It's a Monday night in late November and Ryutei Ichiya, a kimono-clad 34-year-old rakugo comic raconteur, is performing a skit in front of a crowd of over 100.
Sitting on a red zabuton (floor cushion) perched on an elevated platform, Ichiya animatedly navigates between different voice tones and body gestures to portray the characters in the tale he chose to conjure up that day.
It's like any of the numerous one-man rakugo gigs taking place in the nation on any given night, except for the venue. Ichiya is showcasing his centuries-old Japanese craft of comedic storytelling in the world's fourth-largest bourse: the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
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