A master of the traditional Japanese art of storytelling known as "rakugo" is embarking on his first tour of Europe, where he will perform his "sit-down" comedy with subtitles to show audiences how Japan laughs.
Shunputei Ichinosuke, 35, is taking on Europe with female apprentice Pikkari from Oct. 11 to 22, performing in Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Belgium, Germany and Spain.
Rakugo was developed by the merchant class in the Edo Period (1603-1868) and tends to be more accessible for ordinary Japanese than other traditional performance arts, such as kabuki or bunraku puppet shows.