Nakayoshi Finds Comedy in Everyday Conversations

Meet Nakayoshi

Nakayoshi is the Japanese comedy duo of Puff and Komori Garçon, represented by Production Jinrikisha. They find material in everyday conversation: a question of manners, a game to try, something a partner wants to discuss. They perform manzai, a Japanese form of two-person comedy built around a spoken exchange between partners.

Their agency profile has some memorable details of its own. Puff lists being able to get angry at anything as a special skill. Komori Garçon is a licensed hairstylist whose listed talents include figuring out which hairstyle suits someone best.

Manners, Games, and What Counts as Funny

The routines available on this site draw on social expectations, shared games, and personal opinions. Restaurant etiquette supplies a topic for discussion; a homemade word game supplies an invitation. The subjects also include comedy itself, with one routine beginning with a partner's claim to have figured out what makes things funny.

Where to Start

Start with “Giving Up Your Seat for Older Riders.” One partner tells a story about a college student who didn't offer a train seat to an older man with a cane. The opening gives you a concrete question to consider: what does courtesy require in that situation?

In “Say It Ten Times,” one partner wants to try a homemade word game with the other. The Japanese game involves repeating a word ten times before answering a question designed to prompt a slip of the tongue. For an opening built around wordplay, try this one.

“Manners at a High-End Sushi Restaurant” begins with a sushi fan wanting to discuss etiquette at an upscale restaurant. Choose this for the dining-out question at its center: liking the food is one thing; knowing the etiquette is another.

Watch this one Trying to Start a Word Game One wants to run a word game. The other makes getting started a negotiation. 5:28 Can We Get to the Point? Another song. Another impression. Still no sign of an actual point. 6:23 I've Figured Out What's Funny Every object gets judged with a straight face. The other person is losing patience. 5:12 Just Let Me Tell the Sushi Story Every attempt to talk about sushi gets derailed by a muttered interruption. 5:45 The Lost Wallet Dilemma A lost-wallet scene keeps restarting over a simple request: play the angel or devil. 3:43

We use AI as part of how we create our articles.

Subtitles on this video: AI translation from the Japanese.