19 Best Performing Arts Venues in Tokyo, Japan

Eclectic performances at this artsy music venue range from Japanese rock to Korean and Japanese pop to visual-kei (visual-style) groups, who wear elaborate makeup and stage costumes.

Held the last weekend of October, this predominantly mainstream festival, which first started in 1995, takes places in some less-than-mainstream venues, ranging from a Shinto shrine to a Lutheran church. Fortunately, most venues are within walking distance of JR Asagaya Station. More than 200 bands and 1,300 musicians play, with previous headliners having included the Mike Price Jazz Quintet and pianist Yosuke Yamashita. The festival gets crowded, so come early to have a better chance at entry. Note: Outdoors events are free, but indoor events have a charge.

This three-story, city-run performance hall showcases classical music, ballet, opera, dance, and drama. Performances puppets, wind music, and Japanese Kabuki dance are especially interesting.

One of the best venues for art-house films in Japan screens independent European and Asian hits and small-scale Japanese movies. Directors and actors often appear on the stage, greeting fans on opening days. Occasionally Japanese films run with English subtitles, but ask ahead of time.

At one of the most important of Japan's Noh family schools, the current iemoto (head) is the 26th in his line. Kanze's stylish new theater is in the basement of the Ginza Six complex. English-language plot summaries are available upon request.

One of the few public halls to host Noh performances provides basic English-language summaries of the plots at performances. Individual screens placed in front of each seat also give an English translation. There are other types of performances at the same theater, so check what is on.

With its 1,632-seat main auditorium, this venue nourishes Japan's fledgling efforts to make a name for itself in the world of opera and other performing arts. The Opera City Concert Hall has a massive pipe organ and hosts Tokyo's symphony, domestic and international visiting orchestras, and other performers. The complex also includes an art gallery.

The home base for the Japan Broadcasting Corporation's NHK Symphony Orchestra, known as N-Kyo, is probably the auditorium most familiar to Japanese lovers of classical music, as performances here are routinely rebroadcast on the national TV station. Other performances are held here, too, from professional acts to high school groups.

With all the neon and flashes of light, this dance performance with dubious foundations in historical reality is outrageous in all the right ways. During breaks between acts, which can last a while, you can grab the food or the sake on offer, but you're likely better off doing so elsewhere before or after the show. Reservations can be made online or by phone.

Dating from 1925, this theater was built for the geisha of the Shimbashi quarter to present their spring and autumn performances of traditional music and dance. It remains one of the best spots in Tokyo to see traditional performing arts, although the theater is now also the home of "Super Kabuki," a faster, jazzier modern version of kabuki.

The Suigan offers a taste of traditional Japanese Noh and Kyogen plays and geisha performances over a full-course dinner or drinks. While Noh and Kyogen plays can often run hours and be difficult to comprehend, the short performances at Suigan focus on the climactic scenes and give explanations of the story and artistry of the performance. Tickets must be reserved in advance on the website.

Home to New Japan Philharmonic, the venue is mostly for Western classical music, chamber music, and piano recitals. It has many programs by amateur orchestras and ensembles, as well. The 1,800-seat hall is thought to have the best acoustics in Tokyo.

This lavishly appointed concert auditorium in the Ark Hills complex has probably the best acoustics in the city, and its great location allows theatergoers to extend their evening out: there's an abundance of great restaurants and bars nearby.

Japan's all-female theater troupe was founded in the Osaka suburb of Takarazuka in 1913 and has been going strong ever since. Today, it has not one but five companies, one of which (the Cosmos Troupe) has a permanent home in Tokyo at the 2,069-seat Takarazuka Theater. Same-day tickets are sold at the box office at either 9:30 am or 10 am. Advance tickets are available through ticketing agencies and the theater's website. Any remaining tickets are sold at the theater box office.

With a design that evokes images of the golden days of film, Toho's premier "movie palace" attempts to bring back the days when moviegoing was an experience. With an impressive lobby and one of the largest screens in Tokyo, it is one of the city's best movie theaters. Arrive a few minutes early to take in the impressive views looking out over Hibiya Park before your show.

This nine-screen complex has about 2,100 seats that include very comfortable, "first-class," VIP seats. It also has an extra-large screen and MediaMation MX4D technology. There are plenty of bars in the area for post-movie discussions. Late shows screen on weekends.

Since the 1960s and '70s, this hall has been an important venue for classical ballet, orchestral music, and visiting soloists.

A 45,852-seat sports arena, the dome also hosts big-name Japanese and international acts. Originally known as "Tokyo Big Egg," the stadium popularly serves as a shorthand unit of measure in Japan, as the size of any large structure might be gauged in terms of how many Tokyo Domes it equals.

Occupying the lower levels of Kabukicho Tower, Zepp claims to be the areas largest live music venue. Mostly hosting domestic artists, the four-story, underground facility might be a place for you to discover your next favorite Japanese band. Check their online schedule. Entry prices vary by event.