Ginza & Tsukiji
The flamboyant facade of this venerable theatre is fitting for the extravagant dramatic flourishes that are integral to the traditional performing art of鈥
Must-see entertainment in Tokyo
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This is Tokyo's best jazz spot: intimate, unpretentious and with an always solid line-up of influential, avant-garde, crossover and up-and-coming鈥
Asakusa & Sumida River
If you鈥檙e in town when a tournament is on, don't miss the chance to catch the big boys of Japanese wrestling in action at the country's largest sumo鈥
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Japan's most important theatre for traditional performing arts stages kabuki, gagaku (music of the imperial court), ky艒mai (Kyoto-style traditional dance)鈥
K艒rakuen & Akihabara
Tokyo Dome (aka 鈥楾he Big Egg鈥) is home to the Yomiuri Giants. They're the most consistently successful team in Japanese baseball.
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This is Tokyo鈥檚 premier public performing-arts centre, with state-of-the-art stages for drama, opera and dance. The plays are in Japanese and the operas鈥
Ueno & Yanesen
The Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Ballet both make regular appearances at this Ueno-k艒en landmark, designed by Maekawa Kunio, an鈥
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This Kabukich艒 spectacle has hit it big with its vision of 'wacky Japan': bikini-clad women ride around on giant robots against a backdrop of animated鈥
Tokyo
This chic lounge stages short acts (40 minutes) of traditional Japanese performing arts, including n艒, kagura (sacred dance) and Kyo-mai (Kyoto-style鈥
Tokyo
Sumo wrestlers live and practice in a heya (somewhat weirdly translated as 'stable'). Only some allow visitors to watch keiko (practice) and then鈥
Harajuku & Aoyama
Jing奴 Baseball Stadium, built in 1926, is home to the Yakult Swallows, Tokyo鈥檚 number-two team (but number-one when it comes to fan loyalty; Swallows fans鈥
Tokyo
Named for the infamous 1960s London spot, K艒enji's UFO Club is committed to keeping the spirit of the era alive: the small basement space, with red-and鈥
K艒rakuen & Akihabara
The girl group Kamen Joshi 鈥 singing and dancing young women wearing cute outfits and full-face hockey masks 鈥 is all the rage at this live-music show in鈥
Ginza & Tsukiji
If you love camp, this is for you. The all-female Takarazuka revue, going back to 1914, stages highly stylised musicals in Japanese (English synopses are鈥
Tokyo
The 14,000-plus-seat Bud艒kan was originally built for the judo competition of the 1964 Olympics (bud艒 means 'martial arts') and will be pressed into鈥
Asakusa & Sumida River
Oiwake is one of Tokyo's few remaining miny艒 izakaya, pubs where traditional folk music is performed. It's a small, cosy place, where the waitstaff and鈥
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
One of Tokyo's nicest and biggest cinemas (it has nine screens, some with 3D and 4D capability), Toho's Roppongi Hills theatre screens all the latest鈥
K艒rakuen & Akihabara
Not as red-hot as they once were, this J-pop phenomenon girl group of 60 rotating members continues to perform in shifts at its very own workhouse鈥r鈥
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Watching indies here feels a bit like hanging out in a friend's basement; with just 40 comfy, mismatched seats, Uplink is officially Tokyo's smallest鈥
Harajuku & Aoyama
This is Japan's only national theatre devoted to n艒, a centuries' old mode of performing arts. It has a classically elegant, sparse cypress stage;鈥
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Billing itself as 'Booze & Jazz since 1975', Lady Jane is a Shimo-Kitazawa landmark, with a polished, vintage interior of dark wood and moody lighting. On鈥
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Setagaya Public Theatre, comprising a main stage and the smaller, more experimental Theatre Tram, is the city's top venue for contemporary drama and dance鈥
Tokyo
Underground venue for avant-garde performances, often dance, including but艒 (a Japanese form of contemporary dance). Shows are irregular. Book tickets鈥
Harajuku & Aoyama
Decked out in neon, mirrors and chrome, Crocodile is a classic dive. Live music of all sorts plays here nightly (from rock to reggae to Latin), but the鈥
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
In a former art-house cinema with the tell-tale tiered floor (but not the seats) still intact, this is one of those rare venues where you could turn up鈥
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This small venue attracts a more grown-up, artsy crowd than the club鈥檚 location 鈥 in the heart of Shibuya 鈥 might lead you to expect. There鈥檚 no explicit鈥
Harajuku & Aoyama
Like sister clubs in New York and Milan, Blue Note Tokyo books the biggest international names in jazz, as well as local talent. This is a well-heeled鈥
Tokyo
This is an attractive, intimate venue, sunk deep so the ceiling feels refreshingly high for a Tokyo basement venue. The line-up is jazz, but that's a wide鈥
Asakusa & Sumida River
Asakusa was once full of theatres like this one, where traditional rakugo (comedic monologues) and other forms of comedy are performed. There are also鈥
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
We love Three's mission to make live music more accessible in Tokyo: it hosts 10 free events a month (otherwise they average around 楼2000). The line-up is鈥
Ginza & Tsukiji
This venerable group specialising in n艒 dramas relocated to the bowels of the Ginza Six shopping complex in 2017. The theatre seats 48; if you haven't鈥
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This beautiful, oak-panelled, A-frame concert hall, with legendary acoustics, hosts the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra among other well-regarded ensembles鈥
Tokyo University of the Arts Performing Arts Center
Ueno & Yanesen
With its stage dominated by a French Garnier Organ and a ceiling that can be moved to create optimum acoustics, the university's intimate hall is a superb鈥
Tokyo
You鈥檙e more likely to hear contemporary international jazz stars here than musicians harking back to the 1920s New York club it honours. Also on the鈥
Tokyo
This practice and performance space is run by one of Japan's most active but艒 (a contemporary dance style) troupes, Dairakudakan ('Big Camel Ship'). It's鈥
K艒rakuen & Akihabara
In the basement of a building with a guitar shop and recording studios, this small venue (capacity 230) is a long-running favourite with Tokyo's indie鈥
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
As well as live performances and a variety of Japanese and international acts, this 920-seat capacity theatre is also used for drama, musicals and as a鈥
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This glitzy amphitheatre-like space plays host to major foreign talent as well as Japanese jazz, soul and rock groups who all come in to shake the rafters鈥
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This hip jazz club often features local and European talent, as well as healthy doses of Latin jazz. Shows start at 7.30pm and 9.15pm.
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This is one of the very few remaining yose (vaudeville) theatres in Tokyo. Shows feature over a dozen acts, many of which are rakugo (comedic monologue)鈥
