Patrons wait for the start of the stage show "Sakura - Japan in the Box" at the Meijiza theater in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Producer Hidemi Fukuhara, former veteran of Merrill Lynch & Co., wants to keep the 20 million annual visitors to Japan amused. His vision: Tokyos own pop-infused, multi-color, anime-eyed Broadway. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images 624058878 Culture, East Asian, Musical, Entertainment, Stage, Arts, Performance, Show

© Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

National Theatre

Roppongi, Akasaka & Around

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Japan's most important theatre for traditional performing arts stages kabuki, gagaku (music of the imperial court), kyōmai (Kyoto-style traditional dance), bunraku (classic puppet theatre) and more. Visit the website to see the schedule and purchase tickets. Premium tickets can cost over ¥10,000, while the cheap seats are indeed cheap (from ¥1800); student concessions available.

Earphones with English translation are available for hire (¥700, plus ¥1000 deposit) for kabuki performances. The theatre's 'Discover Bunraku' series runs with English subtitles and includes a brief introduction to the art form. For other performances an English synopsis is provided.

To the rear of the main building is the Traditional Performing Arts Information Centre (10am to 6pm; admission free) where you can see exhibitions that include videos of performances.

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