National Theatre of Japan

The National Theatre of Japan is a complex consisting of three halls in two buildings in Hayabusa-cho, a neighborhood in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The Japan Arts Council, an Independent Administrative Institution of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, operates the National Theatre. It primarily stages performances of traditional Japanese performing arts.

The main objectives of the Council are to preserve and promote traditional performing arts, and to promote and popularise modern performing arts in Japan. The main building has two halls. The Large Theatre hosts performances of kabuki and buyo as well as stage plays. The Small Hall specializes in bunraku, Japanese music, smaller buyo productions, gagaku, shomyo, and folk theatre. In a separate building, the Engei Hall stages rakugo and manzai performances.