Shoto Kanze Noh TheatreThe owners of the Kanze Noh Theatre in Shoto, Shibuya, are looking into selling the building and land. The head of Yodobashi Camera is a possible buyer, having reportedly expressed an interest to redevelop the property into a private guest house to accommodate his foreign visitors.

The theatre is located in the high-end Shoto residential neighbourhood which is a short walk from the centre of Shibuya’s shopping district. Considered to be Japan’s most exclusive address, some of the high-profile residents include former Prime Minister Taro Aso and enka singer Shinichi Mori.

The Kanze Kai organization built the 500-seat theatre in 1972. The current head of the Kanze Kai is a descendent of the original founders of the Noh movement from the 14th century. Sadly, Noh-related organisations have been experiencing a drop in revenues as they have had trouble attracting the younger generation to their performances. Noh theatre does not receive the kind of government assistance that ‘bunraku‘ (puppet theatre) does.

The building and land is expected to sell for around 3 billion Yen. With a land size of approximately 2,772 sqm (29,800 sqft), this is around 1 million Yen/sqm. Prior to sale discussions, the owners were also considering rebuilding the theatre as they had concerns over the age and earthquake-resistance of the current building.

Location: 1-16-4 Shoto, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

*Update: Yodobashi Camera acquired the building and land in March 2015.

Shoto Kanze Noh Theatre 3

Source: Friday, October 11 2013 Edition.

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