It’s been a while to update my website, but hope everything is well with you all 😊
I have been performing mainly for educational institutions for the last few months, but 2 public performances are coming up very soon!
One will be at UPSTAIRS of my favourite bookstore, Time Out(432 Mt Eden Road), and the other will be on Whānau Day 2024 at the prestigious Māori theatre, Te Pou (2 Mt Lebanon lane, Henderson)!
* To clarify the notice on Whānau Day 2024, ‘Rakugo’ is the right spelling of my art, and my real name ‘Hiroshi’, instead of my stage name Kanariya Eishi, is shown (which is actually seen as a no-no in the rakugo world), but I’m still super grateful!
Please do RSVP via contact page or one of my SNS if you are coming to the Time Out performance. RSVP not required for Whānau Day.
I normally pick which stories to perform while I’m on stage, but I have realised it’d be more audience friendly if I let them know before the performance, so here’s my plan:
Time Out(Sat 24 August)
Story 1: The Zoo (動物園) Story 2: Licking a Kettle (やかんなめ)
Te Pou(Sat 7 September)
Story 1: Jugemu (寿限無) Story 2: The Zoo (動物園)
Hope to see you there! Don’t forget to RSVP if you are coming to Time Out!
It’s been 8 months since I closed my Twitter/ X account.
The platform was getting filled up with hate speech, misinformation, and trolls, and I no longer wanted to be a cog for the billionaire’s virtual playground where I was one of his products.
But… I have to admit that I later regretted my decision when my account was completely swiped off the system. I really felt, then, that regardless of all the cons, what mattered the most was the real people on the other side of the digital sinkhole.
I almost felt guilty that I chose my dislike of the platform over the real people who I knew in real life and those who I’d possibly meet in the unforeseen future.
Having said that, it’s time to move on.
The problem with X was that a single powerful person (or an egomaniac?) dominated the entire platform. Unfortunately, this could potentially happen to all other centralised platforms including Meta-owned sites like Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or even WhatsApp, which means pretty much all the major platforms in the world.
However, as a true “indie of indies”, I cannot do without SNS to share my work as a rakugo performer, and this has been a huge dilemma to me.
In an ideal world, I’d rather meet and chat with people face-to-face rather than only connecting with them virtually. But I’ve been told by my producer and actor friends that I must keep at least one major platform, which according to them is Instagram, Facebook, or X. In fact, one of the recent contracts that I signed said, I have an obligation to share the event that I’m involved in at least 3 times via my SNS, so I literally can’t get rid of them 😁
Then, enters the Fediverse concept.
I don’t fully understand it, but it’s basically a collection of social networking sites that can communicate with each other, therefore not bound by one single individual or company unlike other platforms.
In Fediverse, you can move around between platforms. So even if you close down your current account, you can take it with you to another platform.
WordPress, Mastodon, and Bluesky probably are the most famous ones, but recently Threads (half-) entered the Fediverse.
It seems like some instances (or servers) have rejected to connect with Meta-owned Threads as it might interfere with their internet freedom. I don’t really know enough about the consequences of their participation, but we’ll see.
But for now, to look ahead for the future, it’d make sense for me to stick with platforms in the Fediverse.
You are most likely to find my latest news and thoughts on Mastodon and Threads… for the time being.
After long thought, I have finally decided to say goodbye to my favourite SNS, Twitter… or whatever you call it.
I was a big Twitter fan and used it as my main SNS platform since the early days of my English Rakugo career in New Zealand. It was there that I met many invaluable friends who have inspired and encouraged me to carry on this rather lonely journey. For this, I am eternally thankful to you all!
This decision was made largely due to the new owner of the platform and the increasingly divisive contents that people post on the once-friendlier space (I am also guilty of occasionally posting progressive left posts myself, though! 😁).
So… Threads, Instagram, and Facebook will be my SNS platforms from now on. I like the Twitter format, so Threads will probably be my main platform. Sorry Mastodon, I’ve tried, but I still don’t know how it works…
On Sunday 22 October 2023, our first storytelling group meeting was held at Tōia (Ōtāhuhu Library).
We had a cozy group of three and shared many stories ranging from the revival of a Māori instrument called kōauau, a childhood in the house where four generations shared, breadfruits and slavery, Pitcairn Islands ancestry, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Dr. Seuss, to a Japanese myth about how a rabbit ended up on the moon!
To me, the most exciting part was that we straightaway established a safe environment to open up, share and enjoy one another’s stories. Many, many more stories to follow!
The picture above was taken by one of the participants, Chris.
What an ingenuity to capture this special occasion with a polaroid camera! Unlike digital photos, this is the only copy that exists in the world. Isn’t that so beautiful?
There were a few other people who couldn’t make it on the day, but they sound really amazing, too! An aspiring comic book writer, a stand-up comedian, and a photographer/ artist!
I’m really looking forward to the next meeting!
Keep an eye out for the details for the next one here or on one of my SNS’s!
It has been a while to update this blog, but hope everything is well with you!
Some people have expressed their interest in starting a storytelling group with me, but it has been a bit of a mission to find the time and venue that are suitable for everyone.
So… to move this project forward, I have set the time and venue to see if what happens. We can always change them after the first meeting if needed. I will be there even if it’d be just myself 🙂
TIME: 2:30-3:30 PM, SUN 22 Oct, 2023
VENUE: Ōtāhuhu Library (Tōia)
I have talked to a librarian there, and he said at this timing the library would be pretty quiet and we don’t need to book a room. There is plenty of room there, so we can always find our space.
Please RSVP here or via one of my SNS’s.
You can read this blog article if you want to know a bit more about this group.
I’m very much looking forward to meeting you next month!
English Rakugo NZ 