[Event at Itami Shirayuki Choujugura] English rakugo + Shirayuki sake tasting

Sometimes called the birthplace of sake, Itami has been a flourishing sake brewing area since the Edo period. This event, combining English rakugo and sake tasting all in English, will be held in the hall of a 250-year-old sake cellar converted to a museum at Konishi Brewery, one of Itami's long-established breweries. Rakugo is the traditional Japanese performing art of comedic storytelling. This event will include rakugo performances in English by Katsura Monshiro, who often performs at events for international travelers, and Canadian performer Katsura Fukuryu, who spreads the charm of English rakugo around the world. As well as performing stories that are accessible to non-Japanese audiences, the two storytellers will convey the appeal of English rakugo through the signature exaggerated gestures of this traditional performing art. At the sake tasting, sake sommelier and interpreter Ayuko Yamaguchi, an international ambassador for Japanese sake, will guide you as you taste three carefully selected sakes from Konishi Brewery's Shirayuki collection and talk about Itami's sake brewing culture. Finally, Katsura Monshiro, Katsura Fukuryu and Ayuko Yamaguchi will talk in English about the delights of Japanese sake.