New National Theatre Tokyo (NNTT)
New National Theatre Tokyo (NNTT) 新国立劇場
The New National Theatre is within the Tokyo Opera City Tower
The New National Theatre (新国立劇場; Shin Kokuritsu Gekijō) in Shibuya, just west of Shinjuku Station is one of several national theatres in Japan.
These include the National Engei Hall (part of the National Theatre complex), the National Noh Theatre in Shibuya, the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka, the National Theatre Okinawa in Urasoe, Okinawa and the National Theatre near Nagatacho in central Tokyo.
History
The theatre opened in 1997 and is housed in the Tokyo Opera City (東京オペラシティ) building. Tokyo Opera City has 54 floors and is 234 metres tall. It is the third-tallest skyscraper in Shinjuku and presently the seventh tallest in Tokyo.
The tower was designed by architect Takahiko Yanagisawa. His other works include the Contemporary Arts Museum in Tokyo, the Koriyama City Museum in Fukushima Prefecture and the Utsubo Kubota Memorial Museum in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture.
New National Theatre Tokyo Poster for La Marie Vison written by Terayama Shuji and starring Miwa Akihiro
New National Theatre Tokyo
Auditoriums
The theatre comprises three auditoriums.
The Opera House (Opera Palace) is a European-style theatre designed for opera and ballet. It has provision for a 120-person orchestra and 1,814 seats on four levels.
The Playhouse is a 1,038-seat auditorium designed for contemporary performing arts, namely drama and dance. It can be used as both an open-style or proscenium-style stage, when the capacity would be 1,010 seats.
The Pit is a versatile space with a movable floor. It has seating for between 358-438 people depending on the production.
The season at NNTT runs from October to July with around 300 performances on stage each year.
Entrance of the New National Theatre, Tokyo
New National Theatre Tokyo designed by Takahiko Yanagisawa
The theatre also includes an Information Center open from 10 am - 6 pm and a shop.
Stage Set & Design Centre
The Stage Set & Design Centre is located in Choshi city, Chiba. The center is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 4.30 pm. Admission is 210 yen and the center exhibits costumes, scale models, and props from performances at the NNTT. Visitors are also able to view videos of past performances. The nearest station is Shimosa-Toyosato on the Narita Line.
Nearby
Within fairly easy walking distance of the New National Theatre Tokyo are Meiji Jingu, Tocho and Yoyogi Park.
Within the Opera City complex itself is the Opera City Art Gallery which has regular exhibitions of mainly contemporary art.
Ground floor space around Tokyo Opera City
Access
New National Theatre Tokyo (nntt.jac.go.jp)
1-1-1 Honmachi, Shibuya, Tokyo 151-0071
Tel: 03 5351 3011
The New National Theatre Tokyo is connected by passageway with Hatsudai Station on the Keio New Line, one stop from Shinjuku Station.
The following Keio buses (渋61; 渋63; 渋64; 渋66; 宿41; 宿45) also run past the entrance to the theatre. The nearest bus stop is Shinkokuritsugekijo-mae.
Entrance to the New National Theatre Tokyo from Hatsudai Station on the Keio New Line
The New National Theatre in Tokyo
Book Hotel Accommodation in Japan Near The New National Theatre, Tokyo
Some recommended hotels very close to the New National Theatre Tokyo and Hatsudai Station are the luxury Park Hyatt Tokyo and the The Knot Tokyo Shinjuku, which was formerly the Shinjuku New City Hotel.
Guide Books on Japan
The New National Theatre Tokyo (NNTT) in Shubuya near Shinjuku Station has three auditoriums and stages opera, drama and dance.