Hello, I’m Tom.
I heard that a friend of mine is doing stand-up comedy. He says that he not only watches the show, but he himself gets up on stage and performs his own material.
Curious about what kind of material they were performing and genuinely wanting to support my friend, I decided to go to a stand-up comedy event with my friend.
I thought that stand-up comedy is a culture that has spread mainly in Europe and the United States, but I learned that stages are also held in various places in Asia. I thought it would be bad if I went all the way to support my friend’s comedy but knew nothing about it, so I did a lot of research before the day of the event.
According to the Japan Standup Comedy Association, this is how standup comedy is explained
Standup comedy is a style of storytelling in which a performer stands alone on stage with a microphone and talks to the audience,
https://standupcomedy-japan.com/
The performer stands alone on stage with a microphone and speaks to the audience.
The performer talks about various events, mixing social satire and irony with laughter.
It has become a mainstay of comedy in Europe, the United States, Africa, and other parts of the world.
To see what it is like first, let’s take a look at a video of a stand-up comedian on Youtube.
What, there are many contents that I don’t understand the meaning of, but the audience in the video is excited and laughing.
I wondered if I could not laugh because my English was not good enough, so I tried to translate the content by displaying subtitles. As a result, I still often cannot understand the meaning.
Stand-up comedy is a style of comedy that “talks about various events while mixing social satire and irony in laughter,” so it is difficult to understand the meaning, let alone the fun.
Not only me, but many people who are not familiar with stand-up comedies may feel the same way when they watch it for the first time! If you are not familiar with the content at this point, that’s okay. Everyone has his or her own point of laughter.
Despite my great anxiety about whether I would be able to enjoy it on the day of the event, I participated in the event because I wanted to be a part of my friend’s stage excitement. So I watched the stand-up comedy stage and will share my advanced preparation, the day of the event, and my impressions!
Preparation
Gather your friends, set a date, and put the appointment on the calendar.
This time my friend had a date scheduled to be on stage. The friend who invited me to go seemed to be surrounded by many comedians he knew, and we all decided to go together.
Find a brief overview
Look it up in books and magazines
I looked in bookstores for books and magazines on the subject of stand-up comedy. When searching for books in Japanese, it is a good idea to search not only for “stand-up comedy” but also for “standup comedy.
I found some books, but my first impression was that the contents seemed difficult. My first impression was that the contents seemed to be difficult, and I honestly thought that the keywords “introductory book” and “study” were quite high hurdles to overcome in order to enjoy the stage.
「Introduction to Standup Comedy: A Cultural History of the U.S.A. Read with Laughter」
I am getting more and more anxious to appreciate the stage on the day of the event.
Try to find a story with a cultural background that you can easily understand.
I just didn’t happen to understand the content of what I saw on Youtube, but I am sure there must be some material that would make me laugh. I thought that if it was a video with an Asian comedian, the cultural background would be close, so I tried to find it.
Then I found a video with an Asian comedian, so I watched it right away.
There are also many videos of Japanese comedians; RIO Koike is one of the Japanese comedians who has been active in New York City for many years.
When I looked up stand-up comedians, I found that they come from all walks of life, including actors, voice actors, and comedians. I think they all have different points of view on what makes them laugh, but I laughed a lot.
Prerequisite knowledge you should know
Stand-up comedy can be a lot more enjoyable when you have knowledge of the premise, and you have a wider range of material to listen to and enjoy. If you are new to stand-up comedy, it is a good idea to review the following three things first.
- Stereotypes from around the world
- Recent News
- Dirty joke
First, it is good to know the stereotypes of countries around the world. There are many things that tease out prejudices and certain things that many people have.
A Youtube video that Vogue has put out a project called “The Image of My Country from Abroad” from 70 countries around the world is easy to understand. Some of the content may be surprising, but it may confirm many things about the stereotypes that are often said about countries around the world.
In addition, you should keep up with recent news.
Just watch the news you always check, as you always do. If you know where the comedians who will be on stage that day are from, you may want to check the news about their hometowns.
They often talk about their hometowns as a form of self-deprecation.
Last, the dirty joke.
Study this one yourself.
Check locations and cost
This event was an invitation from a friend of mine, so the venue was a partially rented space in one of the restaurants. The only cost to attend was the cost of ordering a round of drinks at the venue.
I think some of you may not have friends around who are comedians, so I will search and find a place where you can watch stand-up comedy in Japan. I searched for “stand-up comedy (name of area). In Tokyo, there was still not much information publicly available.
There is a comedy club called “Tokyo Comedy Bar (TCB)” in Shibuya. It is located within walking distance from Shibuya station and is very easy to get to.
The Japan Standup Comedy Association holds regular events.
The cost is about 4,000 yen for those holding events, and some daily live performances can be viewed for less than 1,000 yen.
Talk to your peers about how excited you are and get excited (important).
With a friend who was going to see a stand-up comedy show, we talked over dinner about the news that had recently hit the news.
Many people might say that they usually talk about it, but in my case, we usually talked only about what we were up to rather than about the news. So I made a conscious effort to talk about the news a little bit.
My friend who will be on stage this time has lived in several Asian countries, so I talked to him while thinking about the stereotypes and common images of the countries he has lived in. It’s a great way to get to know a country or region.
On the day of the event
On the day of the event, the event was held at a cafe-bar restaurant in Tokyo. I felt strangely nervous even though I was just going to watch the event until I arrived at the venue, but I felt safe because I met up with a friend who was familiar with the event and we headed to the venue.
When we arrived at the venue, there were about 10 chairs lined up in an open space and a simple stage platform. I arrived early and was able to freely choose my seat, so I sat at the very front.
As I waited for the event to start, people started arriving one after another. There were only about 10 chairs on the stage, but nearly 20 people gathered. I was surprised that the event was so popular that some people had to pull out chairs from the back of the room and others had to stand.
It seemed that many of the participants were foreigners and tourists. Apparently, backpackers were able to stay overnight in the space in the back, and some of them stayed overnight and joined the event on the ground floor.
The people watching the stand-up comedy were very chatty and talked to each other before the event started. I am an introvert, but when I told them that I was attending the event for the first time, they told me a lot about it, introduced me to people they knew, and were very friendly and welcoming.
And finally, the event began. The organizers started with the opening comedy, which was very clear and funny.
They know that people from different backgrounds, including first-time attendees like myself, are gathered here. It was simply interesting to watch the stage as the conversation unfolded, weaving together stereotypes, recent news, and down-to-earth stories that many people would be familiar with.
Afterwards, the organizer asked the audience, “Raise your hand if you are going to participate in the open mic today.”
What is an open mic?
I heard that open mic means that anyone can freely take the stage if they run for it. My friend seems to have applied for this open mic and is going to be on stage.
At last, my friend who has been waiting for it is going to be on stage. Witnessing his magnificent manner, his light-hearted talk, and the view of the audience laughing as hard as they could, I forgot to laugh myself and admired him. If you genuinely enjoy the stage, you may not want to see anyone you know on stage (laughs).
One after another, participants took to the open mic stage. Some were honestly funny, while others were still practicing.
After the event, participants mingled and chatted with each other. It was interesting to get a glimpse behind the scenes of the stage, learning tips and tricks on how to make a story from comedians that I personally found interesting.
Impressions
First and foremost, it was easy to laugh and react to the audience, and I was able to genuinely enjoy the show. The audience members were of various nationalities and origins, but they laughed loudly, joined in with each other’s hands, and basically reacted in a very lively manner.
Of course, there were times when I laughed when I heard the material, but there were also times when I couldn’t help but laugh when I was caught up in the audience’s laughter. I thought this was the best part of the show, not only because I enjoyed watching the videos, but also because I participated in the actual live performance.
Also, the comedian did not just keep talking one-sidedly, but there were laughs that came from the interaction with the audience.
On the day of the show, a father and son from India were in the audience, and their interactions with the comedian on stage were very funny. The specifics were black jokes that I hesitate to write about here.
If I were to enjoy the show more next time, I thought that a quick review of news and current information that might be useful for a story before going to see the show would increase the number of points that I find funny. If I want to enjoy a lot of laughs, I need to understand the prerequisites for understanding “inside jokes” in a larger sense.
I want to enjoy stand-up comedy more and laugh a lot more, so I am curious about the news and want to know the cultural background and stereotypes of the world.
See you soon!
