kja

I went to one act of a kabuki performance at the Kabuki-za theater in Ginza, Tokyo, in May of 2006. I had to wait in line for a VERY long time. I did not get a ticket for my preferred seating. I came back an hour or so later, and after another long wait, I got a ticket for the next seating.

I found it fascinating. It was something I wanted to see. I'm not sure that kabuki is something just every tourist would enjoy, but I have no evidence upon which to rest that impression.

My impression: kabuki is not fast paced and and it is not always understandable and it is an art form based on nuance and shared cultural precepts and an occasional bit of almost "slapstick"-like humor. Tourists will probably find it less accessible than most Japanese. Enjoying it probably requires patience; a willingness to suspend one's cultural blinders to experienced an art form that has clearly NOT found a niche in the west; and a sincere willingness to risk ending up saying, "it wasn't my cup of tea, but how would I have known without seeing it."

The options for viewing kabuki in Japan are much more limited than I initially realized, and I ended up planning my trip, in part, around the option to see it and other Japanese performing arts.

If there is a kabuki performance while you are in Tokyo, and if you can get a ticket, and if you actually have a sincere interest in this unique art form, then go for it! If you are simply looking for an evening's entertainment, you might do well to look into other options.

tasta

Oh! Now you are talking... Thank you a lot!!
I'm not sure if I'll like it, but I'm looking for originality and hope that kabuki will give me what I'm looking for.
So I must plan coming later for the last act? Or maybe the situation now is different and somebody has fresher tips?
Maybe there are other places where one-act entrance is allowed? Not only in Tokyo?

kja

Hmm ... maybe if you had asked your REAL question from the start ... but whatever.

"I'm looking for originality" -- Kabuki is a traditional art form. You are unlikely to see particularly "original" elements in ANY kabuki performance.

"So I must plan coming later for the last act?" -- ??? You might not even be allowed in!

"Maybe there are other places where one-act entrance is allowed? Not only in Tokyo?" -- I've given you a reliable link that proports to covert ALL kabuki theaters in Japan and has links to each of them; you already knew of another such list. I'm sure you know how to click on a link. If not, just give it a try.

"maybe the situation now is different and somebody has fresher tips?" -- indeed.

Good luck!

tasta

I asked the same questions from the beginning. You didnt understand me, just as I didnt understand you. You wrote than you came an hour later - I thought it was for the other act.
And these sites dont mention other One act performances. So maybe You'll give me the chance to receive other opinions?
Thank you.