The National Bunraku Theatre is the 731-seat home of bunraku, the puppet theatre inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. It was purpose-built for the puppets, in the city the form came from.
Why it's unique
Bunraku was born in Osaka, and this is its purpose-built home theatre, so this is where to see the form in its own house.
It is also open: Tokyo's National Theatre is closed for rebuilding, which gets conflated with Osaka's, but the Bunraku Theatre runs its full seasons.
Before you go
The main runs are January, April, July to August and November; the June programme is built for beginners, with explanation. The 2026 autumn run is 31 October to 23 November, with a 30-minute "ask the performers" explainer during it.
The exhibition room on the puppets and instruments is free with a ticket and worth arriving early for.
