Talking About Rakugo 2: The Stories Behind the Storytellers

Rakugo, with its stories rooted in everyday life, is currently experiencing a boom in popularity not just in the country where it originated, but also in places where until just recently the word rakugo was an unfamiliar term. The art form, which was once confined to the traditional yose theaters, has expanded to a variety of media, including radio, television, internet, CDs, DVDs, film, drama, manga, and anime. It owes its success to its practitioners, the RAKUGOKA. The contemporary storyt...