Local kabuki team, Mizunami · Museum Nakasendo or Mizunami Station
A private half day in Mizunami where you learn about Mino kabuki, then sit for kumadori make-up, put on a wig and costume, and perform a short scene on the stage of Aioi-za, a wooden playhouse over 100 years old. Pick it if you want to feel kabuki from the inside, with a local master guiding every move.
This one happens far from the big theatres, in the town of Mizunami in Gifu Prefecture, where local people have kept their own kabuki going for generations. The day opens at Museum Nakasendo with about 30 minutes on Mino kabuki, a community kabuki passed down through generations, the Edo-period costumes and the town actors. The tour is private: just your group, up to 4 people. GetYourGuide lists it at 4.5 hours.
Then the car takes you to Aioi-za in Hiyoshi-cho, a preserved wooden playhouse with over 100 years of history, for about 2 hours. You sit for kumadori, the bold painted make-up of kabuki heroes, put on a wig and a costume, and rehearse a short scene with a local kabuki master before you perform it on the stage used for real shows. A photo session follows, and you make an oshiguma, a face print taken from your painted make-up, to take home.
Included, per the listing: the museum, the make-up, wig and costume, the master's guidance, the stage photos, the oshiguma, the theatre and costume preservation fee, the costume cleaning fee and a Japanese lunch of about an hour. Pickup is at Mizunami Station or Museum Nakasendo; getting to Mizunami is up to you, so plan your train and leave a buffer. The listing says itineraries are for reference and may change.
Meet at one of the 2 pickup points; from the station it is about 10 minutes by car to Museum Nakasendo.
A guided look at Mino kabuki: how local people passed it down, the Edo-era costumes and the town actors.
A short drive to the wooden playhouse in Hiyoshi-cho.
Kumadori make-up, wig and costume, a rehearsal with the master, your scene on stage, photos and the oshiguma print.
A 30-minute drive to lunch, then a 10-minute drive back to Mizunami Station or the museum.
★★★★★Our Kabuki experience was truly extraordinary and deeply authentic. The make-up process was intimate and beautifully done by a very delicate and dedicated team, allowing us to feel incredibly close to the spirit of Kabuki tradition. Wearing authentic historical costumes made the experience even more special. [...] This is clearly not a mass-tourism activity, but a rare and refined experience that only a few people can enjoy at a time.
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It starts from $441 per person on GetYourGuide, with make-up, costume, the stage session, the fees and lunch included.
In Hiyoshi-cho, Mizunami, Gifu Prefecture. Pickup is at Mizunami Station or Museum Nakasendo, and the tour drives you between the stops.
No. A local kabuki master rehearses a short scene with you before you perform it on stage.
A face print taken from your painted kumadori make-up. You make it at the end of the stage session and take it home.
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Kabuki make-up, wig and costume, then a scene on a 100-year-old stage.
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