Monday, April 13, 2009

KABUKIZA - GINZA, TOKYO

When you walk through Chuo Street in Ginza you see many world renowned fashion brands lined up along the street. In between these modern buildings stands an old temple like building showing off the history and culture of Japan just by being there. This is Kabukiza, a Kabuki theater located in Ginza.

Kabukiza has been renovated many times since its opening in 1889 and is an existing example of Meiji-era architecture. Since its opening, Kabukiza has been the Broadway of Tokyo, a place where entertainment was sold.

The first renovation was in 1921 when a great fire occurred. The next one was from 1923 to 1924 when the great Kanto earthquake struck which lead the Kabukiza to be rebuilt. And then, another renovation was in 1945 when it was bombed in World War II. It took five years to renovate over and since its last renovation it has been standing then.

Kabukiza has announced a plan to renovate again from 2010 October through March of 2013. This time, it was pronounced to be refurbished into a modern style Japanese castle with a 150m high, 29 floored contemporary building attached to it.

Personally, I am not happy with all the modernizations of ancient buildings. These places should be treasured since these are the places where history was made.

Because of the renovation, the Kabukiza is performing the Sayonara-koen. This will be the last time to enjoy your trip to the historical Kabukiza that has been around since the 1950s. So before it is torn down and renovated into something very modern, have a trip there just to take pictures.

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