From Covent Garden Ovations to a New Season in Tokyo

Giselle National Ballet of Japan Opening Night (Photo credit: Foteini Christofilopoulou)

This summer, the National Ballet of Japan (resident company of the New National Theatre Tokyo, NNTT) made a dazzling UK debut at London’s Royal Opera House with Giselle. Over five sold-out performances, audiences rose to their feet in ovation, and leading critics embraced the company’s artistry. Reviews celebrated the precision and poetry of the corps, the elegance of the production, and the emotional clarity of the storytelling, with several outlets awarding four and five stars. It was a particularly meaningful triumph for Artistic Director Miyako Yoshida. Once a celebrated Principal of The Royal Ballet, Yoshida returned to Covent Garden at the helm of her own company—a homecoming that thrilled balletgoers and marked a radiant new chapter for Japan’s flagship ballet company. 
https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/news/ballet-dance/media-coverage-giselle-at-the-royal-opera-house-london.html 

Building on that momentum, NNTT launches its 2025/2026 Season this October, inviting international visitors to discover Tokyo’s vibrant performing arts scene across opera, ballet, and drama. Each production showcases the artistry of Japan’s leading national theatre while engaging visionary directors, choreographers, and performers from around the world. 

Nutcracker (Photo credit: Takeshi Kanou)

A New Holiday Tradition: The Nutcracker (19 Dec 2025 – 4 Jan 2026) 

At the heart of Tokyo’s festive season, the National Ballet of Japan unveils an all-new Nutcracker created by acclaimed English choreographer Will Tuckett. Known for his award-winning, cross-genre storytelling, Tuckett collaborates with designer Colin Richmond to conjure a colourful, imaginative world—one that honours the beloved tradition while speaking freshly to today. Conductors Martin Yates and Tomita Misato lead the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, with Yates providing newly tailored arrangements that sharpen the ballet’s narrative focus. Across 18 performances—including Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day—this production is poised to become a cherished holiday tradition for families, first-time visitors, and seasoned ballet lovers alike. 
https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/productions/ballet-dance/nutcracker.html

Yakiniku Dragon 2011 (Photo credit: Masahiko Yako)

Drama Spotlight: Yakiniku Dragon (7 – 27 Oct 2025) and The Nosebleed (20 – 24 Nov 2025) 

NNTT opens the drama season with Chong Wishing’s landmark play Yakiniku Dragon, presented as a joint Japanese–Korean production. Set around a bustling yakiniku (Korean BBQ) restaurant during the 1970 Osaka Expo era, the story captures one family’s resilience with warmth, humour, and heart. Staged in Japanese and Korean, the production coincides with the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea. After its Tokyo run, it travels to the Seoul Arts Center in Nov, underlining its cross-border spirit. 
https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/productions/drama/yakiniku-dragon.html 

The Nosebleed (Photo credit: Aya Ogawa)

Later in November, NNTT presents The Nosebleed by Japanese-American playwright and director Aya Ogawa. Performed in English with Japanese surtitles, this Obie Award–winning work is intimate, darkly comic, and disarmingly direct. Through sharply etched vignettes and playful audience address, it explores generational rifts and the delicate process of forgiveness. Contemporary, personal, and resonant, The Nosebleed offers an unforgettable counterpoint to the season’s larger-scale productions. 
https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/productions/drama/the-nosebleed.html 

Wozzeck

Opera Landmark: Wozzeck (15 – 24 Nov 2025) 

On the grand stage of Opera Palace, Artistic Director Kazushi Ono conducts a major new production of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck—a cornerstone of 20th-century opera—directed by the internationally acclaimed Richard Jones. With its searing portrait of a man undone by poverty and pressure, Wozzeck remains one of opera’s most gripping dramas. The cast includes international baritone Thomas Johannes Mayer in the title role, alongside Jennifer Davis and John Daszak. With only five performances scheduled, this is set to be one of the opera highlights of the season. 
https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/productions/opera/wozzeck.html 

If you followed the company’s success in London—the standing ovations, the glowing critical reviews—you will find that same spirit of excellence throughout NNTT’s 2025/2026 Season: from the shimmering magic of The Nutcracker to the cross-cultural resonance of Yakiniku Dragon, the intimate honesty of The Nosebleed, and the powerful music-drama of the opera Wozzeck, the New National Theatre Tokyo welcomes you. Whether you are planning a family holiday, seeking bold and thought-provoking drama, or marking a special night at the opera, the New National Theatre Tokyo offers world-class artistry in the season ahead.