Must-see entertainment in Kansai

For going on three decades this has been the place to hear underground music live in Osaka. It's a small, bare-concrete, smokey space – well suited to the…

The classical performing art most associated with Osaka is bunraku, which makes dramatic use of highly sophisticated puppets. Visiting the theatre is a…

The big fellas rumble into Osaka in March for this major tournament, held in the EDION Arena (Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (府立体育会館) in Namba. Tickets (from…

Sone is Kōbe's go-to spot for jazz (since 1969) and gathers four acts, of mostly Kansai-area artists, each night. The look is a bit old-timey Viennese…

Also known as Osaka Dome, this futuristic stadium is home to the Orix Buffaloes baseball team. While the Buffaloes may not have the following of the…

This much-loved live house is an Osaka institution and favours Japanese punk rock and experimental noise bands; check the website for the gig schedule…

Looking like an office with the inner walls ripped out (which is entirely likely), Hokage seems to be made for its rock, punk and noise bands. It's a…

A five-minute walk east of Hankyū Umeda Station, this theatre stages nō (stylised dance-drama) performances a few times each month. Look for the relief of…

This neo-Renaissance building (1923), modelled after Milan's La Scala, was the first Western-style theatre built in Kansai. It occasionally hosts kabuki…

Inside a shopping mall, this theatre – despite the word kabuki in the name – shows mostly comedy and period dramas (in Japanese).