Let's go to a yose! A live house for yose performing arts that even beginners can enjoy - Part 1

Shinjuku Suehirotei: The only wooden vaudeville theater in Tokyo

A yose is a popular entertainment hall where rakugo, storytelling, and other yose performing arts are performed.
Yose performing arts is a general term for the performing arts that are shown at yose and entertainment halls.

Of the yose entertainments performed at Tokyo's yose, the main one is "rakugo." You might think that "rakugo" is the only mainstay, but no, it's not just that!
Another form of storytelling that is performed at yose is "kodan." Both are classical Japanese storytelling arts. There is also "rokyoku," a popular entertainment form that began in the early Meiji period.
Furthermore, rakugo, kodan, and rokyoku performances are not just "classics" that have been around for a long time. There are also original "new works" created in the Taisho and Showa periods, as well as present-day works.
The unique appeal of yose and entertainment halls is that you can enjoy a variety of performances by many different performers in one day.

The main attraction of a yose is rakugo!

The entertainment other than the main Rakugo and storytelling that are performed at a yose is called "Iromono."
As the name suggests, Iromono are the performers that add glamour to a yose. They appear between Rakugo performances and entertain the eyes and ears of the audience with their brilliant moves.

A traditional Japanese magic trick! It's called "Wazuma"

magic

It's magic tricks. It doesn't use a big set, but rather uses tricks with cards and other small hands

Daishin acrobatics

It developed from Shinto ritual arts and is performed mainly with acrobatic skills such as umbrella spinning, tea bowl spinning, and plectrum tricks

comedy performed by duo

It is a form of storytelling, but in yose (vaudeville theaters) that focus on rakugo and storytelling, it is considered a type of entertainment. It is a form of entertainment where you can enjoy the back-and-forth conversation between two people

Paper cutting

This is a trick in which various shapes are cut out of a single piece of paper using scissors in front of the audience

Music

This is a performance in which performers sing enka, kouta, tsutsumitsu, and other songs while playing the shamisen. The talk and singing give you a sense of the sophistication of the Edo period

"Kamidori" is an improvisational technique of cutting shapes based on requests from the audience

Auspicious traditional performing art "Daishin Kyokugei" Provided by: Daishin Kyokugei Association

Just because it's a classical art form doesn't mean it's difficult to get into! It doesn't matter if it's your first time or if you don't understand rakugo or storytelling.
Anyone can enter at any time. This kind of free and open relaxed atmosphere is what makes a yose a popular entertainment venue!
Feel free to drop by with the feeling of "I guess I'll just go to a yose for a bit."
In the second part, we'll introduce "How to enter a yose and the rules so even first-timers won't get lost!" and how to enjoy a yose according to Master Shunputei Shosho!