Ambassador of Laughter
New Horizon Book 3 (Heisei 24) pg. 128-129
A television announcer begins her news story:
There is a joke that goes like this: "How do you get a Japanese friend to laugh today? Tell him something funny yesterday." But is this true? Do Japanese people really lack a sense of humor?
At least one man in Japan has broken that stereotype. Katsura Kaishi, a rakugo performer, is trying to introduce Japanese humor to the world. Usually, rakugo is performed in Japanese, but Kaishi has made an English version. Since 1997, he has given over 300 performances in 12 countries.
In 2008, Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs sponsored Kaishi to tour the United States as a cultural ambassador. He performed in 33 cities. Most entertainers conveniently fly from city to city between performances, but not Kaishi. He rented a camper and drove a total of 17,000 kilometers across the entire United States. He took along basic things for eating and sleeping, and his rakugo props such as a kimono, fan, and cushion. But most of all, he traveled with his unique sense of humor and made friends everywhere.
Before his performance in a new place, Kaishi went around the city and talked with people. He wanted to understand their culture. Later, he started off his rakugo performance with a joke created especially for that place. It helped his audience to get used to rakugo. Another thing Kaishi did was to teach his audience the rakugo style of eating udon noodles. Everyone tried it, and they always laughed together.
In a recent interview, I asked Kaishi about his experiences. “How is humor different among countries?”
"Well," Kaishi answered, "in America, for example, a person who can quickly understand a joke is considered intelligent. So Americans guessed the end of my rakugo story and laughed before they heard the punch line. But in Thailand, the Thai people listened to my story carefully, nodded two or three times, and then laughed."
"Wow," I commented, "that must be a challenge for you."
"Yes, but it's fun, too," said Kaishi. "When I performed in the Middle East, many women in the audience wore veils. I couldn't see if they were smiling at my jokes or not. But finally I heard their laughter and that encouraged me. Laughter is a wonderful bridge between people."
"You know," Kaishi explained, "the country, culture, or religion of an audience doesn't matter. Laughter is our common language."
