5 Minutes of Shikujiri Sensei (w/ Ide Rakkyo) [English Translation]

The cast

Here is an episode of a well-known Japanese late night TV show, called Shikujiri Sensei (しくじり先生). The premise of the show is that celebrities come on as a Sensei and tell the class about where they have failed in their careers, and how not to do the same. Although I never make it to that part, because I am only watching the clips on YouTube, which are roughly the first 15 minutes of the show, which probably lasts an hour. So I never get to hear the advice. That’s okay. I don’t need it anyway, I’m just here for the Japanese.

I liked this episode a lot, with a famous entertainer, Ide Rakkyo, the founder of the nude act. I thought I would transcribe and translate the episode, about 15 minutes, for practice. But it was hard, I was averaging about an hour per minute of transcription (listening to the episode and recording what was said, and I had a lot of help, from the YouTube auto-subtitle and the actual show putting up subtitles at times) and so I ended up just settling for five minutes of the episode so that I didn’t spend 20 hours on this little project.

Yoshimura Takashi
Ijyuuin Hikaru
Moriwaki Ririka
Fukutome Mitsuho
Sawabe Yuu (right)
The homeroom teacher: Wakabayashi Masayusa
Today’s Failure Sensei: Ide Rakkyo
Ide Rakkyo naked within 2.5 seconds

START

Wakabayashi: “Here is today’s Failure Sensei. Welcome!”

Applause

Ide Rakkyo loses his clothes

Sawabe: “So fast! So fast!”

Ide Rakkyo: “I’ve done my work for the day, so I’ll go home now.”

Everyone: “Sensei, class! Class!”

Sawabe: “The fastest anyone has ever gotten into their underwear.”

Wakabayashi: “Amazing, wow.”

Ide Rakkyo starts putting clothes back on

Ijyuuin: “And so calm in getting dressed, of course. We would expect nothing less.”

Yoshimura: “I’m so happy.”

Wakabayashi: “Yoshimura, you must be happy.”

Yoshimura: “Of course, absolutely. He is the peak of my lineage. There’s no doubt about it!”

Ide Rakkyo: “Hello, I am Ide Rakkyo from Takeshi’s Army. Thank you for having me here today.”

Ide Rakkyo: “But I think there may be some people here who don’t know about me.”

Shot of Fukutome blank-faced

Wakabayashi: “What, really?”

Sawabe: “You don’t know him?”

Yoshimura: “Why?”

Moriwaki: “But, I asked my dad. I said that I would be working with Ide Rakkyou tomorrow, and my dad replied, ‘He’s someone who gets naked immediately.’”

Ide Rakkyo: “Well, that happened right away.”

Sawabe: “It was proved immediately.”

Moriwaki: “Really!”

Wakabayashi: “Your dad is a prophet.”

Yoshimura: “He’s not a prophet!”

Ide Rakkyo: “Well, first let me introduce you to my profile. Please open your textbook to page 4.”

Ijyuuin: “Okay.”

Ide Rakkyo: “My real name is Ide Hiroshi. Hiroshi is written as Hakase. It’s a good name isn’t it. Yes.”

Ide Rakkyo: “I’m from Kumamoto, and I’m 66. I’ve become quite an old man, now.”

Wakabayashi: “And you’re still doing that at 66, amazing…”

Ide Rakkyo: “That’s right.”

Ide Rakkyo: “My special skill is short-distance running.”

Sawabe: “You were so fast! The fastest in the entertainment industry.”

Ide Rakkyo: “My fastest time was, for the 100 meter dash, 10.89 seconds.”

Moriwaki: “10 seconds!”

Ide Rakkyo: “Yes. As for stripping down, about 2.5.”

Everyone laughs and says, “That’s fast.”

Sawabe: “The world record.”

Wakabayashi: “It’s still hasn’t been beaten.”

Yoshimura: “So fast.”

Sawabe: “Because nobody else is doing it.”

Ijyuuin: “Really, nobody else is taking their clothes off.”

Ide Rakkyo: “Well then, there were originally 10 members in Takeshi’s Army. Of those ten members, Sono Manma Higashi was also a member of the army.”

浮気否定会見>必死の釈明で浮気を否定する会見を行った、そのまんま東(1998年撮影) - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能
Sono Manma Higashi そのまんま東
Members of Takeshi’s Army (Ide Rakkyo is posing in center)

Wakabayashi: “Yes.”

Sawabe: “Mr. Higashi was the youngest, wasn’t he?”

Ide Rakkyo: “That’s right, that’s right.”

Ide Rakkyo: “Mr. Takeshi created all of our stage names. Takeshi kun. Mr. Beat Takeshi.”

Takeshi Kitano - Wikipedia
Beat Takeshi

Ide Rakkyo: “We had gone to an Izakaya, they brought us some edamame, and Takeshi said, ‘Oh, you’re Tsumami Edamame’, and in that way it was decided.”

Morwaki: “Really? So that’s how it happened.”

Ide Rakkyo: “Then next, sometimes they brought rakkyou (onions), and Takeshi said, ‘Hey Ide, you look like rakkyou, so you’ll be Ide Rakkyou.’”

Rakkyo Zuke - 【郷土料理ものがたり】
Rakkyo

Wakabayashi: “Wow.”

Ide Rakkyo: “If it had been ninniku (garlic), these days I would be called Ide Ninniku instead.”

Ide Rakkyo: “Well, that’s me, but in the entertainment world, I was called this. It’s on the next page.”

Ide Rakkyo: “The founder of the naked act.”

Moriwaki: “Amazing!”

Fukutome: “That’s really amazing.”

Ide Rakkyo: “At this time there are now many naked acts.”

Ijyuuin: “Many.”

Ide Rakkyo: “Yes, there are many. But, they wear swim trunks, or cover themselves with a plate. I was covered with pixels.”

Sawabe: “Right. On the scene, you were naked.”

Yoshimura: “That’s right, you were exposed.”

Moriwaki: “Wait, even your special place?”

Ide Rakkyo: “I was usually naked, completely stark naked.”

Everyone laughs

Ide Rakkyo: “Well, it wasn’t a live broadcast. Of course.”

Ide Rakkyo: “I was told to roll a snowman, I was completely stark naked, and had set my clothes down on the ground. My socks, pants, a sweater, and I was pushing the snowman, and when I went to go put my clothes back on, they were all frozen stiff, and I couldn’t wear them again!”

Moriwaki: “How terrible!”

Ide Rakkyo: “Like this, I performed in some severe locations.”

Yoshimura: “So cool.”

Ide Rakkyo: “So, that’s me, and I have committed some failures. On the next page.”

Sawabe: “Failures?”

Ide Rakkyo: “Getting completely naked without reading the room, and pissing off big names in the acting world.”

Everybody laughs

Ide Rakkyo: “Getting naked in front of the audience many times, and being reported to the police.”

Ide Rakkyo: “Getting naked at my daughter’s wedding and causing an outrage.”

Moriwaki: “No!!!!”

Wakabayashi: “Right, because they call it, ‘Virgin Road’.”

Fukutome: “Why did you think you could do that?”

Sawabe busts out laughing

Ide Rakkyo: “There were less rules at that time, so I got into trouble.”

Wakabayashi: “That’s it, right.”

Ide Rakkyo: “Yes. Like this, if I did this now, it would be considered Super Sexual Harrassment.”

Everyone laughs

Ijyuuin: “Super Sexual Harrassment.”

Wakabayashi: “A Super Sexual Harrassment actor.”

Moriwaki: “That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”

Yoshimura: “You say that but, at that time it was still Super Sexual Harrassment!”

Sawabe: “The times haven’t changed.”

Yoshimura: “They haven’t changed.”

Ide Rakkyo: “This time again, if we try to look back over my life, I think there may be some things that we can learn from. With this in mind, I’ll try and tell you about some of the failures I’ve committed with my naked act. And I would like to tell you about what I’ve learned from being in Takeshi’s Army.”

Ijyuuin: “We are really going to learn from this.”

Moriwaki: “I want to hear it.”

Narrator: “While prioritizing getting laughs, Ide Rakkyo had a number of failures with his naked act. First, let’s have a lesson about Rakkyou entering Takeshi’s Army, and the reason he started doing his naked act.”

Ide Rakkyo: “These days I am only seen as being a naked act, but 44 years ago, when I was 22 years old, I was scouted to be used in the entertainment industry for another act. That act is on the next page.”

Ide Rakkyo: “‘An impersonator repeatedly creating explosive laughter.’ Originally I was an impersonator.”

Ijyuuin: “He was an impersonator in the orthodox way.”

Yoshimura: “Is that so?”

…continues


(Original Japanese)

はじめ

若林:「本日のしくじり先生はこちらの方です。どうぞ!」

*拍手*

井手らっきょ becomes naked in 2.5 seconds

澤部:「早い!早い!」

井手らっきょ:「私ひと仕事終わったんで私は今日帰ります。」

皆:「先生、授業!授業!」

澤部:「最速パンイチ」

若林:「すごいね、これー」

伊集院:「落ちついて着ますよね、ちゃんとね、やっぱり。さすがですね。」

吉村:「嬉しいなー」

若林:「まー吉村嬉しいよなー」

吉村:「いやいやそうですよ。僕の系譜のトップの方ですから。そうですから、そう!」

井手らっきょ:「どうも、たけし軍団の井手らっきょでございました、お願いします。」

井手らっきょ:「僕のことをやっぱり知らない方もいらっしゃると思うんですけど。」

Shot of 福留 blank-faced

若林:「え、マジで?」

澤部:「知らない?」

吉村:「なんで」

森脇:「でも、パパに聞いたんですよ。明日、井手らっきょさんと仕事するんだって言ったら、あの、すぐ裸になる人だよって言われました。」

井手らっきょ:「もう、すぐなりましたからね」

澤部:「すぐ証明された」

森脇:「本当だ!」

若林:「預言者だ」

吉村:「預言者じゃないでしょ!」

井手らっきょ:「はい、まずはプロフィールを紹介しましょう。教科書4ページを開いてくださいね。」

伊集院:「はーい」

井手らっきょ:「私本名、井手博士と申します。博士(はかせ)と書いて、ひろし。いい名前ですね。うん。」

井手らっきょ:「熊本県出身、66歳もう、かなりおじいちゃんなってしまいしたが」

若林:「66で今のやってたんだ、すげーなー。」

井手らっきょ:「そう」

井手らっきょ:「特技はですね、短距離走。」

澤部:「早かったぜー!芸能界1」

井手らっきょ:「一番早かった時はね、100メートル10秒89で走りました。」

森脇:「10秒!」

井手らっきょ:「はい。脱ぐのは、2.5ぐらいで」

皆:「笑い」「早いですね」

澤部:「世界記録」

若林:「未だに破られていない」

吉村:「早いなー」

澤部:「他の人やってねーですから」

伊集院:「本当脱いでいないんだよ」

井手らっきょ:「では、たけし軍団っていうメンバーは、元々、10人、正式メンバー10人ってそのまんま東も、軍団のメンバーでありましたね。」

若林:「はい」

澤部:「東さんは一番弟子なんでしたっけ」

井手らっきょ:「そうです、そうです。」

井手らっきょ:「芸名は全部たけしさんが作るんですよ。たけし君。ビートたけしさんが。」

ビートたけし

井手らっきょ:「ほんで、その居酒屋に行った時につまみに枝豆が出て、「お、お前つまみ枝豆だ」そうやって決めるんです。」

森脇:「へー、こんな感じなんだ。」

井手らっきょ:「で隣に、たまたまらっきょがあった「お井手、お前はらっきょ見たいだから井手らっきょだ。」」

若林:「へー」

井手らっきょ:「それがもしにんにくだったら今頃僕井手にんにくって言われてるんです。」

井手らっきょ:「ま、そんな私でございますけども、芸人界隈ではですね。こう言うふうに言われました。次のページです。」

井手らっきょ:「裸芸の元祖」

森脇:「すごい!」

福留:「本当にすごい」

井手らっきょ:「現在も裸芸は結構いっらしゃいますですけどね」

伊集院:「多い」

井手らっきょ:「多いですよね、でもその。。。海パンを穿いたり、お盆で隠したりとか。僕はモザイクが隠してくれた。」

澤部:「確かに。現場では出てる」

吉村:「そう、出していましたね」

森脇:「へ、大事なとこもですか?」

井手らっきょ:「もう、常にポンポン、スッポンポンっていう状態で」

*皆笑*

井手らっきょ:「ま、生放送では出しませんけど。もちろん」

井手らっきょ:「雪山だるまさんが転んだとか言って、素っ裸洋服は下に置いたんですよ。靴下があったり、パンツがあったり、セーターがあったりでだるまさんが。。。ていながら、と履いていくんですけど、もうカチカチで履けないんですよ!」

森脇:「かわいそう」

井手らっきょ:「そんな、もう、過酷なロケもありました。」

吉村:「カッケーな」

井手らっきょ:「まー、そんな私ですけどま、こんなしくじりを犯しております。次のページです。」

澤部:「しくじり?」

井手らっきょ:「空気を読まずに全裸になってですね。え、芸能界の大御所がブチギレたというの」

*皆笑*

井手らっきょ:「客前で何度も全裸になり警察に出頭」

井手らっきょ:「娘の結婚式で裸になって大バッシング」

森脇:「嘘!!!」

若林:「バージンロードだからね。」

澤部:「すげー」

福留:「なんでいけると思ったんよ?」

澤部:*爆笑*

井手らっきょ:「緩かった時代でもトラブルはありました」

若林:「あったんだ、やっぱり」

井手らっきょ:「はい。ということで私ですね、現代なも、スーパーセクハラと。。。」

*皆笑*

伊集院:「スーパーセクハラ」

若林:「スーパーセクハラ芸人」

森脇:「初めて聞きました」

吉松:「こんなことと言うのもあるですけど、当時からスーパーセクハラだよ!」

澤部:「時代がどうこうじゃない。」

吉松:「どうこうじゃない。」

井手らっきょ:「今回そう改めて、ま、人生を振り返えてみるとですね、やっぱ学べることが少しはこう、あるんじゃないかと。と言うことで私は裸芸で犯してしまったしくじり言おうですね。そして団体芸で学んだことを授業していただきたいと思います。」

伊集院:「勉強になる、これは」

森脇:「聞きたい」

ナレーター:「その場の笑いの優先し、数々のしくじりを起こしてきた裸芸。まずは、たけし軍団に入り、裸芸を始めたきっかけから授業してもらいましょう。」

井手らっきょ:「今私には裸芸のイメージしかありませんですけども、今から44年前、私が22歳の時に、ある芸がきっかけでスカウトされた芸能界利用するんですけども、その芸というのが次のページです。」

井手らっきょ:「爆笑連発のモノマネ、元々モノマネのタレントですね。」

伊集院:「正統派のモノマネだったんだよ。」

吉村:「そうなんですか?」

Boys’ Club at Ugly Mugs

More freewriting. I’m giving you more freewriting. I’m giving me more freedom to freewrite.

I woke up today at 6 am. And I don’t feel terrible. That’s pretty good, except I did feel sleepy still, and I sat on the floor and meditated for a while, and then moved to the more comfortable place, the bed, and then I was feeling so peaceful and comfortable, and I just touched the edge of blissful sleep —

I forced myself to get back up again.

Why am I doing this? I ask myself as I get out of bed, throw on clothes, head to the coffee shop, Ugly Mugs. If I’m tired, why not sleep in? Why am I battling my sleep schedule like it owes me money? Why am I not just living my life freely and comfortably and doing whatever I want whenever I want it?

Parker, in his infinite wisdom, said the other night, “Why don’t you just use your energy when you have it and rest when you don’t?” That was the most profound thing I had ever heard in that moment, and I told him so, to which he said, “Isn’t it obvious?” That just made it all the more profound.

The coffee at Ugly Mugs is gas this morning. As in, it’s really good. It’s hitting me like gasoline in a tank. And it tastes great. Really good coffee.

This is the earliest I’ve ever made it here, by far. 7 am I was at the shop. I wanted to get something done, I wanted to get started on whatever it is that I’ll do, and I knew that the chances were much higher if I escaped my freezing cave, and made it out here, out into the world.

I wondered what would be going on here at 7 am, I really did. It’s a local neighborhood coffee shop. The day is full of remote workers, college students, friends meeting for a chit-chat, coworkers or acquaintances talking business. What would be happening at 7 am?

A shocking thing. As I stumbled in, there was a guy, my age, different vibe, shorts and sunglasses, sandals (I’m wearing full black with running shoes, black hoodie in July because my roommate blasts the AC in the house, and it keeps me safe from the mosquitoes anyway, that love to feast on my precious blood), and I knew that we were on track to be reaching the door at the exact same moment.

Sometimes in this situation, when my brain has accurately calculated that I am on a collision course with another human, I will slow down or speed up. But I didn’t feel like doing either of those things, and he didn’t either.

I could tell he knew that we were both going to reach this door at the same time. Well, I reached it just a second before he did, and I opened the door and held it open for him. And he said, “Oh, you go ahead,” and I said, with a grandiose, sweeping gesture, “No, after you,” to which he replied, with a small nod, “Thank you,” and walked through the door.

Now, that wasn’t awkward at all. Just two humans being polite to one another. That was nice.

I did end up then walking right past him to order, as he stopped to look at something on the wall.

That was some foreshadowing. The fact that I was holding the door for a MAN, then. As I took my first sip of coffee I surveyed the scene, scanning the crowd. Who were the 7 am folk on a Wednesday morning at Ugly Mugs? And I was shocked.

All men.

Yes, in a place where the crowd is at least HALF women, I’ve never noticed a ratio skewed one way or the other, this morning, Ugly Mugs was a total boys’ club.

There was (and still is) one group of four lads having a great time at the long slab of wood table. They seem to be discussing some business, wearing smart business casual attire. I just stole a glance at them. Then, you have two more gentleman having a conversation at a table behind them… There’s a bro in sunglasses sitting outside in the sun. There is a refined-looking gentleman with well-maintained hair, glasses, comfortably but tastefully dressed, reading something on his phone. Probably the news. He is giving major dad vibes.

There is a guy behind me doing remote work. He was typing up a storm when I sat down.

There were about four guys in the back of the room, that seemed to all have moved on already. There’s one guy left way back in that corner, who is with high probability working. That’s the workers’ corner.

Since my arrival, somehow it’s already 7:45, several ladyfolk have entered the store, one is walking in right now. But none have stayed.

Who will be the first to break the boys’ club?

Will it be this woman in a blue and white summer dress?

Holy s***. It is!

But wait a minute. She may just be taking a temporary seat as she waits for her coffee.

She’s going to pick it up now.

What happens next?

She’s put a lid on it. It’s in a plastic cup. She could take that thing right out the door.

She’s added some cream. We are all waiting on tenterhooks.

She’s taking a sip. She seems pleased.

And now?

Another sip.

And… she’s gone to a table in the back!

She’s sitting!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the club!!!!!!!!!!

(One minute later)

Oh my god. She just left.

She had just been waiting for a sandwich.

The boys’ club continues…