Culture
A Day at the National Noh Theater
Jerome LeeThe National Noh Theater is a 5 minute walk from Sendagaya Station on the JR Sobu Line, and is where traditional Noh and Kyogen plays are performed.
The National Noh Theater is located in Shibuya City, a mere three minutes walk from Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Opened in 1983, the facility is run by the Japan Arts Council and hosts various noh, kyogen, kabuki, and bunraku performances throughout the year.
The nearly 600-seat theater is composed primarily of wood and features an elegant 400-year-old cypress stage with a pine tree painted on the back, which is customary for noh stages. The facility also includes a rehearsal stage, lecture room, and reference library, as well as an exhibition area called the Traditional Performing Arts Information Centre. This center is located on the first floor and displays costumes, props, and ukiyo-e woodblock prints. It is free to enter and is open from 10:00–18:00.
You can purchase tickets online, reserve them by phone, or buy them at the theater.
Noh is a traditional form of Japanese theater that uses music, dance, gestures, masks, and elaborate costumes to tell a story that is often related to legends and history. Kyogen, on the other hand, is a comedic performance that relies on witty dialogue to make the audience laugh. The combination of the two, in which kyogen is performed during breaks in the noh performance, is called nogaku and is recognized as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Property. Kabuki is another form of traditional theater that utilizes song and dance for storytelling, and bunraku is a type of Japanese puppet theater.
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The theatre is a 5-minute walk from Sendagaya station on the JR Chuo or Sobu lines, or Kokuritsu-Kyogjjo station's A4 Exit on the Toei Oedo Line. From Kita-Sando station's Exit 1 on the Fukutoshin Line, it's a 7-minute walk.
The National Noh Theater is a 5 minute walk from Sendagaya Station on the JR Sobu Line, and is where traditional Noh and Kyogen plays are performed.
Seeing a Noh play at the National Noh Theatre in Tokyo is easy. Tickets can be bought at the box office or online. A free NTJ membership is required to purchase them online. This article explains how.
Have you ever been to or considered to go to a japanese event in ancient japanese language and felt lost or gave up trying to understand the turning of events ? This new approach using special lenses might completely change the way we enjoy this art.
The National Noh Theatre near Shibuya in central Tokyo is holding a free exhibition of historical noh theatre artefacts once belonging to the powerful Yamauchi Clan. The exhibition runs from 30th August to 4th November, 2018.
On May 14th, the National Noh Theatre will host dissemination performances of the kyogen play, Fuji Matsu and the noh play, Kosode Soga. Tickets start from JPY3,000.
Located right next to Shinjuku Chuo Park, THE KNOT TOKYO Shinjuku is a modern hotel with an exceptional design and easy access to the nearby Shinjuku train station and the Meiji Shrine. The 14-story hotel building was renovated and reopened in August 2018 as THE KNOT TOKYO Shinjuku . The western-style rooms offer a park view on the top floor as well as a newly opened terrace suite. The spacious atrium design offers a relaxed atmosphere and connects the restaurant, bar, lounge and lobby with one another. One of the highlights of THE KNOT is the delicious dishes. There are six areas in which food and drinks are offered. From the grill area to high-quality black tea and fresh bread, everything is on offer.
Oakwood Premier Tokyo comes from a brand of standout luxury hotel & service apartments right at the heart of the Tokyo metropolis. It is located in the business hub of Marunouchi with JR Tokyo Station in close proximity. This will allow guests and travelers to easily access the city's extensive transport network and visit various landmarks such as Imperial Palace, Tsukiji Fish Market, Ginza and Shopping District. Boasting 123 luxurious apartments on the upper floors of a multi-serviced complex, each room offers a magnificent view of the city, not to mention all furnished and a fully-equipped kitchen set which is rarely seen in your everyday service apartment. Without doubt, these spacious tranquil retreats are curated to give you the amenities and services of a luxury hotel and a feeling of home. They are good options for both business executives and leisure travelers from one night of a short-stay to a few weeks/months of mid-to-long-term stay.
With Koenji being a "creative town" it's no surprise that the BnA Hotel opened there in 2016 and has had, subsequently, an incredible impact on the local community. BnA (Bed and Art) has other spaces dotted about Tokyo and Kyoto, but the Koenji edition is possibly more immersive as the concept is "stay in an artwork." In collaboration with local artists, the BnA has created an impressive multi-storey art experiment for art lovers and creatives with a desire to inhabit art. The first floor acts as a front desk and bar which comes alive at night with events and selected DJs. It also hosts Masu Masu onigiri cafe with artists being asked to come and exchange artwork with each other in a gesture which reflects the true spirit of Koenji. With two "living art" twin rooms taking up the second and third floors designed by a seasonal rotation of local artists, guests can engage with and inhabit their art rooms. BnA Koenji also plays host to a rooftop lounge and a basement space which is used for artists residencies where their work is shown to the public and a DJ booth and streaming equipment for live performances. With live painting events and an eclectic variety of regular events, the BnA Hotel becomes, itself, a living canvas. The BnA believes that it's a machigata hotel, meaning that guests should (and are encouraged) to interact with Koenji. Use the public sentos, eat in the local restaurants that surround the hotel and buy locally from the multitude of shops, market stalls, bars and cafes which make-up the fabric of Koenji. Feted by international press such as The Guardian, BnA acts as a creative network with the concept of serendipity being discussed as the bar becomes an ad hoc meeting place where collaborations and friendships between artists and locals are born. The BnA was also instrumental in a street art festival named MCP (Mural City Project) which was supported by Suginami Ward. MCP was incredibly ambitious and truly communal with the desire to transform and coalesce the community through the creation of public murals. The BnA, Koenji and Suginami spearheaded a public art movement which should be commended and replicated throughout Tokyo.
Mame Shiba Cafe offers a unique experience where you can interact with Shiba dogs while enjoying your favorite drinks. You cannot make reservations in advance through phone or online, so it is best to book early in the morning at a store. The cafe requires customers to make a reservation in-store, present their receipt at the reserved time, and then enter the cafe.
There is a restaurant right in front of the Meguro station where you can eat your own fish. All kinds of Japanese dishes and fresh seafood are also served. In some pools inside the restaurant you can catch your own fish with a fishing rod and net and then let the staff know which table it should be brought to. You can watch the fish being prepared in the kitchen and let you know in advance how the fish should be prepared: whether as sashimi, grilled, boiled, deep-fried (with tempura) or as sushi. If you don't manage to catch your own fish, then you can of course order a fish from the menu. However, the price is much lower if you want to have your own catch cooked .
Situated a few minutes stroll from the north exit of JR Koenji Station, Clouds Art + Coffee is a simple affair reflecting the owners' passion for, well, art and coffee. Very chic and sparse, the space is compact with a fine selection of coffee from all over the world such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia and Brazil which makes it the perfect spot for Tokyo's legion of coffee addicts. The owners curate a healthy mix of artwork from local and international artists and the rotational exhibition system means that regular customers have the opportunity to see, firsthand, the best and most intriguing art from Koenji's thriving art community. There's no censorship at Clouds Art + Coffee and artists are encouraged to represent themselves and their work in a free manner and this means, essentially, that customers can view an eclectic and liberating amount of art hand in hand with some of the finest coffee in Koenji and Tokyo as a whole. Clouds Art + Coffee is, ostensibly, a hub and tryst for art and coffee lovers who come from far and wide to sample international coffee made from the finest beans and art from emerging and established artists.
The venue for the gymnastics and water polo competitions during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium continues to be an important sporting facility for the city today. It will host the table tennis competition during the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The site has an interesting history. It was once owned by Iemasa Tokugawa (1884 to 1963), a politician and diplomat, and the 17th hereditary head of the famous Tokugawa shogunal family. The Tokyo government purchased the land and buildings in 1943, it was then used by US military officers for some years following the Second World War. After the site passed back into the hands of the Tokyo government in 1952, all the former wooden buildings were torn down and a modern concrete gymnasium was finished in 1956. The facility underwent a complete renovation between 1986 and 1990 and the city has continued to make additions and improvements over the years. The main arena can seat up to 10,000 people. The gymnasium has hosted both national and international sporting competitions in diverse sports, such as volleyball, wrestling, and figure skating. Since 2000, the arena has also been used for concerts and Katy Perry performed there in 2015. A new kind of system for managing the gymnasium was instigated by the Tokyo government in 2006, with Tokyo Sport Benefits Corporation being the current designated manager. Some of the facilities, including the swimming pool, training room, and athletic fields are usually open for use by the public. However, please note these are currently closed due to preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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