A rakuga and comedy event was held on the Atlas 1948 stage to celebrate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Türkiye.
News: Cemre Nur Meleke
The event was attended by Japanese Consul General in Istanbul Kasahara Kenichi, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bülent Sezgin, Chiba Commerce University professor Halit Mızraklı, Kanagawa University professor Kimie Oshima and Rakugo performance artist Shinoharu Tatekawa.
Important names from the business and art worlds came together at the event moderated by Sarp Apak.
Sarp Apak expressed his excitement about the project with the following words; "Thanks to this project, I had the opportunity to learn the details of Rakugo and later on I felt a great admiration for it. It is exciting to share with you the similarities and differences of the two cultures through comedy."
Japanese Consul General in Istanbul Kasahara Kenichi stated in his interview that he loves Turkey very much and that they are working to improve relations between Japan and Turkey. Kenichi said in his interview; “We are happy to organize this event that strengthens the cultural ties between the two countries through the theme of humor and to introduce Rakugo, one of Japan’s traditional arts, in Turkey.”
After the talk, the guests watched three different Rakuga shows and Sarp Apak's comedy performance. While the Rakuga shows made everyone laugh and think, Sarp Apak's story from his private life about his sense of shame both made the guests laugh and fascinated them.
Following the performances, guests came together for a Q&A session focusing on the rich humor traditions of the two cultures.
About Rakugo
Rakugo is a traditional storytelling art form of Japan dating back centuries. Developing since the 17th century, this performance art is usually presented in a format where a performer (Rakugoka) sitting alone on stage tells humorous and dramatic stories. Using only a fan (sensu) and cloth (tenugui), the performer portrays different characters and offers life lessons to the audience in an entertaining way. Rakugo, which is often enriched with scenes from daily life, funny dialogues and surprise endings, stands out as an important part of humor in Japanese culture.
