Image by rwangsa via FlickrIn the West we have 'Stand-up Comedy' where someone stands up, usually with a microphone, in front of a group of people, and tells jokes and humorous stories. But in Japan they have 'Sit-down Comedy' - Rakugo. One person sits in the middle of the stage and tells a humorous story, often dependent on puns and word-plays. In fact, they don't so much "tell the story" as act it out, doing all the voices and facial expressions, and using a folding fan and a small cloth as props. I'm told it's quite amazing how expressive these minimalist props can become in the hands of a talented rakugo performer.A few weeks ago a Japanese friend took me to a rakugo performance in English. a Canadian and two Japanese performers told several stories assisted by a female presenter. I have to admit, I've never really been a fan of comedy shows and I was a little bored. But once I read a famous rakugo story about a man who said he was scared of manju - a small Japanese cake filled with sweet bean paste. It was kind of funny, and I can imagine that it might make a good performance. You can read a translation of the story here: http://jeisensei.blogspot.com/
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