| YAMAGATA, Oct. 14 – The Osho Fruits Farm in Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture, organized a rakugo Japanese traditional-style comedy show in the middle of the fruit farm during the best harvesting season. One professional rakugo storyteller sat on the platform on the back of a pickup truck and depicted a comical story about La France, a pear that came from France and is known as a western pear in Japan. The Osho Fruits Farm organized two rakugo shows this year and may make them regular local events.
“Pears are scary,” a man in the story said, and others brought pears, pear jam, pear cakes, and such to scare him off. It’ｓ a parody of one of the classical rakugo collections, “Manju Kowai (meaning I’m afraid of buns filled with sweet bean paste).” It was created by Shirapi Tatekawa, a 30-year-old rakugo artist from Yamagata Prefecture. He performed it in a light and witty manner on the platform surrounded by trees heavy with pears and apples, incorporating the history of the pears. The audience enjoyed it very much. The President of the fruit farm came up with the idea of inviting Shirapi when he heard the performer was a Yamagata native. “By organizing new events, I want more people to become more interested in fruit farms,” he explained. “I hope it’ll make more people more interested in rakugo, as well,” Shirapi said with a smile. |
Shirapi Tatekawa performing rakugo on the platform on a pickup bed. (In Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture)