Miyako Odori - How to buy tickets?

Going to Kyoto this week. Wondering how the process of getting tickets for Miyako Odori goes. I've heard people just buy them at the door but does this require an early morning arrival before we can begin our site-seeing? (coming from Osaka so a bit short on time). We are not staying at a major hotel, just a budgt one. Would they be able to reserve for us?

Also, what is the closest major temple to this show that we could go directly from?

Last year, I bought my ticket at the Tourist Information Office in Kyōto Station. If you're staying in the city for several days, it's best to 1) buy your tickets as far in advance as you can, since the event is quite popular and some sittings can sell out; and 2) be flexible when you can see it so that you can easily choose a different date/time if your preferred option is booked solid.

Here's a quote from my blog post on the experience, which describes how I went about getting a seat:

http://withinstrikingdistance.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/field-report-ky...

"It almost goes without saying that the Miyako Odori is a very popular event and can easily sell out. Not wanting to risk a same-day enquiry, I dropped by the main tourist information office in Kyōto Station the day before – I can�ft recall the exact time but probably just before I dashed off to Nara on April 10th – and asked about obtaining a seat. As it turned out, the TIC sells tickets directly, so I discussed date/time and package options on the spot. With the Kaburenjō on the phone, the information officer managed to find available seats for a performance well suited to my schedule: the 3rd (of 4) scheduled dances on the following day, at 3:30 PM. To get the full experience, I splurged on a top-tier 4,500-yen ticket that included a tea ceremony, access to the theatre�fs garden, and a reserved seat on the 1st floor in the area closest to the stage.

"Here�fs the catch: the tea ceremony is held before the performance, so patrons are advised to get to the theatre about 50 minutes before ticket time in order to participate."

Cheerio.

Also, check out the official site for more information:

http://www.miyako-odori.jp/english/

Thank you so much for the information.

Do you know if it is possible to buy tickets at Osaka Station or Kansai Airport, or it is only Kyoto?

I will be in Kyoto 2 days - I have plans for each of the two days but the days can be interchangeable in case one day is better ticket wise.

This earlier forum thread might be helpful: some of the posters appear to have successfully made reservations in advance, by fax.

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+108521

I haven't tried that option myself but it may be worth considering.

Cheerio.

Also one of the posts near the bottom of that thread mentions a reservation made by email. Also another possibility worth looking into.

I made a booking by email. The email address is ticket-info@miyako-odori.jp the instructions are to pay cash 15 minutes before the start time. We aren't going until 16 April so can't confirm we won't have any hiccups.

Thanks guys. I did e-mail and got a reply saying the time for reserations was over but that coming 30 min. before start of show should be fine as they have a lot of tickets and don't expect it to be sold out. So hopefully that's true!

I have also been told I didn't need to book and tickets were always available on the day so you probably trust what they have told you.

Is still photography allowed during the performance? I know it's ok to take pictures during the tea ceremony but not sure about the performances. I have seen people who have posted pictures on FB.

Re: photography: It's strictly prohibited, if memory serves (I vaguely recall attendants walking around just to remind people of this rule) - although of course that won't stop people from doing it on the sly.

I'm a toe-the-line sort of chap so I kept my camera capped and tucked away, and my visual memories of the event are limited to the illustrated programme book I bought. Probably another reason why people aren't allowed to snap pictures - so they'd sell more programmes. (^_^)

Cheerio.

Update. I arrived about 20 mins before the performance and it was fine. There were still a lot of tickets left then. :)

Also no photography at all. One guy got a serious reprimant mid-performance. The attendants were very quiet so as not to diturb the performance but they did go up to people trying to sneak photos.