As part of the Tokyo Culture Creation Project conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, we have been conducting the Tokyo Traditional Arts Program with the aim of disseminating inside and outside Japan the Japanese traditional performing arts and culture that we can present with pride and passing them down to future generations. These arts include Noh, traditional Japanese music, classical Japanese dance and the tea ceremony.

A year has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. We will offer diverse programs in order to propose how traditional arts and artistic culture can contribute their potential and capacity to society after the disaster.

This year, our program has three components which will provide something for everyone to enjoy throughout the year. “Traditional Performing Arts for Kids” provides children with a serious opportunity to learn traditional performing arts such as Noh and Nihon buyo (dance) from first-class performers for seven months, and show the result of their efforts on a big stage. This year, we are also planning to conduct a program at a metropolitan high school.
As the main Performance of Traditional Arts, Sangen Crosses the Seas ~ from Asian Continent to Japan ~ will invite performers from China and Mongolia, to display Asian Sangen music as well as a diverse array of Japanese Shamisen music. A Nihon buyo (dance) workshop with the current Iemoto Mitsugoro BANDO as lecturer, and authentic Rakugo and Buyo (dance) performances, will be joined this year by a brand new take on the traditional and modern arts of Japan. The endeavor, the first of its kind, will introduce the traditional and the modern, such as animation and modern music, together in talk show, performance and workshop.
The “Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony” is designed to provide an opportunity for the citizens of Tokyo as well as tourists visiting the Tokyo area from abroad and other parts of Japan to enjoy Japanese culture and traditional tea culture.

Japanese traditional performing arts and culture are important assets that have been nurtured over a long period of time by the Japanese people, who observed nature, lived with nature and valued harmony between people. We will continue our efforts to disseminate Japanese culture and pass it down to future generations, by offering events in various genres where people can experience Japanese culture.