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Paper short abstract

This paper examines how rakugo uses food-related humour to address ikoku shumi, satirising curiosity toward foreign cuisine. Through Edo and Meiji examples, it shows how laughter frames Japan’s engagement with cultural Otherness.

Paper long abstract

In rakugo, foreign cultures, customs, and foods that were unfamiliar to contemporary audiences were frequently employed as sources of humor. Food, in particular, is undoubtedly one of the aspects of a foreign culture that arouses the greatest curiosity. At times, it also serves as the easiest means of approaching a different culture and demonstrating one’s ability to remain culturally informed. Among the various ways in which curiosity toward unfamiliar cuisine can be expressed, rakugo often satirizes those who improvise as cooks, those who are hesitant to try new dishes, those who pose as connoisseurs, and those who merely seek to follow trends. In the pre-modern period, food exoticism was similarly represented through stories featuring dishes never before tasted from distant regions, or entirely invented dishes, as exemplified in the classical rakugo Chiritotechin. In Meiji-period new rakugo, such as Shirōto yōshoku (The Western Meal by an Unprofessional), a man improvises as an expert in Western cuisine, producing comical reactions and outcomes. In my part of the panel, I intend to examine how rakugo communicates themes related to ikoku shumi through the strategic use of humor and the elicitation of laughter.