It had been a while since my last Bunraku performance, and I was already buzzing from the morning ⭐️ This time I went to the "May 2026 Bunraku Performance" at Theater 1010 near Kitasenju Station. It was my first time at this venue, so I was a little nervous, but once I stepped inside, it turned out to be a compact, lovely little theater where the stage felt close.
I picked up the program, took my seat, and felt myself slipping back into that Bunraku air. As always, today was the best.
What Is Bunraku, Anyway?
Bunraku is one of Japan's traditional performing arts, registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. It's built around three roles working together: the tayu (chanter), who narrates the entire story through gidayu-bushi — a form of musical storytelling — voicing every character and describing every scene; the shamisen player, whose three-stringed instrument carries the emotional weight of the music; and the puppeteers.
Each puppet is operated by three people: the main puppeteer handles the head and right arm, the second handles the left arm, and the third handles the feet. Watching three people breathe as one to give a single puppet life — that's the magic of Bunraku.
My First Time at Theater 1010
This was my first visit to Theater 1010.
Even though it's close to the station, I still found myself wandering a little. A new theater always makes me a bit nervous. I start wondering about the entrance, the lobby, and whether my seat will have a decent view. That sort of thing.
Once I got inside, the theater felt smaller than I'd imagined. Not too big, so the stage felt nicely close.
My seat for Part 1 was Row 10, Seat 31 on the first floor. For Part 2, Row 9, Seat 29 on the first floor.
Both seats faced the yuka directly — the stage-right platform where the tayu and shamisen player sit.
Maybe a little far if you only want to focus on the puppets. But if you want to soak in gidayu-bushi, stage right is absolutely the place to be.
In both seats, when I sat straight ahead, the yuka was right in front of me. For me, that's the best seat in the house.
The audience, though, was honestly a little sparse.
I know it's somewhat normal for Bunraku to have empty seats toward the back, but still… it felt quiet. Tokyo doesn't have many Bunraku performances, so I'd always imagined tickets would be hard to come by. Maybe not? 😢
I also noticed that the Bunraku audience seemed to have more men than a Kabuki audience does. The atmosphere is a little different from Kabuki (another traditional Japanese theater, but with live actors instead of puppets). That's one of those things you only notice when you actually go.
Part 1: Futari Kamuro and The Tale of Asagao
Part 1 included Futari Kamuro and the full-length play The Tale of Asagao (Shou-utsushi Asagao Banashi).
The Tale of Asagao included:
- Ujigawa Hotaru-gari no Dan
- Makuzugahara Chamise no Dan
- Okazaki Kakurega no Dan
- Akashiura Funa-wakare no Dan
- Yunosuke Yashiki no Dan
I'd seen The Tale of Asagao before, but I enjoyed it with fresh eyes again this time.
Even when I think I know the story, the way the tayu narrates, the movement of the puppets, the air of the theater — it all changes how the piece feels. The size and mood of the venue really do change the impression of the same play. That's true for both Kabuki and Bunraku.
Even if I've seen something before, it never feels finished for me. Each performance is its own moment.
…So busy, honestly (haha).
After Part 1 ended, I overheard a lady leaving the theater say,
"Next time is September? That feels so far away."
And she was right. There aren't many Bunraku performances in Tokyo, so the wait can feel long.
I knew that feeling. Especially after seeing Bunraku again for the first time in a while.
Part 2: More of The Tale of Asagao
Part 2 was also the full-length The Tale of Asagao.
- Kusuri-uri no Dan
- Hamamatsu Goya no Dan
- Shimada-juku Warai-gusuri no Dan
- Yadoya no Dan
- Oigawa no Dan
There were so many things I'd been looking forward to in Part 2, so my excitement went up another notch.
In Bunraku, the tayu carries the story through gidayu-bushi — every character's lines, every bit of scenery, every emotion, all through that one voice.
And then there was Oritayu-san. Wonderful again today. Because of that, I once again barely managed to watch the puppets.
I came to see Bunraku, so of course I want to watch the puppets too. But my eyes keep drifting to the tayu. Or maybe I should be watching the puppets with my eyes while listening to gidayu-bushi with my ears? Is that the combination I'm supposed to be mastering?! Still not enough training 💦 (Though I'd love to hear Oritayu-san in sujoruri — a performance of gidayu-bushi without puppets — too 🥹)
Kozumitayu-san was reliably good in Part 2 as well. The tayu can be so different from one another, and watching that alone is already interesting. The way the voice comes out. The pauses. The way the air shifts.
Even within the same Bunraku performance, when the narrator changes, the color of the stage seems to change too. And every time, I'm surprised by the sheer strength of their voices. How do they take care of their throats? Are they just naturally strong?
I still don't really understand any of this. That's exactly why it's interesting.
Shimada-juku Warai-gusuri no Dan — Where Am I Supposed to Look?
This time I also went partly because I wanted to see Kanjuro-san — one of the most beloved puppeteers working today. (Too many reasons to go? laugh.)
He was wonderful. Really, really wonderful.
Especially during "Shimada-juku Warai-gusuri no Dan," I genuinely didn't know what to do.
I wanted to watch Kanjuro-san's puppetry. But I also wanted to concentrate on Chitosedayu-san. I wanted to enjoy both.
But watching everything at once is impossible.
So I figured: if I try to be greedy, I'll just end up scattered. I fixed my binoculars on Kanjuro-san.
Once I made the call, I just kept watching there. My eyes didn't get lost. And somehow, the gidayu-bushi naturally flowed into my ears too. Was that the right answer?!
The EG-G App Audio Guide Was So Comfortable
This time I tried the EG-G app for the audio guide.
You download the app on your iPhone and pay inside the app. Then you listen on your own iPhone with your own earphones.
So comfortable!
When I use the regular audio guide for Kabuki, I sometimes notice background noise. A kind of zzzzzzz or long bzzzzzz sound. This time, with my iPhone and my own earphones (Audio-Technica!), I barely noticed any of that. Honestly, the sound quality was excellent. I love Audio-Technica ❤️ No distracting noise — totally stress-free.
This venue doesn't have a subtitle screen above the stage like the National Bunraku Theatre does, but subtitles are also available through the EG-G app.
However, on one device, you can apparently choose either the audio guide or subtitles, not both. If you want both, one option would be to rent the audio guide at the venue and use your own iPhone for subtitles.
"Audio guide or subtitles — that is the question."
I had my iPad mini with me, so I used that for the subtitles.
"Not one or the other. Both." Because I want it all. (Or maybe because I'm like Gian, the bossy kid from Doraemon who always says "What's yours is mine." If I want it, I take it all.)
At the venue, they also told me they have a few smartphones available to borrow for subtitles if needed. That would really help some people.
For both the audio guide and the subtitles, you open the app inside the theater, tap the service you want, and wait. It connects automatically.
Wi-Fi off 📴
Airplane mode on ✈️
Very convenient.
I really wish Kabuki performances would adopt this system too. Shochiku-san, please. Probably, maybe, more people would use it. But who knows!
Things I Bought
This time I bought the program, egg crackers, and a book by Kanjuro-san.
I'd been meaning to buy Kanjuro-san's book for a while, so I was glad I finally got it 📕 I also picked up the egg crackers. I always end up buying these performance sweets.
Properly Recharged by Bunraku
I still regret not making it to the Bunraku performances at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka in April.
The next one will probably be in June or July.
Tokyo doesn't get many Bunraku performances, so there's always a bit of a wait until the next one. That lady's words after Part 1 — "Next time is September? That feels so far away" — kept echoing in my head afterward.
But this time, I feel properly recharged by Bunraku.
I watched the tayu. I watched the puppets. But once again, I was pulled toward the tayu. Then I fixed my binoculars on Kanjuro-san. So many places to look — but that busyness was part of the fun.
Bunraku really is wonderful.
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