Asakusa Engei Hall 浅草演芸ホール

A casual setting to learn about and enjoy the ancient art of storytelling in Japan

Fitting in with Asakusa's old-school charm, Asakusa Engei Hall focuses on traditional rakugo performance, the classic Japanese art of storytelling. In rakugo, a lone performer sits on stage and recites a comedic story. The humor is found in the stylistic intonation and wordplay. Take the story Jugemu, for example, which relies on one character's absurdly long name for its comedic punch.

While the stories themselves may not resonate if you're not a proficient speaker of Japanese, the theater also books shows of stage magic, kamikiri (a traditional paper-cutting performing art), and music concerts, along with more modern Japanese stand-up known as manzai.