One experience I always try to have when I am in Japan is Kabuki Theater. My eldest sister took me there every time I visited Japan, and I really enjoyed the entire experience, from the theater, culture, ambiance, and of course, the food.  It was also the time I got to spend a whole day with my sister, just the two of us, which I cherished so much. Now that both my sister and I are married, we now share this experience with our husbands.

One thing you need to know about going to the Kabuki Theater is to dress properly. There are some people nowadays who think it is ok to go to the theaters in T-shirts and Jeans, but come on…please respect the historical theater and culture. The closer to the stage, the better you need to dress. The same principles goes to the Opera theater. I mean, this is a Japanese Opera in a way. Let’s appreciate the beauty of the theater and its theatrical arts in style!

Ok, let’s talk about food. One thing my sister and I always had was their special Taiyaki (you can read about taiyaki here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/omedetaiyaki-lalaport/). They only make limited number of them a day, so in order to ensure I get one, I always go as soon as we get there. There was one staff making some already, I was so excited as soon as I started to smell the sweet cake on the special griddle!

So what’s so special about this taiyaki? Other than it is made right there inside the Kabuki theater, is that it containers 2 mochi balls in the inside, one red and one white. The color of white & red is a celebration color in Japan, used in happy occasion. There is also a fun pun played here, this taiyaki is also known as “medetai” which means auspicious, and “tai” is the fish that is depicted with this cake. So, this is actually a “tai” cake that is mede “tai”!

Here is the finished cake, filled with lots of sweet bean paste and 2 big mochi balls. It was hot off the griddle, sweet, fluffy, super delicious! The mochi gave added flavor of sweet mochi rice and chewy texture. I simply can’t go without this cute, sweet taiyaki when visiting Kabuki Theater!

You will need more than just a taiyaki to get through the entire 3 Kabuki plays. So, head over to Yagura inside the theater where they sell special obento made fresh. It is a very popular lunch items here at the theater, such a fun way to pick one of the beautifully crafted obento and eat it at your seat.

So, off we went and we got ourselves Kabuki bento boxes. First, we got their traditional “The Makunouchi” bento (2,000 yen, roughly $20). It has little bit of everything, from rice, egg, veggies, seafood, etc., all packed in such beautiful manner. A pretty nice size to satisfy you without being overstuffed.

The second one is Edo-Style Makunouchi Bento (1,100 yen, roughly $10). This one is a bit smaller, but still get little bit of everything too. Both bento are not only prepared in such artistic ways, but also, they include one item in the same design as the curtain (dark grey, orange and green stripe). Can you find them? Another thing is that they also always include cute little item depicting the season, such as pink flower shape item in the Spring. You can see a cute little leaf in this one.

Everything was high quality, beautiful, and tasty. And it is good to have little bit of everything, you get something salty, something sweet, something chewy, something crunchy…etc. We enjoyed the obento from beginning to the end. And of course, it helped us enjoy the theater plays to the fullest, with full tummy! Definitely recommend to get the taiyaki and the obento for the complete Kabuki Theater experience.

Kabuki-za – 4-12-15 Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo Japan 104-0061

歌舞伎座 – 東京都中央区銀座4-12-15