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CULTURE / Stage

The summer kabuki came roaring back

A blockbuster film, new audiences and fresh collaborations are breathing life into Japan’s centuries-old theater form

Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage.?

Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage.? | ?SHOCHIKU

By Kris Kosaka
Contributing writer

Oct 3, 2025

Kabuki, Japan’s most popular traditional performing art, took a star turn this summer.

Shochiku, the entertainment company that manages four kabuki theaters nationwide and organizes international tours, reported a surge in attendance since May, including what it called a “two- to threefold increase” among audiences in their 20s and 30s.

Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night’s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.

Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights

By Tomoko Otake

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan’s landscape that they often go unnoticed.

Why Japan’s utility poles won’t be disappearing anytime soon

By Alex K.T. Martin

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