Travel in Tokyo

Kabuki-za, which is in Ginza is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional kabuki drama form. It opened in 1889, and is one of the city's finest extant examples of Meiji-era construction using Western materials in traditional Japanese architectural styles. The building was originally constructed as the Tokyo residence of Kumamoto (Hosokawa) clan.

The building was destroyed in a fire in 1921, and was uncompleted when the 1923 Kanto earthquake struck. It was rebuilt in a baroque Japanese revivalist style, meant to evoke the Japanese castles of the 16th century; The theater was again destroyed in the Allied bombing during World War II. It was rebuilt once again, as a reconstruction of the 1924 structure, and today remains one of Tokyo's more dramatic and traditional buildings.

Performances are held nearly every day at Kabuki-za, and tickets are sold for individual acts as well as for the play in its entirety. The tickets sold for individual acts are sold as a 'taster' for the Japanese visitor who wants to find out if they are interested in watching further acts and maybe to watch a full day of Kabuki.

Kabuki is a kind of Japanese pantomime with music and dance based along the same lines as a Geisha performance in Kyoto. The short individual act is entertaining with bright colours of performers, traditional music of shamisen and a geisha performance as part of the act.

The theatre set in the middle of the Ginza shopping district and is a prominent building of stature within the area. A traveller who wants to experience Japanese culture and history should at least dedicate an afternoon to see a performance.

The dances are intricate and have a beautiful flow of movement accompanied by the music of the shamisen players and singers.

At the moment, this wonderful theater has one of the most rich histories in the world. There are not that many buildings of such kind that can compare with Kabuki-za Theater!