ABSTRACT
Contrary to perceptions about Japanese people being overly serious and subdued, humour is enjoyed in everyday life by everyone. This chapter introduces various aspects of humour or warai that are unique to Japan such as rakugo (a form of Japanese comedy in which a rakugoka performs sitting on an elevated stage) and senryū (a 5-7-5 syllable poem). Humour in Japan is, interestingly, closely associated with the Osaka dialect. The first and third readings are abridged versions of rakugo stories while the second reading includes two short humorous stories that deal with universal topics.
