National Bunraku Theatre — Attraction in Osaka

Short Review: If you get a chance to watch a Bunraku play (or part thereof) at the National Bunraku Thatre in Osaka, don't miss it!! We have been to Japan a number of times, and this is a truly special and rare experience. Each main puppet character is operated by three puppeteers, with intricate gestures and expressions. The vocal skill and emotion of the 'narrators', who are central to the play and accompanied by musicians, is astonishing.

Long review with tips: We saw a 9 hour performance of "The Treasury of the 47 Ronin" at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka -- a classic tale, and the one on which the 2013 movie "47 Ronin" (with Keanu Reeves) is based.

We suspected a 9-hour show might be tedious but, instead, were captivated during the first 4 hours (even without the dashing Keanu Reeves). So we bought tickets for the second half during intermission.

The Theatre is roomy with very comfortable seats; staff exceptionally polite and helpful (with informative demonstrations in the small museum on the operation of the puppets and helpful guides); and there is an excellent audio guide.

Some tips from our experience: (1) You get a discount if you buy ticets for the full show from the outset. We paid 16,000 yen each for the full show (14,000 if bought both 'parts' together). But you can also buy cheaper tickets for short sections if you just want a 'taster'. (2) You can buy online for Part 1 or Part 2 (but not the smaller sections), but we bought our tickets at the box office on the day. Very easy. (3) Take the advice of the box office where to sit. Generally centre and right side are best, as you get a good view of both the puppeteers and narrators/ muscians who drive the performance. (4) Get the english audio (800 yen). I think other languages are also available. We made the mistake of not getting it for the first two acts (we got a little lost), and ducked out in a short breat to get one. It describes key points of action and some interesting nuances. The audio is not a line-by-line translation and left plenty of quiet periods. This was fortunate, as part of the joy was allowing the music, narration and puppetry to evoke emotion and experience, rather than being constantly 'told'. (5) Try to spend a few minutes beforehand in the little museum in the theatre. The demonstrator of the puppets' components (maks, limbs etc) was very kind and informative, showing how the puppets worked and explaining various meanings of gestures -- which was useful knowledge during the performance. (6) Pick up the free "Introduction to Bunraku" brochure (green, white and orange cover) in the lobby. These were thrust in our hands by attentive staff. Well designed and very informative. (7) Obento boxes, etc (food) are sold in the lobby during breaks at not unreasonable prices, but we took our own rice balls (onigiri) and water.

Perhaps it is not fair to compare, but of Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku, I found the Bunraku puppet theatre the most extrordinary and captivating for its ability to convey historical narrative of contemporary relevance AND human emotion.

Hope this review...

Traditional Japanese puppetry is exquisite. The late July/early August program always includes a show meant to entertain children and families (usually the first show, which starts at 11:00 AM). This last it included the old folk tale, "The Tongue-Cut Sparrow." The play featured puppeteers operating the large sparrow puppets descending by wire from above the stage. This year (2022) was ""The Sound of the Bell"--a clever story about a kappa (legendary water creature) and two foxes, and another play about an enchanted girl and her dealings with an evil being.

The National Bunraku Theater performs about five programs a year, each running for about three weeks, so, for a visitor to Japan, it is quite likely that there will not happen to be anything showing. For those who don't want to miss a puppet theater performance, a trip to Tokushima (on the island of Shikoku, but only two-and-a-half hours away by scenic and comfortable express bus) will allow you to see a puppet performance any day of the year (two shows daily, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM) at Awa Jurobe Yashiki Puppet Theater and Museum. Buses leave from Namba and Umeda in Osaka. Or you may also see puppet theater at Awaji Puppet Theater on Awaji Island every day except Wednesdays. Comfortable buses (about two hours) leave from Sannomiya in Kobe.

See Bunraku in Osaka if possible, but the trip to Tokushima is worth it (with many other things to do and see there if you go). The trip to either Tokushima or Awaji Island takes you across the longest suspension bridge in the world, the...

I really enjoyed this Bunraku experience but the show is very long and not always available with an English audio guide. I purchased tickets for the 2nd act (there were 2 that day) 30 min before show time and about half the auditorium was available. I sat in the seventh row amongst the locals and did not experience any segregation or treatment as a foreigner as a recent post suggested. I was given a brief one page synopsis of the story but was warned that there would be no English subtitles for me to follow along with the dialogue, considering that this was a rare opportunity to experience this unique art form I still decided to attend. The show started at 2pm, after 20 min there was an intro to Bunraku experience in which a narrator introduced the roles of the singer, shamisen player and of course the puppeteers. There was a 10 min intermission and then about a 75 min continuation of the show. Not understanding the language can be taxing on your patience after a while, I even saw some Japanese people doze off next to me well into the show. I would have opted for the single act tickets if they were available as 15-20 min is really all you need to witness and appreciate the artistry. But I’m still glad I was able to experience Bunraku at the national theatre even though it was a little long and would recommend it to anyone interested in this very...