Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Sony Building
Catch a glimpse of the
shape and sound of things to
come at this eight-story show-
case for Sony models and new
technologies. You can test the
hottest games at the free
PlayStation arcade on the sixth
floor with its video and virtual
reality sites. The two-floor
basement area, the Sony Plaza,
has novelties and fun items for
sale. Parents can withdraw to
one of the Hi-Vision Theaters.
d
Map M4 • 5-3-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku
• 3573-2563 • Open 11am-7pm
Glass-fronted exterior, National Film Center
@
Kabuki-za Theater
The current incarnation of
the theater dates from 1950,
when it was rebuilt after being
damaged in an air raid. The
model was the short-lived 1925
version, based on a Momoyama-
era design from the medieval
period. The resulting fusion of
classical Japanese and Western
architecture is distinctive.
Banners hung above the ent-
rance, red lanterns, and garish
posters add to the building's
theatricality. Some of the older
architectural features will be kept
in the new Kabuki-za, due for
completion in 2013, including the
hanamachi
(flower path), a run-
way extending into the audience.
During the construction at the
same site, performances will
take place at the Shimbashi
Embujo
(see pp58-9)
.
d
Map N5
• 4-12-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku • 3541-3131
Besides its two theaters, there is
a fourth-floor library of books on
film, a seventh-floor gallery featur-
ing exhibitions of photos, stills,
and film-related items, and a café.
They sometimes run programs
of Japanese masterpieces with
English subtitles.
d
Map N4 • 3-7-6
Kyobashi, Chuo-ku • 3561-0823 • Call for
timings • Adm • www.momat.go.jp
$
Idemitsu Museum of Arts
As petroleum tycoon
Idemitsu Sazo's fortune increased,
so did his passion for collecting
Japanese and Asian art. Opened
in 1966, the museum has a div-
erse, eclectic collection, which
includes paintings, bronzes,
ceramic ware,
ukiyo-e
paintings,
lacquer, and rare gold-painted
screens. Its calligraphy holdings
include the world's largest
collection of works by the Zen
monk Sengai. Works from China,
Korea, and the Middle East are
also periodically displayed. A
room full of pottery shards
affords tremendous ninth-floor
views of the Imperial Palace
grounds.
d
Map M4 • Teigeki Bldg, 9F,
3-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku • 3213-9402
• Open 10am-5pm Tue-Sun (10am-7pm
Fri) • Adm • www.idemitsu.co.jp/museum
£
National Film Center
Connected to the National
Museum of Modern Art, the NFC
is Japan's only center devoted to
the study and dissemination of
Japanese and foreign films. The
NFC holds almost 40,000 films
in its collection, including many
restored Japanese classics.
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