Osaka, home of Japan’s powerhouse comedy agency Yoshimoto Kogyo and the country’s center of hilarity, will often tease Tokyo for its lack of a sense of humor. More often than not, Tokyoites will simply agree.
The capital of stoic, suited office workers, however, now has a champion in the Tokyo Comedy Bar (TCB), which is currently hosting the Tokyo International Comedy Festival (TICF) through Sept. 22 at four venues across town: the bar itself, the Tokyo American Club, the New Sanno Hotel and Baird Beer Nakameguro Taproom.
Since opening in 2022 in Shibuya Ward, TCB has hosted comedy workshops, roast battles, open mics and international guests that have included Tim Key and Atsuko Okatsuka. The result has been a boon for both English- and Japanese-speaking comedians, and the fledgling stand-up comedy scene in Tokyo and around TCB specifically has grown quickly. This month’s festival is the first Western-style stand-up comedy festival to take place in Japan.
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