National Theatre of Japan

Didn’t know the theater was temporarily closed but just came for the Sakura blossoms. But obviously it passed its prime time. Some were still very beautiful. It was already lunch time so under the building there were benches full of nearby workers having their breaks. It was close to the famous chitorigafuchi so combining these two spots would be great.

Don't let the "small" in the name fool you. This is a good sized, fully equipped theatre with large stage, excellent lighting and sound, and from what we saw of the Bunraku (Japanese puppet) plays in 2 of the 3 different performances, for a total of 5 hours plus breaks), top notch actors, narrators, and musicians. Looking forward to our next trip here. The English audio systems (600 Yen plus 1000 deposit) had fantastic audio tracks for explanations.

It is a great place to watch traditional Japanese shows/dramas, especially Kabuki, and you can also attend its workshop; learn directly, practise, and interact with the actors!

It was an outstanding performance specially with the stage moving techniques. They have provided ear phones with English translation for those who needed. Also there is Museum where you can learn the history of Kabuki.

A little tricky to access - we came by taxi and there is a large drop off area outside the building (and it is easy to hail taxis from the main road too). The building entrance is on the east side (facing the Imperial palace). Booking tickets can be done on the English website of the National Theatre Japan - be careful as it also sell tickets for performances in other venues including Osaka. Bunraku was a good experience here although unlike in Osaka, you cannot pay to watch a single act, which makes it quite expensive.

Immaculate theatre presents the best of Kabuki theatre. Food is sold from various places around the foyers and lockers are available for storing of coats etc. If you can get tickets you will not be disappointed.

Reviewing only the exterior. The front of the building has an amazing series of sakura trees with full blossoms. Less busy than across the street along the moat. Make a slight detour to the front of the theatre.

It was beautiful and bright. I wasn't expecting much but I was blown away by the sets. They were so colorful and vibrant.