National Bunraku Theatre

Unclaimed

My friend and I attended the evening part of the New Year performances. Honcho Nojushiko - the Japanese 24 examples of filial piety. We were welcomed to the theatre by a very knowledgable English speaking guide and helped to access the English audio guide. The performance was mesmerising and I would highly recommend going to the National Banruku Theatre.

Wonderful evening , helped a lot with understanding Japanese history, read up on story before you go, get English headphones to help

I was lucky enough to catch the evening act during my stay in Osaka. The staff were very kind and for a reasonable fee you can get an English audio device that guides you through the performance. The stage and puppets were mesmerizing and the performance put on by the puppeteers, musicians and narrators was truly incredible. If you love theatre, I highly recommend!

Wonderful performance of Bunraku theatre (a traditional Japanese form of puppet theatre, kind of like kabuki with puppets.) Book ahead for good seats in front blocks, although it's a modest capacity theatre and I'd say there are probably no bad seats. English audio guide (earphone) available. Staff lovely and very helpful, several with good English. A slice of excellent Japanese culture.

Kabuki, Noh, and Bunraku theatre are 3 major traditional theatre arts in Japan. Bunraku was designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2003. We saw a single-act (Sushiya-90 minutes performance) of the play, "Yoshitdune and One Thousand Cherry Trees." It takes an entire day to watch the whole play (1030-2020hrs) with short breaks in between each act. The single-act Sushiya costs ¥3,500 and was about 90 minutes long. It was fascinating watching the puppeteers accompanied by the narrator and shamisen acting out the scenes. An English audio guide (¥500 for rental) is a must if you want to understand and enjoy the performance. I would strongly recommend seeing a single-act of Bunraku if one is in Osaka. The theatre is a one minute walk from Nippombashi Station. Do go early, as there is an exhibition (free entry) of Bunraku at the theatre.