Suzumoto info
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Suzumoto info
Suzumoto
2-7-12 Ueno
Tokyo, Japan
Phone: 03/3834-5906
Originally built around 1857 for Japanese comic monologue performances called _rakugo_ and since
rebuilt, Suzumoto is the oldest theater operation of its kind in Tokyo. A rakugo comedian sits on a
purple cushion, dressed in a kimono, and tells stories that have been handed down for centuries.
Using only a few simple props -- a fan, a pipe, a handkerchief -- the storyteller becomes a whole cast
of characters, with all their different voices and facial expressions. The audience may have heard his
stories 20 times already and still laughs in all the right places. There is no English interpretation, and
even for the Japanese themselves, the monologues are difficult to follow, filled with puns and
expressions in dialect -- but don't let that deter you. For a slice of traditional pop culture, rakugo at
Suzumoto is worth seeing, even if you don't understand a word. The theater is on Chuo-dori, a few
blocks north of the Ginza Line's Ueno Hiroko-ji stop (Exit 3). COST: •2,500. Continual performances
daily 12:20-4:30 and 5:20-9. (Source: Fodors)
2-7-12 Ueno
Tokyo, Japan
Phone: 03/3834-5906
Originally built around 1857 for Japanese comic monologue performances called _rakugo_ and since
rebuilt, Suzumoto is the oldest theater operation of its kind in Tokyo. A rakugo comedian sits on a
purple cushion, dressed in a kimono, and tells stories that have been handed down for centuries.
Using only a few simple props -- a fan, a pipe, a handkerchief -- the storyteller becomes a whole cast
of characters, with all their different voices and facial expressions. The audience may have heard his
stories 20 times already and still laughs in all the right places. There is no English interpretation, and
even for the Japanese themselves, the monologues are difficult to follow, filled with puns and
expressions in dialect -- but don't let that deter you. For a slice of traditional pop culture, rakugo at
Suzumoto is worth seeing, even if you don't understand a word. The theater is on Chuo-dori, a few
blocks north of the Ginza Line's Ueno Hiroko-ji stop (Exit 3). COST: •2,500. Continual performances
daily 12:20-4:30 and 5:20-9. (Source: Fodors)
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