1. HOME: 

Website rakugogaku.com home page.

2. RAKUGO BASICS:

The Introductory section on the first page has three sections that introduce the basics of Rakugo as a observer and a performer. These pages will help the audience better understand and appreciate Rakugo as traditional Japanese culture, a performing art, and language learning material.

I: (Rakugo Performance) This page explains the basic elements of observing and performing Rakugo.

II: (Gestures, Props, and Your Imagination) This page contains a video on the props, a few of the gestures, and use of imagination in Rakugo.

III: (Musical Elements of Rakugo) This page contains a video with a musical introduction and performance by Katsura Asakichi.

3. SHORT STORIES:

Each story is based on a unique topic. The story incorporates different characters revealing different cultural elements expressed through Japanese.

I. ねずみ：A story about a mouse and three opinions. (difficulty level 1)

II. うえきや：A story about a florist and a taunting customer. (difficulty level 1.5)

III. びじゅつかん：A story about a lady at the museum. (difficulty level 1.5)

IV. よっぱらい：A story about a conversation gone drunk at an i-za-ka-ya. (difficulty level 2)

Each story has three different videos (with the exception of よっぱらい). First, an introduction to the story. Second, the actual story. Third, concluding remarks or a translated performance in English.

A: (Introduction) This page has an introductory video.*

− ねずみ Introduction

− うえきや Introduction 

− びじゅつかん Introduction

− よっぱらい Introduction

B: (Short Story) This page has the featured story.*

− ねずみ Short Story (difficulty level 1)

− うえきや Short Story (difficulty level 1.5)

− びじゅつかん Short Story (difficulty level 1.5)

− よっぱらい Short Story (difficulty level 2)

C: (Reflection) This page has a video with some concluding remarks. In the Reflection video for うえきや and びじゅつかん there is a performance of the short story in English.*

− ねずみ Reflection

− うえきや Reflection (Story Includes in English Translation)

− びじゅつかん Reflection (Story Includes in English Translation)

− よっぱらい Reflection

D: (Vocabulary) This page has a list of all the vocabulary terms used in the featured story.

− ねずみ Vocabulary

− うえきや Vocabulary

− びじゅつかん Vocabulary

− よっぱらい Vocabulary

E: (Grammar) This page explains the grammatical elements from the featured story.

− ねずみ Grammar

− うえきや Grammar

− びじゅつかん Grammar

− よっぱらい Grammar

F: (Culture Notes) This page highlights cultural elements exposed from the featured story.

− ねずみ Culture Notes

− うえきや Culture Notes

− びじゅつかん Culture Notes

− よっぱらい Culture Notes

G: (Japanese Script and English Translation) This pages contains a script of the featured story in Japanese and a translation in English.

− ねずみ Script

− うえきや Script

− びじゅつかん Script

− よっぱらい Script

*All videos have the capability to view without subtitles, with subtitles in Japanese, or with subtitles in English. For help on viewing any video with or without subtitles in Japanese or English click here

4. About:

This sections contains more information on the rakugo performer, how to use subtitles, and list of terminology.

I. Objectives: Explanation of the site objectives, how to use the site, and student survey.

II. Subtitles: How to turn the subtitles on and off in Japanese or English.

III. Katsura Asakichi: More information about the performer.

IV. Glossary: Explanation of the terminology used in the website.

5. Site Map:

An outline and basic explanation of the website with links to each page.