Tokyo Film Center, the acting school I went to in Japan, was very different compared to Europe. One would think that acting is free and creative, but in Japan it is very strict. It is more about following tradition and hierarchy than being creative. As a foreigner I have a lot to prove, since I’m the first to go through the system professionally here in Tokyo. Rakugo is in itself very traditional; it used to be enjoyed by common people, but has been institutionalized over the years and performers now have fancy titles. Some people appreciate my effort, while others think I’ll give up and quit soon, so I need to prove my worth!

I’m fascinated by the minimalism, since there is only one actor and barely any props. Then there is the vast scope covered on stage – it is mostly comedies but also tragedies and a lot of hopeless anti-heroes that gamble away all their money. It’s interesting to see how people lived their lives in the Edo period, where most of the stories takes place, and how those resound with a contemporary audience.

Yes! In Sweden I introduce the Japanese culture, and in Japan I represent Sweden and present our culture and way of thinking. Well, sometimes I add jokes about how scarcely populated Sweden is and how there are only trees and forests and the occasional IKEA-shop here and there. But I must be careful not to speak about it too much. In the future I would like to do more Rakugo, not only in Japan but also abroad, hopefully Sweden if possible! Some stories can’t be translated though, since they are based on wordplay.

I have been thinking about writing a performance about the botanist Carl Peter Thunberg and how he visited Japan in the Edo period. That would give us the premise of a Swedish person stumbling into Edo culture, and I can imagine that there were some comical encounters during that trip.