Hiroshima
This stadium is a good place to catch a baseball game and see the beloved local team, the Carp. It's a short walk southeast of Hiroshima Station – follow…
Must-see entertainment in Asia
Malaysia
The Sepang Circuit, 60km south of Kuala Lumpur, is where Formula One holds the Malaysian Grand Prix. Tickets go for as little as RM93, though if you want…
Southern Higashiyama
If you want to witness geisha perform and then actually speak with them, one of the best opportunities is at Gion Hatanaka, a Gion ryokan that offers a…
Tokyo
Sumo wrestlers live and practice in a heya (somewhat weirdly translated as 'stable'). Only some allow visitors to watch keiko (practice) and then…
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung's premier live-music venue hosts indie acts from Taiwan and Asia several times a week. See monthly schedules on Facebook. Shows usually start at…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Jingū Baseball Stadium, built in 1926, is home to the Yakult Swallows, Tokyo’s number-two team (but number-one when it comes to fan loyalty; Swallows fans…
Bangkok
Bangkok has heaps of attractions that draw tourists in – great weather, fantastic bars, unbeatable food, low prices – but it's not known for being a…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
The opera mask on the forecourt is the only giveaway, save for the Chinese sign, that this modern block is actually an opera house. Chang'an Grand is more…
Jaipur
Chokhi Dhani, meaning ‘special village', is a mock Rajasthani village 20km south of Jaipur, and is a fun place to take kids. There are open-air…
Tokyo
Named for the infamous 1960s London spot, Kōenji's UFO Club is committed to keeping the spirit of the era alive: the small basement space, with red-and…
National Centre for the Performing Arts
Mumbai (Bombay)
This vast cultural centre is the hub of Mumbai’s highbrow music, theatre and dance scene. In any given week, it might host experimental plays, poetry…
Manila
Hidden away inside the luxurious Peninsula hotel, this is a 1930s Shanghai–style drinking den full of dark nooks and hidden spaces. Themes range from…
Beijing
Local bands, cabaret, salsa dancing and life drawing are just some of the antics unfolding nightly at this arty, Jazz-Age-styled bar and performance space…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
The girl group Kamen Joshi – singing and dancing young women wearing cute outfits and full-face hockey masks – is all the rage at this live-music show in…
Taipei
An experimental contemporary dance group; the theatre also hosts international acts.
Ginza & Tsukiji
If you love camp, this is for you. The all-female Takarazuka revue, going back to 1914, stages highly stylised musicals in Japanese (English synopses are…
Taitung
An old railway repair facility has been artistically repurposed with the help of Taitung's independent musicians and artists, into a magical bar and…
Shadow Puppet Theatre & Cinema Tuktuk
Southern Laos
Run by Frenchman Yves Bernard, this magical theatre next to the tourist office tells a story from the Ramayana with traditional shadow puppets, while on…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
This complex is made up of the auditoriums and theatre halls at Rabindra Sadan, Sisir Mancha and the central Nandan Cinema. Apart from sundry cultural…
Tokyo
The 14,000-plus-seat Budōkan was originally built for the judo competition of the 1964 Olympics (budō means 'martial arts') and will be pressed into…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Oiwake is one of Tokyo's few remaining minyō izakaya, pubs where traditional folk music is performed. It's a small, cosy place, where the waitstaff and…
Kowloon
Overlooking the most beautiful part of the harbour, the aesthetically challenged and windowless Cultural Centre is a world-class venue containing a 2085…
Singapore
Since the theatre's inception in 1987, artistic director Alvin Tan has collaborated with resident playwright Haresh Sharma to produce over 60 original…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
One of Tokyo's nicest and biggest cinemas (it has nine screens, some with 3D and 4D capability), Toho's Roppongi Hills theatre screens all the latest…
Singapore
If you're with kids, don’t miss Creatures of the Night, an interactive, 25-minute show whose stars includes otters, owls and a hyena. Seating is…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
The national ballet and opera companies are based at this sprawling arts complex, which includes a circular opera house with a roof shaped like a Korean…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Not as red-hot as they once were, this J-pop phenomenon girl group of 60 rotating members continues to perform in shifts at its very own workhouse…er…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
In a secluded hutong, Dusk Dawn Club is the place to catch small and mid-sized bands, from post-rock noise outfits to folk strummers, both Chinese and…
Shanghai
Home of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Oriental Art Center was designed to resemble five petals of a butterfly orchid. There are three main halls…
Chinatown & the CBD
Originally focused on puppetry, this bilingual (English and Mandarin) theatre company is now best known for its intercultural collaborations and envelope…
Chinatown
This art-deco Bangkok landmark, a former cinema dating to 1933, is one of the few remaining places kŏhn (masked dance-drama based on stories from the…
Pokhara
This makeshift outdoor 'cinema' is a lot of fun. Built into an old rice terrace but surrounded by budget hotels, it's a good example of Nepali enterprise…
Lhasa
If you're in the mood for a glitzy Tibetan night out, head to this impressive Tibetan nangma place by 9pm, invest in a tableful of beers and wait for the…
Henan
Coming through Shaolin Temple's main entrance, you’ll pass several wǔshù schools for children. On the right, about 500m in, is the Wushu Training Centre,…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Even Ziggy Stardust–era David Bowie has nothing on this dark, decadent, rhinestone-encrusted den, one of Bangkok's best venues for mŏr lam and lôok tûng,…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Watching indies here feels a bit like hanging out in a friend's basement; with just 40 comfy, mismatched seats, Uplink is officially Tokyo's smallest…
Mumbai (Bombay)
The Royal Opera House's signature entertainment venue (besides the Opera House itself, that is), the Quarter counts unique spaces like an airy, glass…
Gwangju
Catch the Kia Tigers professional baseball team in action from April through November. Stock up on snacks from the street vendors outside the stadium,…
Chiang Mai
Thai tourists eagerly make the pilgrimage 8km north of town to this rustic restaurant in the hope of hearing the dulcet tones of its owner, Thai chanteuse…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This is Japan's only national theatre devoted to nō, a centuries' old mode of performing arts. It has a classically elegant, sparse cypress stage;…
