Noodle slurping is funny to FGs

[Captain Japan]

'Rakugo' artist uses English to show off Japan's funny side
Japan Times

A somber earnestness and a lack of humor are often cited as first impressions foreigners have of Japanese.

Kimie Oshima has been working vigorously to change that by promoting the English version of "rakugo" -- traditional comical storytelling.

"Humor is seen as a way to measure the maturity of a society's culture," observed the 34-year-old Oshima, an assistant professor of sociolinguistics at Bunkyo Gakuin University in Tokyo.

"So if people see (Japanese) as being humorless, they may think our cultural level is low," she observed. "I want to wipe out such a (negative) image."

Oshima's interest in rakugo took off after she attended a meeting of the International Society for Humor Studies in Sydney in 1996 and realized that many participants who were specialists on humor only held the stereotypical image of Japanese as a stoic people.

"I really felt that I needed to introduce Japanese humor" to foreigners, recalled Oshima, who specializes in humor studies and cross-cultural communications.

What she soon found as the most suitable tool for her purpose was rakugo.

In rakugo, which dates back 300 years to the Edo Period (1603-1868), a lone storyteller sits on stage and tells a pun-laden tale that ends with a punch line. The stories re-create conversations between people -- often with two main characters, one sharp and the other a half-wit.

"Rakugo is an art form unique to Japan . . . and it reflects the fact that Japanese usually say humorous things in the course of dialogue," Oshima explained. "The tales can also illustrate Japanese culture and customs."

For instance, if storytellers make slurping noises when they pretend to eat noodles, the foreign audience can understand that such behavior is acceptable in Japan, unlike in Western countries, she said....more...

I get the sense that she is really grasping at straws here...

[Mulboyne]

Oshima's interest in rakugo took off after she attended a meeting of the International Society for Humor Studies in Sydney in 1996

That's how all the comedy greats get started.

[Captain Japan]

Oshima's interest in rakugo took off after she attended a meeting of the International Society for Humor Studies in Sydney in 1996

That's how all the comedy greats get started.

I give her credit for trying. But I tend to think she's got to come up with some fresh ideas after reading this same tired stuff:

"But Japanese usually don't need to use (such) humor because of the homogeneous nature of (our) society, and tell jokes only after they know each other well."

But the situation is changing as Japanese society becomes more ethnically diverse and more young people develop different lifestyles or values than those of older generations, Oshima said.

"Drinking after work is a usual way for Japanese to solve communications problems at the workplace. But humor may become a more necessary tool to forge good ties" among people with different cultures and values, she said.

[Charles]

I get the sense that she is really grasping at straws here...

Isn't that always the case, when a nihonjinron is cited?

"Rakugo is an art form unique to Japan . . . and it reflects the fact that Japanese usually say humorous things in the course of dialogue," Oshima explained. "

Yeah, in no other culture do people stand up in front of an audience and say humorous things.

Of course every country has a different take on humor. I have noticed that nihonjin do not understand satire or irony, they do not think it is funny at all. Satire is perceived as ijime, irony just falls flat and is incomprehensible. I couldn't believe this, since some of the most famous stories in Japanese literature are deeply ironic, stuff like "Seibei's Gourds" or "The Bears of Nametoko."
I started noticing the nihonjins' inability to comprehend irony and satire when I worked with a lot of exchange students. Many of them were English Lit majors, and presumably should be familiar with, or at a minimum, able to interpret the great American satirists like Mark Twain or Ambrose Bierce. But they couldn't understand them in the least. I told them that if they wanted to understand irony, they should read Twain's "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg" and Bierce's "Chicamagua" and some of them did, and they came back and asked me what the stories were all about, they didn't understand them at all. Sheesh.
I told some of my American friends who were studying Japanese about my theories, and one night at our weekly conversation hour, a few of us got together with some nihonjin that understood English, and we were determined to make them laugh. We worked hard to come up with our funniest jokes, but we couldn't even get them to crack a smile, even though the Americans who witnessed the scene were laughing uproariously.
I mentioned this event to an Irish friend of mine who is always full of jokes, and he said that of COURSE we couldn't make them laugh, he'd done the exact same thing, he spent much effort over a series of weeks trying to make a nihonjin friend laugh. And if my jokester buddy couldn't do it, NOBODY could. He told me that after working for weeks, he found only ONE joke that worked: "Pull My Finger."

[Andocrates]

Yeah, in no other culture do people stand up in front of an audience and say humorous things.

Haha - good catch.

[vince]

We worked hard to come up with our funniest jokes, but we couldn't even get them to crack a smile, even though the Americans who witnessed the scene were laughing uproariously.

"One Saturday afternoon Peter and I were waiting in Sakamoto's private office for him to arrive. We had sent his secretary out to fetch us some beer (it was after all, Saturday afternoon) and, while she was gone, an eight-member delegation from Sakamoto's home prefecture came calling. There being no one else around, Peter took charge and -- in his interesting Japanese -- told the delegation: "Sakamoto-san wa mou jiki ni kimasu ga watakushi ni nani ka dekiru koto ga areba osshatte kudasai. Watakushi wa Sakamoto-san no koumon desu kara...).

Never have I seen anything convulse a group of Japanese the way Peter's bland statement did that afternoon. Usually the Japanese quality of restraint prevents laughter from getting out of control -- but not that day. Peter's solemn statement of the anatomical position he occupied in relation to Sakamoto-san shattered their control asunder. They whooped, they yelled, they howled, they did everything but roll on the floor.

What Peter had meant to say, of course, was not koumon (anus), but komon (advisor)."

- Jack Seward *Japanese in Action*

There was also a similar story with heso instead of hisho.

So,

* Body parts!

* Deprecation of Foreigners!

* Said with a straight face as if not realizing anthing is funny about it!

[Charles]

Yeah, I think we could all come up with those misspoken goofs, I had one that I still just don't see the humor. One day in class, we were studying train schedules, I mispronounced jikokuhyou as jigoku hyou. One of the nihonjin TAs broke out in uncontrollable laughter, until the professor glared at her. Sure it's ludicrous, but is it really funny?

[cstaylor]

Yeah, in no other culture do people stand up in front of an audience and say humorous things.

Well, westerners don't receive zabutons as awards for good puns.

[vince]

Well, westerners don't receive zabutons as awards for good puns.

Jack Seward *Japanese in Action* Index:

Humor - see Puns

[Socratesabroad]

[Charles]

Ohhh, the comedic genius. And what a veritable laugh riot. Can't get enough of those puns.

Well, I have to admit, a good pun can make me laugh, but usually it has to have some added component, like my interest in cross-language puns. I still think one of the funniest things I ever saw was a Benny Hill sketch, where Benny plays the French waiter that can't understand his customers. He keeps serving them what he thinks they order, at one point the customer sees what he's served and exclaims "Disgusting!" so the waiter brings Dix Custings, ten little custard cups with tongues sticking up from them. Well, I guess you had to be there.
I have also laughed at one of the Japanese TV shows, I don't remember the name, but they try to find English songs that have lyrics that sound like Japanese. I remember one show, they were playing some intro to an overblown big-hair rock song, while showing video of old farts lounging around an onsen, then there was a closeup of some guy soaking his feet, while the singer blazed forth "I See Yooouuu." And damn if that English didn't sound exactly like the subtitles, "ashi yuu." I cracked up.

And now that the laughter has died down...Charles was absolutely right about Japanese lacking a penchant (or aptitude) for sarcasm.

Well, I'm glad to hear I'm not completely off base here. The lack of appreciation for sarcasm suprises me, there should be plenty of opportunities for it, especially within the system of keigo and kimari monku. The most satirical thing I can think of is when someone shares too much information and you respond "gochisosama."
Anyway, I find the Japanese sense of humor to be slightly evil, and based on humiliation and ijime. I think I finally understood Japanese humor when I saw a SMAP show on TV, it was a game where contestants were stripped from the waist down, then they did handstands while the host jammed a lit candle into their anuses, while hot wax dripped down on their balls. And that was just Round ONE..

[cstaylor]

Anyway, I find the Japanese sense of humor to be slightly evil, and based on humiliation and ijime.

In a lot of ways, that aptly describes the culture as well.

[Ptyx]

I have also laughed at one of the Japanese TV shows, I don't remember the name, but they try to find English songs that have lyrics that sound like Japanese.

I think the name of that show is(was?) sora mimi, but i'm not sure.

[Charles]

I have also laughed at one of the Japanese TV shows, I don't remember the name, but they try to find English songs that have lyrics that sound like Japanese.

I think the name of that show is(was?) sora mimi, but i'm not sure.

Yeah, I think that's the one. I remember it looked like it was produced in some guys basement. They have a website somewhere but I'm definitely not going to look for it.

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

Are you guys thinking of Tamori's late night show? They play some death metal it sounds like picking your nose or something in Japanese....

Web site of songs here

[Watcher]

Yes, the Japanese sense of humour is a serious condition but you will all be relieved to know that it can be corrected. Just a few months in a fun place can reverse the damage done by groing up in such a society. I am pleased to announce that my fiance, while not appreciating sarcasm, has a very good grasp of puns in English and willingly uses without mercy upon her target. Irony, it appears, is still to be blamed on the fates. (for example, we move to Canada and look forward to a great year of skiing... except it's the worst year on record here and one of the best in Nippon).... and she had just bought skis, too.
From my experience, jokes don't go over well at all, and that's cultural... but situations do and they are universal. That may be why such physical comedy such as slapstick and exagerrated expressions are found at least amusing if not entirely side splitting.

[Charles]

Are you guys thinking of Tamori's late night show?

Yeah, I guess Sora Mimi Hour is by Tamori. I even found the little clip I mentioned, just zoom forward to 2:40 at this RealPlayer link.

[sillygirl]