushiya costs ¥3,500 and was about 90 minutes long. It was fascinating watching the puppeteers accompanied by the narrator and shamisen acting out the scenes. An English audio guide (¥500 for rental) is a must if you want to understand and enjoy the performance. I would strongly recommend seeing a single-act of Bunraku if one is in Osaka. The theatre is a one minute walk from Nippombashi Station. Do go early, as there is an exhibition (free entry) of Bunraku at the theatre.

My friend and I attended the evening part of the New Year performances. Honcho Nojushiko - the Japanese 24 examples of filial piety. We were welcomed to the theatre by a very knowledgable English speaking guide and helped to access the English audio guide. The performance was mesmerising and I would highly recommend going to the National Banruku Theatre.

I was lucky enough to catch the evening act during my stay in Osaka. The staff were very kind and for a reasonable fee you can get an English audio device that guides you through the performance. The stage and puppets were mesmerizing and the performance put on by the puppeteers, musicians and narrators was truly incredible. If you love theatre, I highly recommend!

Wonderful performance of Bunraku theatre (a traditional Japanese form of puppet theatre, kind of like kabuki with puppets.) Book ahead for good seats in front blocks, although it's a modest capacity theatre and I'd say there are probably no bad seats. English audio guide (earphone) available. Staff lovely and very helpful, several with good English. A slice of excellent Japanese culture.

Bunraku is a traditional Japanese form of theater performed with a narrator, shamisen musician, and puppeteers that work together to operate rather large puppets. The art dates back centuries ago and tells stories that are simple in plot with themes invoking Buddhism and other ideas deeply ingrained in traditional Japanese theater. I don't think Bunraku is seeing any modern renaissance as an art and performances are of existing stories written centuries ago, so focus seems to be on preservation and passing on the knowledge and art to future generations. The theater itself is a modern structure with a rest area where eating and drinking are allowed. There is a small gallery introducing Bunraku to Japanese and English speaking visitors and souvenir shops on the first and second floor. If there's a complaint I have, it's the small amount of bathroom space which doesn't seem adequate to serve the audience when a decent amount of people show up.

Wonderful evening , helped a lot with understanding Japanese history, read up on story before you go, get English headphones to help

Be careful when you don't speak Japanese! We explicitly booked the show with english explanation and subtitles and our confirmation mail said "with English subtitles". When we arrived we were informed that the show is purely in japanese. We showed them the site and mail that said this show is with English explanation and subtitles and they said "sorry but you can't change the booking" even though it was their fault for incorrectly advertising on their site. So we watched the show in Japanese and didn't understand a thing, which was pretty sad because it was well performed and made with attention to detail

Beautiful theatre & spectacular performances. Workers were extremely polite and courteous! I had brought a medium size suit case and they allowed me to coat check it while watching the performance. My japanese friend had purchased tickets for us to watch a traditional Japanese style theatrical dance. It was so beautiful. Staging, lighting, and acting were definitely out of this world. Highly recommend if you're interested!

The Day that we visited no shows were available but they let us take a look around and went into one room with the puppets on display so cool! and the history behind bunraku founded in Osaka in 1684. It's easy to get here by rail and couple blocks to walk , you will not get lost. I posted pic's and hopefully you will get to visit this theatre too. They do have a website in English with posted monthly shows and events.

I saw a Bunraku puppet play entitled "Sonezaki Shinjyu" (Shinjyu means a double suicide) written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (a famous Joruri writer during Edo period) at National Bunraku Theater. I'm a fan of Bunraku. I first saw a Joruri play in Awaji Island. I was excited to see the skillful manipulation played by three puppeteers of a left-hand player, leg player and body player. It takes many years to aquire the manipulation skill. I was very shocked and got angry to know that subsidies for Bunraku would be reduced, unless the staff of Bunraku developed performance achievements. Bunraku is Osaka's traditional culture that we are proud of. I hope it will last forever. So my husband and I bought tickets to see the puppet play. We applied for it on the day of the play and regrettably had rear seats. From the distant sight we didn't see the play well. If you see a Bunraku puppet play, you had better get a ticket earlier in advance. It is better to see it at the fifth row. The story and puppets' movement are wonderful!! It is accompanied with Joruri or classical ballad music, which is also excellent!