Happy New Year!
I would like to say that, but it pains me to see such bad news coming so soon into the new year.
We hope that people will be able to forget about all that for a little while and have some fun by chatting with others.
Every year, I hold a New Year's Rakugo event at Yagiyama Bennyland, a world-leading theme park in my hometown of Miyagi, where I also use my introductory music.I was delighted to see that it was a great success again this year.
This event doesn't mark the start of work every year, but since it's local, it makes me feel like I'll do it again this year.
Although this event advertises itself as "Free for students!", there have been times when not a single child attended, but this year there were many children.
"Have you ever listened to Rakugo?"
"do not have!"
"Have you seen Laughing Point?"
"do not have!"
"Have you ever seen one cushion?"
"i don't know!"
It's now refreshing.
He's energetic but not interested in Rakugo.
The more children like this, the more their arms get trained.
When they left they said it was fun so it was a great start to the year.
Thank you, kid.
This year, I have set three specific goals:
First, to perform 20 new pieces of material per year.
There are 10 solo performances a year where new material is performed, so the number of seats lowered by two each time works out to be 10.
However, this is quite difficult.
We professional Rakugo performers are not allowed to just memorize and perform stories on our own.
I would like someone to give me direct instruction,
You have to demonstrate your skills one-on-one and once you get the OK you're allowed to perform in front of an audience.
It is possible to learn two seats a month with some effort,
If the schedule of the storyteller who is giving me lessons doesn't match up, I often can't make it to the new material presentation.
Last year, I could barely get one seat a month, so I'm going to just memorize as much as I can and challenge myself to the limits.
If the lessons can't be completed in time, I plan to take three seats down the following month.
I wonder if that will actually be a good thing for the customers who will be there at that time.
Anyway, I'll do my best.
Second, to win some kind of award.
Until now, I've avoided award races.
"It's more a matter of likes and dislikes than superiority or inferiority."
Or,
"Winning an award doesn't make you a seller, it's only the sellers who win it"
And so on, I became completely servile (which is really not good).
But more than anything, if I win an award, I'm sure everyone who supports me will be happy.
I wanted to win an award so that I could proudly say, "I'm rooting for Yoichi."
No, really.
I would like to give back to the people who pay to put up with me, even though I can only do such poor rakugo.
Even if they say "Then give me back my admission fee," I just ignore them.
I will participate in all competitions that I can enter.
And those involved in award competitions where you cannot enter yourself and the contestants are selected by the organizers!
I would love to see Shunputei Yoichi!
I'm seriously going to win the prize!
Third, wake up early.
I wake up at 7:30 every morning.
I want to wake up.
Well, no, well, this might be the most difficult part.
For me.
It has been two weeks since I set this goal on New Year's Day, but I have only been able to wake up at 7:30 on one day.
That day I was so sleepy that I ended up taking a two-hour nap.
However, I will continue to work hard in 2024 to achieve all three goals.
Thank you for your continued support this year.
Biography
Shunputei Yoichi
Born April 5, 1998
In March 2017, he became a disciple of Shunputei Ichinosuke.
He became a junior performer on January 21 of the following year. His junior performer name was "Yoichi."
Promoted to Ni-dan on March 1, 2021.
