Premium Sports and Cultural Tourism Project with Imabari Castle, Japan’s Strongest Castle

Special performances by first-class Kabuki actors against the backdrop of the magnificent Imabari Castle tower, the strongest castle in Japan

Imabari City is centrally located and faces out toward the Seto Inland Sea. It is renowned throughout the world for its beautiful scenery of scattered islets and islands. This area was a key hub for maritime traffic in ancient times, connecting the east and west ends of the Seto Inland Sea. The Murakami Kaizoku pirates, Japan's largest group of pirates, were active in this region during the medieval period. Imabari Castle was built by one of Japan's master castle builders, Todo Takatora, in the early modern period to take back control of maritime traffic. The castle was a crowning achievement of the coastal castle style.

A special stage set against the backdrop of the magnificent and illuminated castle tower of Imabari Castle will be erected for the Kabuki performances. Kabuki, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, is a combination of traditional Japanese music and dance. Ichikawa Danjuro XIII, one of the leading stars of Kabuki, will give a special performance of one of the definitive masterpieces of Kabuki entitled Renjishi (with English audio guide).

Guests will be treated to traditional Japanese hospitality alongside this brilliant theater performance, with guides dressed in kimono serving limited-edition Kabuki boxed lunches featuring seafood from the Seto Inland Sea. (Boxed lunches and tickets will be sold separately.)