VOL.208 OCTOBER 2025
KAWAII CULTURE FROM JAPAN [POLICY RELATED NEWS II] The 80th ACA National Arts Festival

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A scene from a past performance of the opera La Bohème, this year’s opening performance.
From La Bohème at the New National Theatre, Tokyo
Photo by SAEGUSA Chikashi

The Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA) National Arts Festival, which has been held every autumn since 1946, marks its 80th anniversary this year. In this article, we introduce the event with an overview and highlights of featured performances in a wide range of artistic genres staged across Japan.

About the ACA National Arts Festival

The ACA National Arts Festival was first held by the then-Ministry of Education in 1946 with the aims of enabling a wide segment of the public to enjoy outstanding works of art from Japan and abroad, encouraging artistic creativity, and advancing the Japanese arts and culture. Since the establishment of the ACA in 1968, that agency has hosted the festival. To date, the roughly two-month long festival has featured performances that span a diversity of genres from the traditional Japanese performing arts such as noh,¹ bunraku² to theater, opera, ballet, and dance.

This Year’s Highlights

In addition to the main performances scheduled for this year’s 80th festival, to be held from October 1 through November 30, there are commemorative performances by young creators and artists with international potential. The main performances will focus on domestically produced contemporary performing arts (including opera, ballet, contemporary theater, and orchestral music, etc.) and traditional Japanese performing arts (including kabuki,3 noh, bunraku, traditional Japanese music, Japanese dance, folk performing arts, and popular entertainment). The opera La Bohème at the Opera Palace of the New National Theatre, Tokyo in Shibuya City, Tokyo, will be the first of 11 diverse performances to be held across Japan through the end of November.

There are also six commemorative performances in Tokyo, Aichi Prefecture, and Kyoto Prefecture by young artists supported by the Japan Creator Support Fund,⁴ which was launched as an ACA initiative in FY2024. The colorful program of commemorative performances include the stage production incorporating circus elements titled HINOTORI PHOENIX OF MOUNTAIN / PHOENIX OF SEA, as well as rich lineup of chamber music and dance performances, and more.

The ACA National Arts Festival is a celebration that symbolizes the rich continuum of Japanese arts and culture that flows from the past to the present and into the future.

We hope you will take this opportunity to once again fully appreciate and enjoy the power of culture in person.

You can find performance schedules, ticket information, and other details on the ACA National Arts Festival website. and the brochure on the ACA website (available in Japanese only).

• 1. A classical form of musical drama that developed in the 14th century. Performers wear masks and advance the narrative through dance, chanting, and musical accompaniment. Inscribed on Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
• 2. A form of Ningyo joruri. A classical performing art presented by storytellers called tayu, shamisen players, and puppeteers. Inscribed on Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
• 3. A popular form of comprehensive theatre combining song, dance, and acting. Since its beginnings in the 17th century, it has remained one of Japan’s most representative traditional performing arts. Inscribed on Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
• 4. A fund established to provide flexible, multi-year support to foster the growth and development of the next generation of creators and artists, while strengthening the functions of cultural institutions that serve as platforms for their work and international outreach. It was established within the Japan Arts Council, an independent administrative agency that presents various cultural and artistic performances and helps develop artists.

List of Performances Sponsored by the ACA National Arts Festival

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