Shizuoka Performing Arts Center and Arts Park

The Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is one of only two major theatrical centers in Japan that host residency programs for local and foreign artists. Established in 1995, it was the first organization in the country to assemble a full artistic staff of actors and production crew members who operate within its own dedicated theatre venues. Award-winning architect Arata Isozaki, in collaboration with founder Tadashi Suzuki, designed the expansive 2.1-hectare complex of theater buildings spread across the Nihondaira Hills. Isozaki envisioned an open facility that integrates modern and classical structures, allowing performers and spectators to connect closely with each other while coexisting with nature.

Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

Photo by: Alma Reyes

Open Air Theatre: Udo

Accommodating 400 guests, the open-air Udo arena entertains its audience entirely under natural light. The seating layout resembles an ancient Greek theater, while the multi-tiered gallery and roof follow the architectural typology of Elizabethan playhouses. To incorporate Japanese aesthetics, the long, raised platform behind the stage reflects a traditional Noh stage. As a counterpart to the “hanamichi” wooden runway found in Kabuki theaters, Isozaki conceptualized a unique, tea-bush-lined passageway for actors called the “cha-michi.” Additionally, the striking Izu-Wakakusa stone construction blends beautifully with the green forest and tea fields, offering the public a rare, ecological outdoor theatre experience. 

Box Theater

As a simple, rectangular black box, this theater functions primarily as a rehearsal, training, and performance studio. The floor plan is flat and adaptable, permitting its 110 seats and stage to be reconfigured for maximum flexibility and comfort. Seamless wooden framing encompasses the walls, ceiling, and exposed beams.

Ellipse Theater: DAENDO

The structure exhibits prominent Japanese features: tatami-mat corridors, wooden pillars, beams, and rafters, alongside a circular lounge with views of Mount Fuji. Based on Italy’s Teatro Olimpico, Isozaki embodied the Renaissance concept of inscribing a flattened ellipse directly across the stage backdrop and the spectator area so that the audience feels closer to the performers. Furthermore, the intricate craftsmanship of the stunning cypress high-vaulted dome funnels vertical shafts of natural sunlight down onto the pitch-black stage, emanating a mystical sensation.

Mini Museum: Teatron

The compact museum displays the historical context of major performances by SPAC, as well as those from other regions in Japan and around the world. It also serves as a rest area and venue for workshops. Next door is the Kachi Kachi Yama Café, where spectators can grab a drink before or after a show.

Shizuoka Arts Theater

Photo by: Alma Reyes

Located outside Higashi-Shizuoka Station, the GRANSHIP (Shizuoka Convention & Arts Center) building houses the Shizuoka Arts Theater on its top floor. Its enormous, striking metallic exterior mimics an ocean liner. Inside, the theater’s proscenium-free, horseshoe-shaped layout provides an intimate space for the audience. Soft, dramatic lighting casts rhythmical shadow patterns across the brick-stone walls and deep crimson seats.