Kabukiza Theatre in Ginza
Since I had a free time in that afternoon and I was in Tokyo, I decided to go to Ginza to see Kabuki. When I checked the performance before, there was a program I wanted to see. But the program seems to be popular, and it was already sold out when I went to the ticket office. That’s too bad.
I bought another ticket instead of that I wanted to watch. But this was a bit difficult to understand because I didn’t know that story.
A lot of foreigners came to the theatre, too. Since the Kabuki story of the program is a Japanese old period story, I think that it is difficult to understand for the other than Japanese native speakers, even Japanese people would be better to check the contents in advance. I think that you would be able to enjoy theatre further if you check the story with a leaflet or homepage in advance.
Guided phones and audio guides are prepared for foreign customers and beginners, and these also support other than Japanese such as English, Chinese and so on.
Kabuki’s programs are composed of some programs. It is divided into the morning and afternoon sections, A full show usually takes over 4 hours. We can experience kabuki at reasonable price in shorter time. One act is about 30 minutes to an hour usually. So you can choose it. One shot ticket is only available on the day ticket.
Kabuki History
Kabuki flourished in the Edo period and one of unique tradition kabuki performing is that only male actors play kabuki performances. And another hallmark is the use of makeup to indicate each character’s personality. We can enjoy watching their gorgeous costumes.
Kabuki actors have a hereditary system. Basically, when a boy is born with a family member, the boy become to kabuki actor by following father. So the sun plays on a stage when he is only three or four years old as a his first performance. Recent young Kabuki actors have appeared in movies and TV dramas in addition to Kabuki performance.
Access and how to buy a ticket
The Kabuki-za Theater is in Ginza and it is the largest theatre in Japan. It is located close to Higashi Ginza station Tokyo Metro Asakusa line or Hibiya line direct access from Exit 3. Taking an escalator and go up to the first floor. There is a main entrance.
Single act ticket is available “Box office foe single act” on the first floor. Tickets will be on sale for about 2 hours before each act. The price varies depending on the program, but it is around 1500 yen.
When purchasing a ticket for the selected program, then go to the entrance of the theater on the fourth floor about 20 minutes before starting the program. You will receive a card with the number when purchasing a ticket and line up when called in that number order. A theatre staff guide you to enter the theatre.