New National Theatre Tokyo, Opera house in Shinjuku, Japan
The New National Theatre Tokyo is an opera house and national theatre in Shinjuku ward, where the main auditorium features oak panels covering walls and ceiling. This wooden surface creates acoustics suited to the varied demands of musical performances and stage productions.
Architect Takahiko Yanagisawa designed the building, which opened in October 1997 and received awards for its construction shortly afterward. Recognition through the BCS Prize and the AIJ Prize underlined the architectural quality of the complex.
The opera house presents original productions across different genres and attracts a wide audience throughout the year. When planning an evening, visitors can choose from performances that embrace both classical and contemporary works.
The venue offers three performance spaces with different sizes and stage layouts, so visitors can choose between a large auditorium with over 1800 seats, a medium room, and a smaller playing area depending on preference. It helps to check in advance which stage hosts the performance, as atmosphere and sightlines vary noticeably.
On the fifth floor, an information center collects and makes available recordings of past performances along with materials on theatre work. The Hatsudai Art Loft in the same building regularly displays stage costumes and other props that offer insight into the making of productions.
Location: Honmachi
Inception: 1997
Architects: Takahiko Yanagisawa
Official opening: October 10, 1997
Address: 3-chōme-20-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 163-1403, Japan
Phone: +81353530788
Website: https://nntt.jac.go.jp/english
GPS coordinates: 35.68250,139.68556
Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:23
The large opera halls of the nineteenth century tell the story of classical music through their walls. Built in the most important cities in the world, these buildings show many styles: some have simple neoclassical shapes, others have the decoration of neo-baroque, and a few embrace modern elements. Each hall shows how people thought about sound and performance at its time. From the Teatro San Carlo in Naples with its six tiers of boxes and ceiling paintings to the Paris Opera with its big marble staircase, these theaters form a special collection of architecture. From New York to Moscow, from Vienna to Milan, these halls are still alive places. The Scala in Milan has kept its horseshoe shape since the early days of the nineteenth century. The Metropolitan Opera in New York has a modern look with five layers of balconies. The Bolshoi in Moscow, recently fixed up, still impresses with its Greek-style columns and its bronze chariot. In Vienna, the State Opera reopened after the Second World War, in 1955. In London, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, and Venice, these theaters still play an important part in music life, welcoming the same passions as before. You can walk through these buildings, climb their stairs, sit under their decorated ceilings, and see how each room has its own special feel. Some rooms feel warm because of their golds and velvets. Others seem very clean and simple. Every hall has its own sound, its own shape, and its story carved in stone.
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