Northwest Kyoto
Performances by maiko (apprentice geisha) and geiko (the Kyoto word for geisha; a fully fledged maiko) of the Kamishichiken district are held in early…
Must-see entertainment in Japan
Osaka
This neo-Renaissance building (1923), modelled after Milan's La Scala, was the first Western-style theatre built in Kansai. It occasionally hosts kabuki…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This is one of Tokyo's best venues for classical concerts, with a busy schedule of accomplished musicians. Its 2000-seat main hall has one of the largest…
Tokyo
This Kōenji institution for punk, noise and metal boasts an ultra loud sound system. Oddly enough, it's in the basement of a large, nondescript apartment…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This somewhat cramped and grungy basement club has been a staple of the Shimo-Kitazawa music scene for more than 25 years now. It can be an excellent…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This is the original – and the biggest – of Shimo-Kitazawa's independent shōgeki-jō (small theatres). If you have a fair helping of Japanese language,…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
Try this excellent little theatre for lesser-known foreign art-house and eclectic Japanese films, including Japanese anime (animation). It’s on Kujō-dōri.
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
The chequerboard stage here has hosted the feedback and reverb of countless Tokyo indie and punk bands over the (four-plus!) decades since Loft got its…
Imperial Palace & Around
Occasional classical-music and dance performances are held at this midtown concert hall. Check Kyoto Visitor's Guide for upcoming concerts.
Western Honshū
Okayama's concert hall, in an impressive circular building, hosts a range of international and local dance and classical music performances.
Tokyo
This public theatre is among Tokyo's better non-commercial performance spaces, staging contemporary plays, dance (including butō), music and story-telling…
Osaka
Inside a shopping mall, this theatre – despite the word kabuki in the name – shows mostly comedy and period dramas (in Japanese).
