Japan's stand-up runs in two languages, and Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto each have a stage for English-speaking visitors. Tokyo Comedy Bar, a minute from Shibuya Station, puts on two shows a night in English and Japanese and is home to the Tokyo International Comedy Festival; Osaka Comedy Club has run English stand-up in Namba since 2011, at 8pm six nights a week; and Kyoto Comedy fills Ki Bar in Pontocho on Friday and Saturday nights. In Japanese, Yoshimoto Kogyo's theatres — Lumine the Yoshimoto above Shinjuku Station and Namba Grand Kagetsu in Osaka — stage manzai and comedy from morning to night, and the M-1 Grand Prix, Japan's contest for manzai double acts, is in its second round this October.
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The short answer
For stand-up comedy in Japan, D.O.C. lists 5 rooms and nights in 3 cities — Tokyo (2), Osaka (2) and Kyoto — each with a dated show coming up as of 11 October 2026. Below: each room's nights, its open mic and how comics get on, tickets and the age rule; the festivals and awards; and the 1 comedian SUCDb holds who came up in Japan.
D.O.C.'s Japan page: where to see English stand-up comedy in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, the comedy theatres in Japanese, the festival, the contest and the routes in for comics, with show times straight from the rooms themselves — so a night of comedy in Japan is as easy to plan as one at home.
Stand-up comedy in Tokyo
Where to see English stand-up comedy in Tokyo: Tokyo Comedy Bar on Dogenzaka in Shibuya, with shows in English and Japanese nightly and open mics through the week. For comedy in Japanese, Lumine the Yoshimoto sits on the seventh floor of Lumine Shinjuku 2, by the south exit of Shinjuku Station.
3rd floor, 1-5-9 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0043
ShowsJapan's home of stand-up comedy, in its own words, founded by local comedians: shows in English and Japanese each night — two shows nightly — plus comedy courses for anyone who wants to try stand-up, and craft beer on tap. It has brought comedy acts from the U.S., the U.K. and beyond to Tokyo. source ↗
ListedStand-Up Comedy in Shibuya (English), the weeknight showcase — Monday 12 October 2026, 7.30pm, on its calendar as of 11 October 2026 source ↗
Open micEnglish open mics on Mondays, Sundays and some Wednesdays, with a few spots kept at the Last Train late shows on select Fridays and Saturdays; spots are four minutes, performers bring one guest free, and a Japanese-language open mic has a sign-up of its own. source ↗
Getting bookedSign up for open mics on its form, which closes at midnight on the Wednesday two weeks before (spots are not first come, first served), and arrive 20 minutes before the show; first-timers also write in to introduce themselves, and visiting comedians email the dates they are in Tokyo with a recent performance video. source ↗
Tickets¥3,000 for the Stand-Up Comedy in Shibuya showcase, ¥1,500 for students with ID; doors at 6.45pm, show 75 minutes, in English, booked online. source ↗
AgeNo set age — children old enough to sit in their own seats without disturbing other guests are welcome, though the content may not suit them. source ↗
AlsoThe nearest station is Shibuya (the JR west and Hachiko exits); seating starts 15 minutes before showtime, door tickets are sold when a show isn't sold out, and the bar takes cash, cards other than JCB, Apple Pay, Suica/PASMO and PayPay, with hot sandwiches and snacks. source ↗
Lumine Shinjuku 2, 7th floor, 3-38-2 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
ShowsYoshimoto Kogyo's comedy theatre above Shinjuku Station, in Japanese: shows of nine or ten Yoshimoto acts at 2pm and 4pm on weekdays and at 11am, 1.30pm and 4pm on weekends and holidays on its October 2026 listings, and evening specials such as its young comedians' material festival and Yoshimoto Shinkigeki comedy plays. source ↗
ListedThe 11am show, with COWCOW and nine more Yoshimoto acts — Monday 12 October 2026, 11am, on its calendar as of 11 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the venue in person.
AlsoRight by the south and southeast exits of Shinjuku Station. source ↗
Osaka Comedy Club calls the city Japan's comedy capital. English stand-up plays its basement room in Nishishinsaibashi near Namba, and Yoshimoto's Namba Grand Kagetsu, a few streets away in Namba, is the home of manzai and Yoshimoto Shinkigeki.
Hosen Building B1, 2-16-13 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0086
ShowsEnglish comedy shows in Osaka since 2011, at 8pm: on its October 2026 calendar, a showcase on Mondays and from Wednesday to Sunday. Its performances are entirely in English, with no Japanese needed, and it sits just under LnL, a shisha bar that also serves food. source ↗
ListedThe Monday Showcase — Monday 12 October 2026, 8pm, on its calendar as of 11 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the club in person.
TicketsWalk-ins are welcome while there is room; an RSVP on its site guarantees a spot. source ↗
AlsoIt began in 2011 as ROR Comedy, Osaka's first English-language stand-up group, and its comedians have played sold-out shows in Tokyo, Nagoya and Okinawa; visiting headliners have included Josie Long, Adam Bloom, Phil Wang, Yuriko Kotani and Steve Hofstetter. source ↗
ShowsYoshimoto Kogyo's theatre in Namba, in Japanese: its main show runs daily — a line-up of manzai and rakugo acts, then a Yoshimoto Shinkigeki comedy play — twice on weekdays and up to four times on weekends and holidays, with 7pm live shows of comedians' material and Shinkigeki on some evenings. source ↗
ListedThe main show: manzai and rakugo from Kiyoshi Nishikawa, Katsura Bunchin, Tomonori Jinnai and more, then Yoshimoto Shinkigeki — Monday 12 October 2026, 10am, on its calendar as of 11 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the venue in person.
TicketsSeats are reserved: ¥5,000 downstairs and ¥4,500 upstairs for the December 2026 main shows, ¥6,000 for its winter-holiday shows. source ↗
Ki Bar, 123-1 Ishiyacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8002
ShowsEnglish and bilingual stand-up at Ki Bar in Pontocho: the Saturday flagship showcase and the Funny Fridays open mic at 8pm (doors 7pm), plus special shows, workshops and events. source ↗
ListedBJ Fox, the bilingual comedian, in a Japanese-language stand-up show — Wednesday 14 October 2026, 7pm, on its calendar as of 11 October 2026 source ↗
Open micFunny Fridays, its weekly open mic at Ki Bar: doors 7pm, show 8pm; first-timers, regulars and visiting comics welcome, with three to five minutes prepared. source ↗
Getting bookedRequest an open mic spot on its form; visiting and touring comedians send their dates, a five- to ten-minute video set and their credits for the Saturday Night Showcase and special events. source ↗
TicketsFree entry on Fridays and Saturdays, pay what you feel, with a one-drink minimum. source ↗
Tokyo Comedy Bar and Baird Brewing's festival, in its third year in 2026: more than 120 shows over eleven days, billed as East Asia's largest stand-up comedy festival, with international and Japanese comedians, the King of Kanto competition, workshops, podcasts, special events and a limited-edition festival beer. source ↗
Japan's contest for manzai double acts, organised by Asahi Broadcasting Television and Yoshimoto Kogyo. The 2026 first round ran from 1 August to 3 October in cities from Sapporo to Naha; the second round plays Tokyo's Kaminari 5656 Kaikan Tokiwa Hall and Osaka's SPACE 14 from 12 to 21 October, with the third round, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, the second-chance round and the final to be announced as they are set. source ↗
For comics: getting on stage in Japan
The routes into stand-up comedy in Japan that the rooms and festivals publish themselves.
English open mics on Mondays, Sundays and some Wednesdays, four-minute spots, with sign-up by form closing at midnight on the Wednesday two weeks ahead; first-timers say so on the form and write in to introduce themselves, and a Japanese-language open mic has its own sign-up. source ↗
A three-and-a-half-hour Introduction to Stand-Up Workshop in English that ends with a short set in front of classmates, and a Japanese-language course taught by the bilingual comedian BJ Fox, from the basics to writing material and a set on stage. source ↗
Experienced comics new to Tokyo start on an open mic; visiting comedians with confirmed travel dates send the dates they can perform and a link to a full, recent club set (no short clips or file transfers), and spots are booked two to three weeks out. source ↗
The Friday open mic at Ki Bar in Pontocho takes first-timers, regulars and visiting comics with three to five minutes; comics touring Japan send their dates, a five- to ten-minute video and their credits for the Saturday Night Showcase, and Kansai residents can ask to join its comedians' community. source ↗
Each room's line above says whether it runs an open mic and how it books. At home in the United States,
Stage Time has open mics by night and the Gig Board has calls for comics.
Comedians in SUCDb who came up in Japan
The comedians SUCDb holds who came up in Japan, each with their record — and their next date when the Comedy Calendar has one.
Began her career headlining at the Tokyo Comedy Store while living in Japan; now based in London, with solo hours at the Edinburgh Fringe since 2010 and spots on the BBC's Live at the Apollo.
Questions about stand-up comedy in Japan
Where can I see stand-up comedy in Japan?
In Tokyo, Tokyo Comedy Bar and Lumine the Yoshimoto; in Osaka, Osaka Comedy Club and NGK; in Kyoto, Kyoto Comedy. Each had a dated show coming up as of 11 October 2026; its line above has the address, the nights and the age rule.
Where can I see English stand-up comedy in Tokyo?
At Tokyo Comedy Bar, on the third floor of 1-5-9 Dogenzaka in Shibuya, which puts on two shows a night in English and Japanese. Its Stand-Up Comedy in Shibuya showcase starts at 7.30pm on weeknights (¥3,000, ¥1,500 for students), with Weekend Comedy in Shibuya at 7.30pm from Friday to Sunday and Last Train Comedy, a 9pm late show in English, on select Fridays and Saturdays.
Where can I see English stand-up comedy in Osaka?
At Osaka Comedy Club, which began in 2011 as ROR Comedy: a basement room at 2-16-13 Nishishinsaibashi near Namba with shows at 8pm on Mondays and from Wednesday to Sunday, entirely in English. Walk-ins are welcome while there is room, and an RSVP on its site guarantees a spot.
Is there English comedy in Kyoto?
Yes. Kyoto Comedy puts on English and bilingual stand-up at Ki Bar in Pontocho, beside Gion and Kawaramachi: the Funny Fridays open mic and the Saturday flagship showcase, both at 8pm, free to enter and pay what you feel, with a one-drink minimum.
Where can I see manzai and Japanese comedy live?
At Yoshimoto Kogyo's theatres: Lumine the Yoshimoto, on the seventh floor of Lumine Shinjuku 2 by Shinjuku Station, with shows from 11am on weekends and holidays and at 2pm and 4pm on weekdays, and Namba Grand Kagetsu in Osaka, whose daily main show pairs manzai and rakugo acts with a Yoshimoto Shinkigeki comedy play.
Are there open mics in Tokyo?
Yes. Tokyo Comedy Bar runs English open mics on Mondays, Sundays and some Wednesdays, with four-minute spots booked through its sign-up form, which closes at midnight on the Wednesday two weeks ahead; it also has a Japanese-language open mic and introductory stand-up workshops in English and Japanese.
What age do you need to be for comedy clubs in Japan?
Each room sets its own rule: Tokyo Comedy Bar: no set age — children old enough to sit in their own seats without disturbing other guests are welcome, though the content may not suit them.
How do new comedians get into stand-up comedy in Japan?
Tokyo Comedy Bar: open mics — English open mics on Mondays, Sundays and some Wednesdays, four-minute spots, with sign-up by form closing at midnight on the Wednesday two weeks ahead; first-timers say so on the form and write in to introduce themselves, and a Japanese-language open mic has its own sign-up.
Tokyo Comedy Bar: workshops — A three-and-a-half-hour Introduction to Stand-Up Workshop in English that ends with a short set in front of classmates, and a Japanese-language course taught by the bilingual comedian BJ Fox, from the basics to writing material and a set on stage.
Tokyo Comedy Bar: visiting comedians — Experienced comics new to Tokyo start on an open mic; visiting comedians with confirmed travel dates send the dates they can perform and a link to a full, recent club set (no short clips or file transfers), and spots are booked two to three weeks out.
Kyoto Comedy: Funny Fridays and visiting comics — The Friday open mic at Ki Bar in Pontocho takes first-timers, regulars and visiting comics with three to five minutes; comics touring Japan send their dates, a five- to ten-minute video and their credits for the Saturday Night Showcase, and Kansai residents can ask to join its comedians' community.
Which comedians in SUCDb came up in Japan?
Spring Day — each with a record of their career and its sources.
Sources
The facts on this page come from the rooms', festivals' and awards' own websites, as of 11 October 2026; the
comedians' lines are from their SUCDb records, which carry their own sources. 8 sites, 21 pages:
