Culture How to experience Kabuki and Noh

Innovation is an inherent aspect of Kabuki. The art "has always embraced, and worked hard on refining, the highest standard of technology because they want to dazzle as many spectators as possible," says Björk. In recent years, Kabuki theatres have incorporated immersive projections and project mapping, including works from virtual reality sensation Hatsune Miku. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an AR app was developed so people could enjoy Kabuki at home. Kabuki theatres have also gained a wider audience by adapting stories from other art forms, from iconic Charlie Chaplin films to manga tales such as One Piece and Naruto.

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Public Noh and Nohgaku performances are held in several theatres across Japan. In Tokyo, the National Noh Theatre hosts regular shows in a 591-seat cypress wood showplace resembling a temple. A small museum of costumes and masks adds to the experience. Discover Noh in Kyoto holds events across the ancient capital's multiple venues, including the 452-seat Kyoto Kanze Kaikan. In partnership with GetYourGuide, Discover Noh in Kyoto also offers travellers the rare opportunity to meet a third-generation Noh actor at his in-home stage. Guests experience a private performance with clothing and masks dating back hundreds of years and a chance to try some of Noh's methodical and rhythmic movements with the master. See the highly stylized art form of Kabuki at Tokyo's National Theatre or the circa-1889 Kabukiza Theatre. Kabuki shows tend to be lengthy—up to four hours—but you can purchase a single-act seat to catch 30 minutes or one hour of entertainment.

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