Osaka’s Dotonbori river is where much of the action is, day or night. Have a wander around at almost any time, and you will inevitably pass food stalls and restaurants, souvenir shops, and hordes of other tourists.
The area is also the home of comedy, with several theatres and clubs including one run by Yoshimoto Kogyo. Dotonbori ZAZA is where I found Osaka-based improv group Pirates Of The Dotonbori (POTD), after being invited by one of the lovely ladies of POTD. They aren’t usually based there, but an excuse to visit a place called ZAZA is one I will happily use.
Yes, folks, comedy in Japan is not just for men!
This wasn’t just any old improv show I was lucky enough to catch, either. 2016 is POTD’s 10th year of bringing the funny to Dotonbori. To mark the occasion, they put on this massive anniversary performance. Their sister group, Pirates Of Tokyo Bay, were also in attendance. (I’m sort of considering joining them. We’ll see how that goes.)
Our host for the evening was ‘Youtube-famous’ Bobby Judo – and that ‘famous but also not quite famous’ exposure has clearly paid off. He made keeping up with two improv groups look like the simplest thing in the world. #comperelifegoals
The whole show was performed in a mix of English and Japanese, starting with a surprise musical performance from POTD. Oh, they killed it from the off. It was just enough in sync that you could tell they’d done the bare minimum amount of rehearsal. Like anyone expects an improv group to actually practice, you know?
I’d do a full breakdown of everything that happened, but A LOT happened. I have notes on seven improv games – for just the first half of the show. These kids don’t mess around. (Or, well, they do, but hardcore.)
Instead, here are some highlights from the evening.
Serious poetry: This was one of the opening games, and we got serious pretty damn quick! For a second, I thought I’d accidentally wandered into one of those poetry jam sessions where everyone has bongos and a beret. All we were missing was the cigarette smoke. Incidentally, there is no indoor smoking ban over here.
The longer you wait, the bigger it gets: The same scene, gradually getting more and more outlandish. Something about a seafood and falafel buffet? I’m sure there was.
Using your conversations in conversation: Two poor audience members had lines from their chat history read out on stage. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to NOT have access to the internet.
The three-headed singer: I got so nostalgic for ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway’ hoedowns during this bit.
Dotonbori documentary: POTD made a mockumentary about themselves! Or it might’ve been 100% real. I have no way of knowing for sure. Either way, it was a great look at the group behind the scenes…
The ‘No English’ round: I said before that I wasn’t sure how I’d manage a comedy show in Japanese. Turns out this lot can’t, either. This game banned all English ‘loan words’ from the skits – it’s surprising just how many of those get into conversation.
Fun and games continued after the show. We were all invited to the afterparty ‘just across the road’. After about 20 minutes, a bunch of us eventually found the bar. It is indeed across the road… about half a mile east. Ha ha ha.
Once we finally got there, it was a delight to discover that both POTD and POTB are comprised exclusively of awesome people. Not every comedian likes to mingle afterwards or be ‘on’ once they leave the stage. This lot have adopted the Osaka spirit of having fun at every opportunity. Can’t wait to go see them again.
Those of you not planning a visit to Osaka any time soon can keep up with POTD on Twitter.
