Rakugo, which might be described as traditional Japanese sit-down comedy, once had a certain snob appeal among foreigners here. If you could boast that your hobby was rakugo, as either a fan or participant, you were saying you had summited the Mount Fuji of the Japanese language. (The Everest to me was kanbun, an ancient form of literature written entirely in kanji.)
I don't hear much about rakugo anymore; the form has done a slow fade as its core fans, foreigners included, age. This is unfortunate since, as Shinpei Hayashiya's new comedy "Rakugo Monogatari (Rakugo Story)" shows, a lot of laughs can still be found in Tokyo's four remaining yose (vaudeville-style) theaters, the temples of rakugo.
The film will also disabuse those who think of rakugo as a dead art — old men reciting feudal-era funny stories by rote. The real-life rakugo-ka (rakugo performers) who appear on screen bring their characters and situations to life with spot-on gestures, expressions and timing. Mastery of medieval puns is not needed to understand that these guys (and one quite funny girl) are talented comics, period.