Tokyo Theater Access Guide
The Tokyo theater was rebuilt around the year 2000 - for a couple years, while it was under construction, shows were held at a temporary theater called "Takarazuka 1000 Days" which has now not been used by Takarazuka for several years. Some (poorly updated...) guidebooks STILL give directions to the 1000 Days theater, so make sure you don't accidentally follow your guidebook there.
The Tokyo Takarazuka Theater is located in Hibiya, which is a short walk from Ginza.
SUBWAY: You can use either Hibiya or Ginza station, whichever is more convenient for you. (Hibiya Station is the shortest walk, and easiest to find the theater after you exit.)
Hibiya Station Take exit A13. Go left after you come up the stairs. You will pass the Nissay theater before coming to the front of the Tokyo Takarazuka Building. There is a statue of a woman in front of the building. Go around the corner to your left again to get to the ticket window and the entrance to the theater.
Ginza Station Take exit C1. Go straight - keep going straight under the train overhead, for a total of 3 intersections. Ahead and across the street, you'll see the Tokyo Twin Tower Building. Don't cross the street, but turn left at this corner. Now go straight some more. (Make sure you don't miss seeing the small Godzilla statue on your left as you go by. It's cool!) You'll see the "Chanter" department store straight ahead - keep going straight along the right side of chanter (that is, Chanter is still on your left). You'll soon see the Takarazuka theater on your right, across the street.
JR TRAIN: Is a bit more of a walk. Go to Yurakucho Station (One stop from Tokyo Station on the Yamanote Line) and take the Hibiya exit. You should be across the street from the Yurakucho Building, and catty-corner to your right there will be a large electronics store. Cross the street ahead of you and go left.
Walk straight aways, until you're across the street from a building with a huge blue sign on top saying:
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An exit from the subway Hibiya station will be on your right. Cross the street, then go right. At the end of the block, turn left. (There's a sign for a McDonalds) Go straight a ways, past the McDonalds, a small Godzilla statue, and past the front entrance to the "Chanter" store.
You can cross the street easily here, or across from the theater. Tokyo Takarazuka Theater is ahead and on your right. You're actually coming at the building from one side - the front is around the corner.
Other Stuff
If you're buying toujitsuken or came early for irimachi you may find yourself with a couple hours to kill before the show starts. But it's okay! You're in downtown Tokyo! You're never bored!Note: As of my last trip to Tokyo in Summer 2008, the Mitsui Plaza building next to the theater described below was still open, but I heard rumors that it was being torn down, so it may be gone by the time you go.
Places to get food: Both Mitsui Plaza next door and Chanter Department Store across the street have a variety of restaurants in their basements. There is also an AM/PM in the basement of Mitsui Plaza - my favorite place to buy lunch! Yeah, I'm cheap.
Restrooms: If Chanter is open, there are restrooms upstairs. Mitsui Plaza opens quite early, and has restrooms in the basement, so it's your best bet if you're at the theater early in the morning.
Sightseeing: It's only a few minutes walk to Ginza, if you want to do some shopping or check out the sights. I would also like to recommend Hibiya Park, which is just a couple blocks away. If you came by Hibiya Station, it was across the street to your right as you left exit A13. This is mostly a western style park, but it has two nice ponds and is a really good place to hang out for an hour or two on a sunny day - perhaps enjoying a copy of Takarazuka Graph and some lunch from AM/PM. :)
The theater also isn't too far from the Imperial Palace - if you walk North past Hibiya Park you'll come to the moat. There is also Tokyo International Forum close to Yurakucho station.
Takarazuka Goods: There is a Quatre Reves (official Takarazuka goods store) inside the main theater building - the door is to the right of the ticket window. There is another Quatre Reves in the basement of Chanter, across the street. The selections are a little bit different, so if you're a big fan check out both. The one in Chanter is usually a little less crowded.
There is a Takarazuka-an on the ground floor of Mitsui Plaza, next to the theater. This store sells used and new Takarazuka goods, including old stuff for retired stars that you can't get at Quatre Reves. It also has some general musical CDs and videos.
As of Summer 2008, there was a *new* Takarazuka-an (possibly to replace the old one, if it's true that the Mitsui Plaza is being torn down...) near Yurakucho station. To get to Yurakucho, see the JR instructions above.When you exit the station, make sure to exit away from the Imperial Forum and Hibiya (basically, go the opposite direction of what you would do if you were going to the theater...) As you walk out, you should see the Tokyo Kotsu Kaiken building across the street.
Just walk into the Tokyo Kotsu Kaiken building and you should see an escalator straight ahead and a Books Sanseido shop on your right. Go up the escalator and at the top there will be (or was when I was there...) an advertising sign for Takarazuka-an a bit to your left.
Go slightly left, between the elevator banks (there was a cool aquarium when I was there :), then right at the UFJ bank.
Takarazuka-an is ahead on your left.
(BTW, there's a money exchange here as well, where I exchanged traveler's checks *very* quickly - way quicker than every bank or department store I've used before! This is nice if you still carry traveler's checks for emergencies - which I still do, in case my debit card stops working. Because being in Japan without cash is the most boring thing in the world. Trust me.)