Kazui's Private Kabuki Tour
Kazui's Private Kabuki Tour
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About
Kabuki is a very fascinating performing art. I have enjoyed Kabuki for many years! I wish to share my many experiences and knowledge; to show guests a part of the Japan I love as a Japanese person. I want many people to enjoy Kabuki as I do, but I think pople can enjoy Kabuki more with some information before you rent the subtitle devices.
Ginza, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Kazui's Private Kabuki Tour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
109 reviews
Excellent
106
Very good
3
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Phillip D
2 contributions
Nov 2022 • Solo
Kazui provided a brilliant and enlightening experience - I highly recommend her service!
I do not have extensive experience w/ theater, but wanted to learn more about Japanese culture during my visit.
Kazui worked w/ me to find a show that fit my interests, schedule, and price range; we saw two acts of Kanadehon Chushingura, one of the three great Kabuki works, at the National Theater of Japan adjacent to the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda City.
We met at a cafe prior to the show where we got to know each other and she enthusiastically shared w/ me the history and cultural significance of Japanese theater, Kabuki, its style and symbolism, Kanadehon Chushingura’s plot, information about the National Theater, and lineage of notable families in the industry.
During the play she quietly shared insights and plot devices w/ me as I do not speak Japanese.
Afterwards, she was so kind as to take me to an art gallery behind the theater w/ many historic Kabuki woodblock / ukiyo-e style prints.
Kazui’s passion, knowledge, and warmth stand out among guides! I highly recommend her service to individuals or groups with or without a background in theater and/or Japanese culture!
I do not have extensive experience w/ theater, but wanted to learn more about Japanese culture during my visit.
Kazui worked w/ me to find a show that fit my interests, schedule, and price range; we saw two acts of Kanadehon Chushingura, one of the three great Kabuki works, at the National Theater of Japan adjacent to the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda City.
We met at a cafe prior to the show where we got to know each other and she enthusiastically shared w/ me the history and cultural significance of Japanese theater, Kabuki, its style and symbolism, Kanadehon Chushingura’s plot, information about the National Theater, and lineage of notable families in the industry.
During the play she quietly shared insights and plot devices w/ me as I do not speak Japanese.
Afterwards, she was so kind as to take me to an art gallery behind the theater w/ many historic Kabuki woodblock / ukiyo-e style prints.
Kazui’s passion, knowledge, and warmth stand out among guides! I highly recommend her service to individuals or groups with or without a background in theater and/or Japanese culture!
Written December 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nick T
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Couples
We would highly recommend this tour if you want to get the most out of your experience with Kabuki theatre.
Kazui explained her personal experience with Kabuki, as well as the history and cultural context that makes it so special. One detail that stood out was that Kabuki actors are often a part of family lineages who have performed for many decades.
The performances are long, and its customary to buy a bento box to eat during intermission. Kazui made sure to show us where to buy our meals, and also showed us other points of interest around the theatre, such as the souvenir shop and the rooftop garden.
Kazui also purchased our tickets for us and recommended seats with good views at different price points.
Finally, she gave us summaries of each story, written in English, so that we would be able to follow along with the performance.
I can't stress enough how much more we got from our Kabuki experience thanks to Kazui's generous guidance. This is a must if you are visiting Tokyo and want to see Kabuki.
Kazui explained her personal experience with Kabuki, as well as the history and cultural context that makes it so special. One detail that stood out was that Kabuki actors are often a part of family lineages who have performed for many decades.
The performances are long, and its customary to buy a bento box to eat during intermission. Kazui made sure to show us where to buy our meals, and also showed us other points of interest around the theatre, such as the souvenir shop and the rooftop garden.
Kazui also purchased our tickets for us and recommended seats with good views at different price points.
Finally, she gave us summaries of each story, written in English, so that we would be able to follow along with the performance.
I can't stress enough how much more we got from our Kabuki experience thanks to Kazui's generous guidance. This is a must if you are visiting Tokyo and want to see Kabuki.
Written August 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grace B
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Solo
I have always been interested in kabuki and other traditional Japanese theatrical productions, but speak next to zero Japanese. I was already planning on catching the kabuki show in Kabukiza theatre anyway but was a bit anxious about getting seats as I wanted good seats but was not sure how to do that. I was so glad I found Kazui's website via a reddit post, and emailed her straight away. She responded quickly and was just magnificent. She not only answered my questions, but actually had notes and photos of the different seating options! It was great to have a local (who obviously loves what she does) organise everything and give you recommendations! I decided to go for the box seat with the meal option, because why not?! It was still cheaper compared to the other theatrical productions I've watched anyway. (Also please note that the evening show can run from 4:30pm to 9pm and only the box seats get a meal delivery service.)
On the day of, there was a short lecture on Kabuki, with several handouts. I found it very informative and definitely enhanced my entire Kabuki experience! I especially liked the handout on the actors and their relationships with each other. I also loved the detailed program with notes on what to watch out for. It's these little details that made this experience all the more interesting and enjoyable for me. Even though I rented the English audio guide that the Kabukiza theatre provides, I still found myself checking her handouts throughout the show.
The show itself is phenomenal. If you're interested in the Japanese culture, this is a definite must-do when in Tokyo.
This entire experience - from the tour enquiry, deciding which seats to book, the actual booking of seats, to your lecture and the kabuki performance itself was just fantastic. You're a star, Kazui! I wouldn't have enjoyed this experience as much as I did without you. Thank you so very much!
On the day of, there was a short lecture on Kabuki, with several handouts. I found it very informative and definitely enhanced my entire Kabuki experience! I especially liked the handout on the actors and their relationships with each other. I also loved the detailed program with notes on what to watch out for. It's these little details that made this experience all the more interesting and enjoyable for me. Even though I rented the English audio guide that the Kabukiza theatre provides, I still found myself checking her handouts throughout the show.
The show itself is phenomenal. If you're interested in the Japanese culture, this is a definite must-do when in Tokyo.
This entire experience - from the tour enquiry, deciding which seats to book, the actual booking of seats, to your lecture and the kabuki performance itself was just fantastic. You're a star, Kazui! I wouldn't have enjoyed this experience as much as I did without you. Thank you so very much!
Written December 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Claudia
1 contribution
Nov 2022
Kabuki is a unique and captivating form of theater, and it is virtually impossible to see Kabuki outside of Japan. For these reasons, I recommend that those interested in seeing a performance do some research beforehand in order to get the most out of the experience. I also recommend contacting Kazui and taking her tours. Kazui makes sure that the visit to the theater is completely organized and informs her guests about the general notions on Kabuki as well as the highlights of the plays. Kazui has a solid knowledge of Kabuki and those seeing this form of theater for the first time will not feel lost or intimidated, but will mostly enjoy the performances.
Written November 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lizbeth D
3 contributions
Dec 2024 • Solo
Amazing! Watching a Kabuki play was a dream come true for me. The experience exceeded my expectations. The service offered by Kazui definitely made a difference. I had seen some lectures about the history and what Kabuki theatre was about, but I had a lot of doubts about the shows that were on. I wasn't clear on how it worked and some comments on the internet said that the duration of a play was too long, some even said they didn't recommend it, that you could only see one scene, etc. I am very grateful to have found Kazui's service. Since I contacted her, she began to clarify my doubts. I was even going to choose a different show than the one I saw, thanks to her recommendation I changed my mind and made an excellent decision. I felt confident with her guide from the start, she even supported me in choosing my seat with photographs of the theatre, she sent me a summary of the plot of the play I saw, she bought my ticket for me, which saved me time (I hadn't been to a city as big as Tokyo and the transfer times for me were long) and on the day of the play she arrived on time and was very fast and concise, she basically shared with me how Kabuki theatre is lived and experienced and what things I was going to encounter, even details that would have confused me if she hadn't shared them with me. I highly recommend Kabuki theatre and Kazui's service. If you contact her in advance, all the better! I contacted her about 2 months before, because there were two shows at the time I was going to be in Tokyo and I didn't know which one was best for my first time, Kazui guided me a lot in that. Thanks Kazui's Tour!
Written January 14, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim P
Chiang Mai, Thailand123 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
Our guide was Kazui - she was awesome! She was always punctual to respond online and willing to go above and beyond. She used great judgment in choosing our seats - we sat in a box on the side, shoes off and sat on tatami mats (our legs went under a counter - we didn't sit on them). Kazui was so well organized and provided us with so much information before going to the kabuki performance. She informed us about a free kabuki exhibit that was happening while we were in Tokyo. We got to experience a tea house (in the theatre building) while she gave us more information. We enjoyed experiencing a seasonal tea set (tea and seasonal sweet). We highly recommend using Kazui for an amazing learning/cultural experience.
Written April 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark T
Gosford, Australia12 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
We had the most fabulous Kabuki experience largely thanks to our sensational guide Kazui Yabe.
We were keen to attend a Kabuki performance and Kazui made this possible for us securing fantastic seats and educating us about the history of Kabuki and information on the current performances. This information allowed us to understand and follow the performances we were about to see. I highly recommend doing this activity as it is very enjoyable with Kazui's guidance.
We were keen to attend a Kabuki performance and Kazui made this possible for us securing fantastic seats and educating us about the history of Kabuki and information on the current performances. This information allowed us to understand and follow the performances we were about to see. I highly recommend doing this activity as it is very enjoyable with Kazui's guidance.
Written March 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keith W
1 contribution
Jan 2024 • Solo
Kazui was simply terrific! I visited from the US and she managed everything ahead of time including my tickets and a pre-arranged intermission meal service. Her communication was prompt, helpful, and professional throughout. She sent me pre-reading of the plots of each of the parts of the show I would see beforehand so I could learn more about them. On the day of the tour, Kazui was wonderful. She explained the history of the structure itself, the history of kabuki and its related Japanese theater forms, and helped me understand theater "manners". My prearranged seat was excellent as was the bento box meal. I would HIGHLY recommend that anyone attending Kabuki-za for the first time take this tour!!
Written January 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Renko63
Seattle, WA15 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
Kazui was an excellent guide for our kabuki experience. All of the knowledge she shared during the tour before the perform was key to enjoying our experience. She worked with us to secure seats with a terrific view of the stage and the performance, met with us front admission and after the show. Everyone in our group was impressed with her and we’d highly recommend her to anyone looking for a premium kabuki experience!
Written March 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zoe g
2 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
Kazui-san's tour was recommended by a friend, and it was a wonderful experience. Everything was taken care of (buying tickets, directions), she explained lots of interesting information about the theatre, its origins, the actors, etc. I am a big fan of Japanese traditional culture and Kabuki, and I was very happy to learn more. Kazui-san also gave my friend and I summaries of the plays ahead of time, so we could follow the story. The lecture took place in a very beautiful tea house, with traditional matcha tea and wagashi sweets (included in the tour). I wouldn't have gone to the theater on my own because I don't speak Japanese and I would have been lost; thanks to Kazui-san awesome tour I was able to enjoy this piece of Japanese culture.
I highly recommend this tour!
I highly recommend this tour!
Written August 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Destination540069
Owings Mills, Maryland
You come highly recommendedWe are coming in on a cruise ship on March 18 at 2 PM and leaving March 19 at 7 PM. Within that timeframe can you arrange for kabuki theater they will be between four and 12 of us thank you. Mike klein
Written June 14, 2021
Hi! I will be in Tokyo in august and I will like to participate to a kabuki tour! Is it possible to have thé tour + one act show? Which show will be on , on august 2018?
Thank you
Valeria
Written July 1, 2018
Hi Valeria, thank you for your question. One act show tour is available. I would like to inform you about the details by emadil if possible. Could you send me an email? You will see my email address on my TripAdvisor page.Thank you.
Written July 1, 2018
Hi, I'm in Tokyo right now and someone recommended you. Would I be able to see Kabuki this weekend?
Written April 13, 2017
Hi samace0. I am Kazui Yabe from TOKYOKABUKIGUIDE. Yes, you will be able to see Kabuki this weekend at the Kabuki-za theatre. If you need more information, would you contact me using the contact form on my website? Please visit my website. Thank you!
Written April 13, 2017
Hello
I will be in Tokyo on June 29 2017.
I would like to see a kabuki
Show on June 30.
I am staying at the lotte city hotel.
What do tours include? How much are they ? Does the tour pick you up and drop
off at the hotel?
Thanks so much.
Written March 26, 2017
Hi ESSUMMER. Thank you for visitng my page. I think the possibility of Kabuki performance on June 30 is very low unfortunately becuase we have 25 days long performance from the 1st, 2nd or 3rd every month. I wouldl ike to email you the details if you like. Please visit my website and contact me using the contact form. Thank you.
Written March 27, 2017
Would like to know if we can set this up for a private tour on October 16. We will only be in Tokyo that day. We are coming in on a cruise and have a hotel booked by the airport for a flight out the next day.
Written July 20, 2016
Hi, I am Kazui, a Kabuki guide. Thank you for visiting my tour page and your message. I would like to discuss with you about the tour. Could you email me directly? Please click "E-mail" appeared under the map on the top page of my tour page. Sorry, answer including email address is not allowed by tripadvisor. Thank you.
Written July 20, 2016
Thank you for your question. Please google "tokyo kabuki guide" and use the contact form on my website. Sorry for this inconvenience. I will create booking button of Tripadvisor soon. Thank you.
Written December 14, 2015
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.