(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.)
Today, I attended a Rakugo performance by Katsura Miyaji in Ishikawa, Japan. Katsura Miyaji is one of the most famous Rakugo performers in Japan.
Rakugo is a 400-year-old traditional Japanese form of storytelling. Performers wear traditional Japanese clothing and tell humorous and heartwarming stories all by themselves.
This was my second time watching Katsura Miyaji perform. The first time, I laughed so hard that I almost cried.
When I arrived at the venue in Ishikawa, I was surprised by how clean it was. I sat in the tenth row from the front. A young man was sitting on my right, and an elderly man was sitting on my left.
The show began.
Today’s star, Miyaji, appeared on stage. He was wearing Western clothes and spoke freely for about 15 minutes while standing.
He said, “This is my first time visiting Komatsu. Komatsu Station is so clean. Was it built just last month? Or maybe it’s because so few people use the station that it stays clean.”
His jokes made the audience burst into laughter.
He also said, “I’m very busy these days. There are powerful people behind me. They squeeze every last penny out of me.”
Of course, it was just a joke, but it was hilarious.
He is an excellent speaker. Before becoming a Rakugo performer, he was a top salesperson.
Then the Rakugo performances began.
(Although Miyaji was the headliner, several other performers also appeared.)
A young Rakugo performer came on stage. He looked fresh and innocent. His story was about a man who pretended to understand something he actually didn’t understand, which eventually got him into trouble.
He spoke very clearly, making the story easy to follow. I had heard this story before, but I still enjoyed it.
Next, Miyaji returned to the stage wearing traditional Japanese clothing. He sat on the cushion, bowed deeply, and chatted with the audience before beginning his Rakugo.
He said, “What do you think determines whether a Rakugo performance is successful? I think it’s not the quality of the performer’s storytelling, but the intelligence of the audience. “
“The audience listens with their imagination. If they are intelligent and imaginative, they laugh more. So, if there are many intelligent people in the audience, the performance will be a success. Now that you’ve heard me say that, you have no choice but to laugh a lot today.”
He then added, “Today’s audience is like a room full of Harvard graduates, so today’s performance is guaranteed to be a success.”
The audience laughed loudly.
Then the Rakugo performance began.
The story was about a father and his three sons. Before he died, the father wanted to decide which son was the most reliable so that he could leave his money to him.
He asked each son how they would conduct his funeral. However, all three sons gave strange answers. One son even said that he would hold a big celebration at his father’s funeral.
Miyaji used exaggerated body language throughout the performance. His facial expressions and movements were so funny that I laughed until I cried.
Miyaji really knows how to make people laugh.
After the performance, there was a short intermission.
The second half then began.
The next performer was a young Rakugo storyteller from Komatsu.
He looked very handsome. Wearing traditional Japanese clothing, he sat on the stage and began talking.
He said that he had attended a high school near the venue and also talked about his years of training.
During his apprenticeship, he always had to accompany his master. He even had to do chores such as making beds and filling the bathtub. His master’s words were absolute, so he had to obey them even when he believed they were wrong.
He then performed an original Rakugo story.
Most Rakugo performers tell classic stories, so it was refreshing to watch an original one.
The story was about a Kyogen performer working at a convenience store for the first time. Kyogen is a traditional form of Japanese comic theater.
Kyogen performers speak and walk in a very distinctive way. They speak slowly in a high-pitched voice and move at a slow pace.
In the story, the Kyogen performer spoke and walked slowly around the convenience store. However, convenience store employees are expected to move and speak quickly, so his boss became angry with him. It was hilarious.
The audience laughed throughout the performance.
Finally, Miyaji returned to the stage.
He said, “It’s important to praise other people. If you want to live peacefully, you should praise others.”
Then he began his final performance.
The story was about an arrogant man who loved food. He couldn’t admit that he didn’t recognize a certain dish, so he pretended that it was a delicious delicacy.
The dish was rotten tofu. Even though it smelled terrible, he insisted that it was a rare delicacy and tasted wonderful because he was too proud to admit that he didn’t know what it was.
When he smelled it, he nearly vomited. Miyaji’s acting was so funny that I couldn’t stop laughing.
I once had a similar experience when I almost vomited after smelling rotten food, so I could really relate to the scene.
The audience and I laughed so hard that we could barely breathe.
Miyaji is an incredibly funny performer. This was my second time seeing him, and both times I laughed until I cried.
The people sitting next to me said they had enjoyed the performance too.
I really enjoyed today’s event. I was once again impressed by Miyaji’s remarkable talent. He has an amazing ability to make people laugh.
Rakugo is a traditional Japanese performing art, but it is also incredibly entertaining.
I want to watch more Rakugo performances in the future.