Creative encounters
Come and see the Takarazuka Revue in its hometown, and you’ll also get to explore all manner of related stores and attractions nearby. You can fill your day with a complete Takarazuka experience. If you’re not in a hurry, we recommend lunch and some sightseeing before or after a show at the Takarazuka Grand Theater. You can plan an itinerary that takes you to Revue-related facilities and shops, nearby restaurants, and even an onsen!
Note: Sections of the route pass through residential areas. Please walk through quietly with consideration for local residents.
● Book early for a Stage Studio photo session
If you arrive in Takarazuka in the morning, we recommend visiting places like Salon de Takarazuka Stage Studio, the Takarazuka Revue Hall of Fame, and Quatre Rêves.
Be sure to book ahead if you want to have your photo taken dressed up as a Takarazuka star at the Stage Studio. From the start of each month, bookings are accepted for the following month. Note that bookings fill up quickly, so make sure you reserve your photo session as keenly as you do your Revue ticket!
● Lunch
It’s best that you arrive at the theater about an hour before the show starts, because you’ll need some time for things like voucher-ticket exchanges. We recommend having lunch before the show.
If there are two shows on the day, the restaurants inside the theater tend to become crowded during intermission. It might be better to avoid these restaurants at such times and go out into town for lunch.
The area has a multitude of lunch options: curry at Puja, ramen at “A”, or okonomiyaki at Iroha. Restaurants at Hotel Wakamizu, the Takarazuka Hotel, and the Takarazuka Washington Hotel are also recommended. The area between Hankyu Takarazuka Station and Takarazuka-minamiguchi Station are within easy walking distance of the theater, so you can have lunch without worrying too much about the time.
● Dinner and onsen
The 15:00 show usually ends at around 18:00. If you feel like basking in the afterglow of a Revue show and adding some glamor to your night in Takarazuka, how about having dinner at a hotel? There are fabulous restaurants and bars at the Takarazuka Washington Hotel (next to Takarazuka Station), at Hotel Wakamizu (at the south end of Hōraibashi Bridge), and at the Takarazuka Hotel (by Takarazuka-minamiguchi Station). Following the musical entertainment with an onsen bath is something that can’t be missed if you’re in Takarazuka. For example, you could dine out at Hotel Wakamizu and then enjoy a hot-spring bath at Nature Spa Takarazuka.
● Lunch
For a morning show, you should aim to arrive at the theater at around 10:00. The show starts at 11:00 and intermission is at around 12:10. The thirty-minute break falls just around lunchtime. The show ends at around 14:00, so you could have lunch from that time. If you want to have lunch during intermission, we recommend booking a seat at a restaurant inside the theater—Féerie or Kusunoki—both run by the Takarazuka Hotel. You’ll have your lunch prepared in time with the intermission.
● After the show
The show ends at around 14:00, so there’s no hurry if you need to return to Osaka or Kobe. How about visiting the Takarazuka Hall of Fame and the Quatre Rêves shop to follow up on the excitement after a Revue performance? Or you can have a photo session at Salon de Takarazuka Stage Studio. If they aren’t too busy and if you go with the no-stage-makeup course, you’ll be able to have your photo taken without booking in advance. And if you’re a Takarazuka fanatic, you can add a performance at the Takarazuka Bow Hall.
● Sumire Museum
Takarazuka fans new and old can’t miss the Sumire Museum at the Takarazuka Bunkasōzōkan (Takarazuka Renaissance Hall of Performing Arts). Here you’ll find posters of past performances, graduation photos of Takarazuka Music School students over the years, and other must-see items. Find your favorite fresh-faced stars.
If you arrive in Takarazuka the day before a Revue show and spend the night, you can plan a leisurely itinerary. For example, on the day before the show, you could visit Salon de Takarazuka Stage Studio, the Takarazuka Revue Hall of Fame, and Quatre Rêves. Or you could go to the Sumire Museum at the Takarazuka Renaissance Hall of Performing Arts or to the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum. Wherever you go, you can experience the Takarazuka dream to your heart’s content.