【Iwama Civic Plaza】”The 17th Iwama Variety Show! Welcome to the 17th!
Yokohama Arts Foundation Press Release: September 16, 2025 [Iwama Civic Plaza] “The 17th Iwama Variety Show: Welcome to the Millionaires’ Hall!” ~Many amateur Rakugo performers will be appearing!! ~ From Master Katsura Utasuke: “Iwama Yose,” a festival for mature rakugo artists. There are currently over 100 students in 16 rakugo schools, and 24 of them (four of them making their first appearance) will be presenting pieces they have been working on for six months to a year. This time, the program will be full of variety, with the calm storytelling of veteran and regular performers and the stylish rakugo of fresh faces. From Master Katsura Utawaka: “Iwama Yose” brings together students from the rakugo classes taught by Master Katsura Utawaka and myself in various locations around the Tokyo metropolitan area, and we strive to entertain our audiences. Rakugo has been booming for the past few years, and more and more people are not just listening but are trying to do it themselves. Their goals vary, from “I simply love rakugo and want to experience what it’s like to be a rakugo performer” to “I want to be able to converse well in front of others” to “I want to learn about Edokko culture through rakugo.” However, the common thread is the desire to hone their expressive abilities. To do this, they need to express themselves in an engaging and concise way, and rakugo is the perfect form of performance for this. Performed alone, they
communicate information to the audience through speech alone. The only props they can use are a folding fan and a hand towel!
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1370/14302-1370-f39d56a8f98b6312589965949c21ca66-3900×2747.jpg day Time Sunday, October 5, 2025 Part 1 Doors open 10:00 Performance starts 10:30 Opening 13:30 Starting 14:00 Meeting place: Yokohama City Iwama Civic Plaza 4F Hall Cast: Katsura Utasuke, Katsura Utawaka, and many other amateur rakugo artists Admission Fee: Advance tickets: ¥700 per performance (Day of performance: ¥1,000 per performance) ★Set ticket for Part 1 and Part 2: ¥1,000. Set tickets are available in advance only. [Unreserved seating] Reservations: Visit the museum in person or call (045-337-0011) 【Inquiries】 Yokohama Iwama Civic Plaza 1-7-15 Iwama-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-0004 Tel: 045-337-0011 [Organizer] Yokohama Iwama Civic Plaza (Yoshinocho/Iwama Art & Media Partners/tvk Communications Inc., Yokohama Arts Foundation, Seikosha Inc., Yokohama Media Ad Consortium)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1370/14302-1370-5b506b5a31df140e8e31657601a31a5c-619×125.jpg Yokohama Iwama Civic Plaza Located near Tennocho Station on the Sotetsu Line, this local cultural facility features a hall, gallery, conference rooms, and four rental studios. Yoshinocho/Iwama Art & Media Partners (tvk Communications Inc., Yokohama Arts Foundation, Seikosha Co., Ltd., Yokohama Media Ad Co., Ltd.) For more information about this release Press release attachments
