Despite some trepidation (having never seen kabuki before), we ordered tickets for a full matinee performance and thoroughly enjoyed every act. What an incredible experience!
I will admit that I splurged for box seats. Having tea provided and being able to use a table to eat our bento boxes certainly added to our enjoyment of the show. I chose box seats on the west side, closer to the hanamichi (the walkway stage). While this resulted in us occasionally seeing a performer's back and/or being briefly blinded by a spotlight, it was great to be so close to this feature.
I highly recommend renting the subtitle device because it can be difficult to interpret what's going on otherwise.