Occasionally, there comes a time when you decide to go with something unplanned and enjoy less familiar activities. Such an occasion arrived the other day when I was invited to see a ballet performance at the New National Theatre in Hatsudai. The location wasn’t far off from where I live and I was intrigued by what ballet could offer in terms of interpreting Shakespeare’s plays. I happen to like classics and was curious whether something that relied so much on the art of language could be interpreted into the art of dance. It turned out I was in for a treat. The masterful acting of the performers expressed perfectly what both Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream had to say in writing. On top of it, the stage management with rich installations and superb costumes as well as live orchestral music made it a truly engaging experience. Although I’m not a fan of ballet in my daily life I couldn’t help but appreciate the magic of the ballet stage.

However, if you are not drawn to performing arts after all, Hatsudai Opera City is still a great place to visit, offering a lot of dining choices or providing a nice refuge to have your snacks and coffee away from the street noise and crowds of Shinjuku.

Ballet. No, thank you?