Asako Ito's "My Awakening": Discovering the Joy of Making Others Laugh Through Her Work

Every June, I hold a solo live show which I call my “Birthday Party,” also referred to as an “Old Lady’s Mischief Show” (laughs). I always start preparing vaguely around the beginning of the year, but really get down to business around April. During that preparation period, I occasionally find myself wishing for something like an injury to happen, as if that would provide a legitimate excuse to cancel the show. It’s just a small moment of escapism. And yet, I am the one who decides to do it, so it’s my own responsibility, but I always find myself working too hard and being desperate about it.

So why do I continue to do this year after year? I think the reason is simply that I forget how difficult it all was. No matter how challenging the process may be, once the show ends and the curtain closes, I see the audience’s faces, hear their laughter and cheers, and feel the energy they give off. It’s a sensation so powerful and exhilarating that the only way to describe it is, “AHHH!” And that feeling compels me to start preparing all over again for the following year (laughs).

No matter how exhausting the work may be, when I give it my all and it makes people laugh, I feel such joy that it completely overshadows the hardship. Then I go back to the grind and inevitably remember, “Oh, right, there’s so much I dislike about this job!” (laughs). This cycle just keeps repeating itself. I suppose I am addicted to that feeling of excitement. It truly is the most fitting way to describe it.

I can not honestly say, from the bottom of my heart, that I do this job to make people happy. The truth is, when people laugh, I feel thrilled, and the adrenaline rushes through me. Ultimately, it’s all for my own satisfaction.

My awakening to this joy occurred about 30 years ago when I performed in the family musical Heidi, Girl of the Alps. I played the character of Miss Rottenmeier, the strict governess who bullies Heidi.
The director told me that I can do whatever I want, so I decided to change the way I bullied Heidi every day, in my own way. Then, during the curtain call, the children in the audience were shouting, “Miss Rottenmeier, you’re so evil!” But they were laughing so hard. At that moment, I realized that making people laugh is so much fun and I couldn’t deny the excitement I felt.
I had always wanted to do comedy, so I jumped into this world when comedy became a big “trend”. Making people laugh through my work—that joy may be a continuation of the feeling I discovered when I played the role of Miss Rottenmeier.

For me, whether it’s stand-up comedy, talk shows, radio, columns, or theater, there’s no real difference. I just give my all to everything. It’s practically a documentary of my life, haha. I throw everything I’ve lived through into my work—whether it’s an injury or a heartbreak, if I can turn it into a joke and make people laugh, then It’s all mine Haha.

That’s exactly why I’ve made a rule for myself: never lie. For example, if I eat something during a TV show and it doesn’t taste good, I would not say “It’s delicious,” because that would be a lie. Of course, everyone has different tastes, and differing opinions are natural, but if I had lied, I wouldn’t be able to defend myself. However, if I genuinely thought it was delicious, I could simply say, “That’s exactly how I felt.” I guess it’s a matter of trust haha.

I put out what I truly find funny or interesting, and it’s up to the audience to decide if they find it entertaining or worth watching. I have no control over how people perceive it, so all I can do is approach my work with sincerity. This line of work is quite unique, so I can’t say that’s how it is with any other jobs, but at least for me, this is how I live my life.

This text has been translated using an automatic translation tool.