Today marks a new beginning in my Rakugo journey!

I finally got to perform Rakugo at a local high school.

I had the privilege of sharing Rakugo with Year 11 and Year 13 Japanese language classes.

Even though the Rakugo story itself was in English, I used as much Japanese as possible to help their language learning.

The students were so welcoming, and I was especially impressed by their near-perfect pronunciation in Japanese.

They are really fortunate to have such an amazing teacher!

One of the highlights was when I was asked to improvise a short “Doraemon Rakugo”!

Doraemon is one of the most popular cartoons in Japan, and it has been on air since 1973, a few years longer than my entire life!

We realised that all the students in the class had known the cartoon, and the teacher dared me to perform it 😉

As an improviser, I couldn’t resist!

I attempted and failed miserably (very much expected), but we definitely had fun… at my expense!

Looking forward to the next one!

I am really excited to announce that Rakugo shows are indeed happening in Auckland…

Finally!

One show has been confirmed to be held at The Spreading Tree (37 Mount Eden Road) at 7:00 PM, Thursday 12 April.  I will perform two Rakugo stories and have a short Q&A session afterwards.

In the Q&A session, I will answer your questions about the stories and Japanese culture that you might encounter during the performance.  I would also love to hear your feedback to improve my storytelling skills.

The show will be roughly 40 minutes long so will not interfere with your night out!  Koha is appreciated to cover a portion of the cost for the venue.

Also, 4 more shows are likely to happen at local libraries, which are to be confirmed soon.

Thank you all the amazing people who have helped me heaps to make this happen!

(You know who you are… F.T.  B.J.  A.B.  I.A.  M.N.  You are appreciated!!!)

I have just submitted a funding application for the Creative Communities Scheme!

If this funding is approved, I will be able to produce three Rakugo shows this year at a small venue in Auckland.

The application is closing in a week… I will update as soon as I find out the result!

Fingers crossed!

Meanwhile, if you want to get involved as a performer or a supporter, feel free to drop me a line.

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Thank you very much for visiting my website!!! 

My name is Kanariya Eishi (鹿鳴家英志), an English Rakugo performer and actor based in Auckland, New Zealand.

I use my real name Hiroshi Nakatsuji when I work as an actor.

Rakugo is a Japanese traditional art of comedy storytelling with a history of over 400 years.  Though it is primarily a comedic expression, its themes vary broadly and include genres such as ghost stories, tragedies, sci fi, and even erotic tales.

Unlike stand-up comedy in the west, it does not always have to be funny.  Some stories have very little humor and sometimes do not even have clear punchlines.  Audience come enjoy good stories whether they are funny or otherwise.

Many enthusiasts often know the entire plots of the stories, but they still go to performances to appreciate different interpretations by each rakugo performer.  This is rather like how people take joy in Shakespearean plays in the west.

Along with other Japanese traditional arts such as noh and kabuki, rakugo has been fighting a long battle for survival in our ultra modernized hi-tech society.

However, in recent years, there has been a big revival of the art, thanks to TV dramas and anime/ manga such as “Life’s Like a Comedy” (Japanese title: “ちりとてちん”) and “Descending Stories” (Japanese title: “昭和元禄落語心中”).

I named this website “English Rakugo NZ” as it is my dream to localise this beautiful tradition in my second home New Zealand.

If you are interested in getting involved as a performer, a supporting staff, or even as a funder, please contact me through the contact page.