Latest news with #AtsukoOkatsuka
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Atsuko Okatsuka's brings big 'dad' energy to new special
It was a dad joke that nobody saw coming. There stood comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, sporting her signature bowl cut, beside a man she hadn't seen in decades — her estranged father — under the dim lights of Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya. Looking at his shoulders, she suddenly says, 'This whole time I've had the body of an engineer!' This was back in April 2023, at a 'secret' stand-up set advertised with only a silhouette — and that bowl cut, an obvious giveaway to anyone who had seen the comedian's viral videos or her first special, 'The Intruder,' which had come out a few months prior on HBO Max. What the small crowd gathered to see her didn't realize was that they would get a rare chance to witness a family reunion, too. The comedian's previous special, 2022's 'The Intruder,' won her rave reviews and in some ways led to an unexpected family reunion in Tokyo. | JOHAN BROOKS Okatsuka — who is Japanese on her father's side and Taiwanese on her mother's — was only 8 when she last saw her father. At that time, she was living with him in Chiba Prefecture, attending elementary school there. One day, her mother and grandmother took her for a holiday to Los Angeles and simply never brought her back. As comedians often do, Okatsuka now finds the humor in her complicated history, joking about her life as an immigrant with both daddy issues and Stockholm Syndrome. 'My vibe is kidnapped. That's what I'm giving,' she says on stage with an exaggerated wail. 'I could have had a whole different life in Japan. Now I am an American ... with a story. You don't want to be that.' Grandma and the 'drop challenge' Her story will be a major part of her new comedy special, titled 'Father,' set to be released worldwide via Hulu and Disney+ on June 13, just in time for Father's Day weekend. 'I didn't want to leave and I had no choice,' Okatsuka says earnestly over an early morning video call from her home in LA. 'I lost my friends. I lost some family. And then I had to become a famous comedian to be able to come back.' Okatsuka, now 37, changes her voice as if to mimic her grandmother, 'I'll take her to LA, she'll be a star!' While she doesn't necessarily use the word 'grateful' when it comes to these past parental decisions, she clearly isn't resentful either, even referring to grandma as her 'best friend.' She backs the sentiment with actions, too. Fans will recognize her grandmother from many of the videos she posts to her million-plus following on Instagram, including her viral 'drop challenge' clips, which see her sink to the ground during a beat drop inspired by Beyonce's 'Partition.' Okatsuka says giving people a relatable look into her life during the pandemic is what helped build her fanbase, which in turn enabled her to tour. 'I had been doing stand-up for so long. I was ready to tour but you need an audience to tour,' she says, adding that eventually the audience grew to allow her 'to go back to places that I came from ... Taiwan, Japan.' Okatsuka's complicated family history — which included living as an undocumented immigrant for seven years and living with her mother's schizophrenia — is laid bare in her comedy. 'Nothing is private with me,' she says. If you've been following Atsuko Okatsuka, you'll be familiar with her complicated past. "My vibe is kidnapped. That's what I'm giving," she says. | JOHAN BROOKS As a comedian who built her career over social media during the pandemic, Atsuko Okatsuka says by giving people a look into her 'relatable' lifestyle she was able to acquire fans, which in turn led her to being able to tour internationally. | JOHAN BROOKS In 'Father,' she also riffs on her husband (and the special's director) Ryan Harper Gray's vasectomy, and, judging by sets she tried out in Tokyo during her month-long stay in January, we're likely to hear about naked bathtime awkwardness with her grandmother as well as her dentist's suggestion to have a threesome. Don't mistake Okatsuka's candidness for an intention to shock, though. Her delivery is whimsical, even naively child-like at times. She says she learned English from watching cartoons, which might explain her style, the vibrant and colorful outfits she's known for, and her comedic physicality: She often pulls funny faces or suddenly freezes on stage, a la 'Scooby Doo.' (Come to think of it, Velma had short hair and wore bright colors, too!) When Okatsuka talks about wanting to do something wacky, like ride a tandem bike with her husband, it's not that hard to imagine her doing it. Her humor is sharp, but never cruel. 'Male comedians come up here and what do they want to know? 'Are you two together? Are you fucking?'' she says to the audience in 'Father.' 'Nuh-uh. Not me. I want to know, 'How did you become friends?' That's all I care about.' Okatsuka's draw isn't just about childish observations, eccentric outfits or that bowl cut — which is a common look with schoolchildren in Japan. It's also about the relatability of struggling with grown-up responsibilities — failing at 'adulting.' 'I didn't know how paperwork works, so me and Ryan didn't know we weren't married for the past seven years,' she says, explaining how the couple had forgotten to turn in the right forms at City Hall — which they finally got around to doing last year, filming it all for social media. In one of her comedy routines, she admits that she doesn't do laundry because, well, it baffles her. Her husband does it, though, 'and that is ... feminism.' Call her daddy In addition to touching on her family history, Okatsuka says, ''Father' is also a bit about the idea of gender role reversal. 'My fans call me 'mother,' but to me, mothers have it together. So, I'm more ... 'father' — thriving in life but clueless about the basics.' She pauses, remembering her own mother isn't the nurturing type either. 'What does it mean for her to be a normal woman? Nobody is normal,' she says. 'There is no being one kind of person, let alone one kind of woman. So, yeah, call me 'father.'' With that 2023 homecoming show under her belt, and visits to Japan on her international 'Full Grown' tour the year after, it seems like Okatsuka has been getting reacquainted with her homeland. She and her husband were back in Tokyo around the New Year's holiday period to live here for a month. During that time, she did multiple shows at Tokyo Comedy Bar where she made her audiences sing the Japanese national anthem and flexed her improving Japanese skills, courtesy of Duolingo or, as she puts it, 'that owl that told me I was good.' It's a reminder to know your audience — language-learning struggles are something a Tokyo crowd will understand well, whether they're new to Japan or locals who've tried to improve their English. 'So many people live in places they did not come from. So many people feel they don't belong anywhere,' she says. 'That feeling is in my comedy. That feeling is home for all of us. So we have each other, right?' Atsuko Okatsuka waits backstage before performing in Tokyo earlier this year. The Japanese comedian who grew up in California has been making more and more trips to Japan as of late. | JOHAN BROOKS Yurie Collins, a comedian who is bilingual and bicultural, and opened for Okatsuka during some of her 'Full Grown' tour dates, says she can relate to those themes on many levels. Collins says watching Okatsuka perform was 'nothing short of inspiring.' 'She reminded me that when you're a true entertainer, there are no borders,' Collins adds. 'The audience's familiarity with English or stand-up comedy didn't matter; she connected with everyone in the room. She proved that if you bring heart, charisma and craft, you can win over any crowd.' Future reunions? During her holiday stay, Okatsuka won over the crowds at Tokyo Comedy Bar testing new material ahead of the 'Father' release. It was yet another family anecdote where she got the most laughs, though, telling the story of meeting her half-brother for the first time. She insisted they meet at a theme park, 'her own turf,' as she puts it. So, they decided on Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. 'I needed distractions. Samurai and ninja chasing after us,' she says. One thing they have in common? An odd sense of humor: He asked her to pose like a cat for a photo as soon as they met. 'Are you kidding me?' she recalls. 'We are the same person!' For those in Tokyo, we can only hope there are a few more relatives that Okatsuka has yet to meet. Maybe then she'll keep doing sets at Tokyo Comedy Bar. While remaining noncommittal, she doesn't rule out future visits. 'Anyway, if you have an apartment you want to let us rent, let us know,' she laughs. Atsuko Okatsuka says her comedy caters to those who feel like they 'don't belong anywhere.' | JOHAN BROOKS 'Father' premieres in Japan on Disney+ on June 13. For details, visit
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Atsuko Okatsuka's guide to Los Angeles
The quirky Drop Challenge comedian finds community in multicultural LA. Here are her top ways to enjoy the city, from catching live comedy to getting hot pot with her grandmother. Before becoming a global capital for film and creativity, Los Angeles was – and remains – a cultural crossroads. Since the 19th Century, successive waves of immigration, particularly from Latin America and across Asia, have shaped the city's identity and communities. We spoke to comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, LA local and star of the upcoming Hulu comedy special, Father, to get to the heart of this dynamic city. "My story with LA started with a surprise," says Okatsuka, whose comedic TikTok skits shot her to internet acclaim during the Covid-19 pandemic. "My grandmother brought me [to LA] from Japan when I was eight years old. It was supposed to be just a vacation visit. Then we stayed for over 20 years. I grew up near Sawtelle, which is lovingly known as Little Osaka, so I was surrounded by Japanese food, culture and community from an early age – which was extra special because I had just moved from Japan and was missing it a lot." One of her most popular videos is the now-iconic Drop Challenge, where she squat-danced to Beyoncé's song Partition around the city's Little Tokyo. But these locations are more than just backdrops for her comedy – for Okatsuka, LA's neighbourhoods are places that inspire connection. "Community means a lot to me because every category I belong to can be a very lonely, isolating category – being an immigrant; being a comedian," she says. "LA's diversity makes it feel like home. It's one of the few cities where so many different cultures can thrive side by side." Here are Okatsuka's favourite ways to experience Los Angeles. 1. Best for hanging with friends: Edendale Bar While there's no shortage of hangout spots in sprawling, cosmopolitan Los Angeles, Okatsuka's favourite place to hang with friends is the historic Edendale Bar in Silverlake. The original building, established in 1924, served as Los Angeles Fire Station 56. Following a 2002 restoration, today it's a multipurpose space decorated with nods to Old Hollywood and 1920s jazz bars. Art Deco deco crystal chandeliers and walls lined with portraits of silent film stars grace the rooms. "It's a very cosy vibe. It feels more like home. You know it's never going to be super crowded and [so] loud [that] you can't talk to each other. It's mine and my husband's Cheers," says Okatsuka. The friendly space features a restaurant serving American comfort food as well as full cocktail service. "It's tailored to everyone's liking," says Okatsuka. "If you want to eat outside, you can go to the front patio. If you want to just drink, there's the bar. It's really catered to getting to know each other." Website: 2838 Rowena Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039Phone: +13236662000Instagram: @theedendale 2. Best art experience: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA As a California Institute of the Arts (CalArt) alum, Okatsuka enjoys hitting museums and galleries in her downtime. "I went to art school and I really love artful experiences and just art in general," she says. "When my husband and I have time off in a city or country, we're usually at an art museum or gallery." Her favourite is The Geffen Contemporary at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Housed in a former police car warehouse, the space spans more than 3,500sqm in the heart of Little Tokyo, an area that was once home to the US's largest Japanese community and where Okatsuka filmed her viral Drop Challenge video. Designed by Frank Gehry, the industrial-style venue houses large-scale exhibitions and contemporary art installations. "They have really great exhibits and it's always very immersive," says Okatsuka. "The whole place is dedicated to one exhibit at a time. I really love going there." Website: 152 N Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012Phone: +12136254390Instagram: @moca 3. Best for comedy lovers: The Comedy Store, Hollywood Improv, Elysian Theater and Largo at the Coronet Los Angeles' comedy tradition runs deep, and Okatsuka can often be found at the city's vast wealth of comedy clubs – for work and for pleasure. "The comedy scene in Los Angeles is pretty diverse," she says. "We have everything for you." Okatsuka suggests dipping your toes into the scene by visiting theatres. "It's a little more artful than a comedy club," she explains. For a wide range of comedy, or even clowning shows, the Elysian Theater, she says, is a mandatory stop. The century-old Riverside institution has a reputation for its experimental performances at the intersection of theatre and comedy. Meanwhile, Largo at the Coronet in La Cienaga is her go-to for music enthusiasts. "If you like seeing musicians or you just like seeing celebrities trying out their new jokes for the first time, the Largo is a great place for that," says Okatsuka. "Musicians join the lineup so you can be watching standup comedy the same night Beck is doing a set." Okatsuka also recommends emblematic establishments The Comedy Store and Hollywood Improv. The Comedy Store, whose history dates to the 1970s, is a Sunset Strip landmark that has launched legendary comedians including Jim Carrey and David Letterman. "[It has] a pretty diverse lineup and the audience is true comedy lovers," says Okatsuka. Meanwhile, at Hollywood Improv, A-list lineups are the norm. It's also where you can catch Okatsuka's act. "The Comedy Store and Hollywood Improv are two places I perform at a lot," she says. "Those are places I really feel at home. I love that the place I'm working at feels like a second home." Website: 1944 Riverside Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039Instagram: @elysiantheater Website: 366 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048Instagram: @largolosangeles Website: 8433 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069Phone: +13236566225Instagram: @thecomedystore Website: 8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046Phone: +13236512583Instagram: @HollywoodImprov 4. Best culinary experience: YinTang Spicy Hot Pot Los Angeles' history is perhaps best exemplified by its diverse culinary offerings. Asian cuisine, particularly Chinese and Taiwanese food, has carved a special place in the Angeleno diet. While Chinatown in downtown LA is one of the most popular places to discover Asian flavours, in recent years, the San Gabriel Valley has emerged as the ultimate hotspot for Asian cuisine thanks to the large Asian American population — more than half a million Asian Americans now inhabit the area. Arcadia, nested in the heart of the Valley, has nurtured a particularly authentic food scene. "It's a very Chinese-Taiwanese part of town. Some [people] call it the actual Chinatown," Okatsuka says. "It means a lot to me because it's a place where my grandmother finds community as an immigrant." One of Okatsuka's favourite eateries here is YinTang, a self-service Chinese hot pot restaurant she enjoys visiting with her Taiwanese grandmother. "[It's a place] my husband, grandma and I love to go to. We often eat dinner there," she says. Website: 1435 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007Phone: +16266238800 5. Best for families: The Shops at Santa Anita Though shopping malls in the United States are in no way a novelty, Asian malls thrived during the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to their vibrant small businesses and the community fabric holding them afloat. The Shops at Santa Anita in Arcadia, where Okatsuka enjoys spending time with her family, is one such place. "There are a lot of malls in the world, but this mall is very special in general, not just to us," she says. Flaunting a wide selection of Asian shops and eateries, the shops is anchored by a food court that, according to Okatsuka, accommodates authentic Asian restaurants you won't find at any other shopping centre. The highlight is the wide range of Asian eateries and shops, from boba tea stands to Mongolian BBQ. "It's great for a whole family to go," says Okatsuka. "There is a food court and outdoor patio that almost feels like an Asian night market you'd see in Taiwan or Thailand. You can even see lion dancers sometimes – not because it's Lunar New Year, but because a store wants to bless their finances, so they hired dancers." A couple of times a year, people can also stop by the 626 Night Market at Santa Anita Park, less than a mile away. The bazaar-slash-festival unites food vendors, small businesses and entertainment activities in a large-scale event inspired by Asian night markets. "In the summer, they usually have the 626 market at the Santa Anita racetracks, in the parking lot," says Okatsuka. "There are a lot of Asian food stalls." Website: 400 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007Phone: +16264453116Instagram: @shopsatsantaanita 6. Best for shopping: Nooworks Along with her wit and relatable stand-up material, Okatsuka has cultivated a recognisable presence with her style. Her signature bowl haircut and statement dopamine dressing have bestowed her with style icon status. One of the comedian's top spots to shop is female-owned fashion brand Nooworks for their eclectic designs and sustainable ethos. "Nooworks is a clothing brand I like to wear a lot, especially when I'm travelling, because it's comfortable. The pieces carry bright colours and lots of prints," she says. The brand manufactures all its products in California, with Los Angeles as a home base for fabric milling and printing. Nooworks' storefront in Los Angeles is located on York Boulevard and is easily identifiable by its pink exterior. Inside, customers will find a range of size-inclusive pieces, brimming with colour and novel patterns. Website: 5045 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042Phone: +13232744462Instagram: @nooworks BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Tatler Asia
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
All jokes aside, Atsuko Okatsuka gets serious about navigating cultural identities and the comedy industry
Above Atsuko Okatsuka (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong) For instance, while she doesn't claim to be a diversity champion, she never shies away from serious, heavy topics such as racial stereotyping. And despite her iconic bowl cut hairstyle being a nod to the often-mocked hairstyle stereotypically associated with Asian kids, she wears it proudly. She calls it her 'brand', and tells Tatler , 'I'll have to sell all the T-shirts that have my bowl cut on it first, and then I can grow it out.' Not that she intends to go all Rapunzel. 'You gotta keep growing as an artist,' she says cheekily, 'so that could mean a bigger bowl cut. Maybe it's two or three times the size; maybe it's a different colour.' Her jokes are also celebrated for wittily and blithely pointing out the absurdity of social phenomena. In Father , she ridicules her teenage experience as a cheerleader, a role that's widely considered glamorous or desirable but one which she considers somewhat pointless. 'We're just there providing vibes, trying desperately not to get found out that we could easily be replaced with nothing at all, because cheerleading is the only sport where you're supporting another sport,' she says in the show. In case you missed it: How Hong Kong's first all-femme comedian group turns laughter into empowerment Above Atsuko Okatsuka (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong) Above Atsuko Okatsuka (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong) While she's obviously found success in her career, she boldly points out that the goal 'is not to get any [cheap] laughs. People get confused about the art of stand-up comedy. It's very important to think about why people laugh at your jokes,' she says. 'If you go on stage and you keep farting, people will eventually laugh. But why are they laughing? Is it because they're uncomfortable and they don't know how else to react? If you say something racist onstage and people laugh, is it because they're scared and they're weirded out? That doesn't mean you've succeeded. I wish this [approach would] change in the industry, because then that's just chasing cheap laughs. These are not well-crafted laughs.' Okatsuka got into comedy about 15 years ago, when a friend from church, who thought she had a sense of humour, gave her a DVD of Cho's stand-up show. She didn't necessarily relate to the jokes, which focused on second- or third-generation Asian American experiences and stereotypes, such as the classic Asian parents' dream for their children to be doctors and lawyers. But because of the hurdles they faced when they first arrived in the US, Okatsuka says, 'My mum's and grandma's priority was not, 'Hey, study and be a doctor.' My grandma was like, 'I'm just happy you're alive, OK?' The standards were lower because the circumstances were so wild. Above Atsuko Okatsuka (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong) Above Atsuko Okatsuka (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong) 'But I loved that I was watching a fellow Asian American woman performing. I had never seen stand-up comedy before. I did not know that was a job, in which you could stand up there alone and tell stories and jokes, and people would watch you the whole time and laugh and relate to you. You're not a band, a dancer or a whole movie with production. It's very simple but it's the most interesting art form to me.' Career success aside, comedy has also helped Okatsuka work through personal hardship. 'It helps me process what's happening in real life and then spin it into a positive thing—not just for me but for my audiences too,' she says. 'Just even talking about my mum's mental illness, for example—instead of being helpless and letting it get me down, when my mum says something funny or silly, I'll be like, 'Oh, let me write that down.' Or I think of solutions: how do I make schizophrenia sound not so scary? Maybe we name it after rides at Disneyland. It helps normalise mental illness, like I say in my jokes. It's the only way I know how to cope with things. It's not necessarily a healthy thing, but making sad things funny is what I'm good at.' Above Atsuko Okatsuka (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong) In September 2023, she accepted Glass's invitation and recorded an episode of The American Life —which turned out to be the perfect chance for her to clear up her early life story. Around the time of the podcast, her father, still living in Japan, was recuperating from a stroke. 'It was kind of a wake-up call,' she says in the Glass interview. 'Am I really gonna never ask what happened with my move to the US?' She went on a deep dive, even hiring translators for herself and her Mandarin-speaking grandmother, who lives 20 minutes away from her home in LA, and her Japanese-speaking father, whom she travelled to Japan to meet in a Tokyo hotel—she speaks only conversational Mandarin and Japanese. For the first time, through honest, lengthy, partly confrontational, partly joking conversations, she learnt how her parents met, lived together and divorced, and how her father and grandmother made tough decisions in her best interest. Above Atsuko Okatsuka (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong) Looking back, she feels it is stand-up comedy that leads her back to her roots, opens up difficult conversations for her and helps her cope with the repercussions of a complicated past. She hopes, through her craft, she can do the same for her audiences. 'Through my stand-up specials or live shows, I want to constantly be able to entertain people,' she says. '[But also,] I care about how other people feel. Being a stand-up comedian means that if I'm talking about something sad, I want to make sure the audience isn't sad for too long and that I save them from it quickly. They pay to come to a comedy show to escape; I want to take care of them. 'The world is very small. If something [sad or traumatic] has happened to you, most likely it could have happened to someone else too. At the heart of it, my message is you're not alone in this. Being an adult is hard, so you might as well have fun while [being one] and have a laugh at it, too.' Credits Photography: Kiu Ka Yee Styling: SK Tang
