Things to Do

Guide to Discovering Kabuki and Enjoying Its Performance: Experience Japan’s Traditional Performing Art

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese performing art. Kabuki, with its various charms, has been a popular form of entertainment in Japan for centuries. Stepping into a Kabuki theater transports you to an extraordinary world. For over 400 years, Kabuki actors, who are the pride of Japan, have preserved and carried on this tradition, dazzling audiences with their vibrant performances and magnificent stages. You can experience a special time, enjoying the brilliance of the costumes, the sounds of traditional Japanese instruments like the shamisen, and the refined beauty of the dances down to the fingertips. This world is traditionally an all-male domain, where both the actors who play male roles (“tachiyaku”) and those who play female roles (“onnagata”) have their own distinct aesthetic styles. Even if you don’t understand the language, as long as you grasp the key points of how to watch, you’ll be fine! When you see a performance, there will surely be something that moves your heart.