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Rakugo Anyone? Comics as consumer advocates!

Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, has an story about a curious program that uses comedy to educate consumers as to the dangers of scams and cons:

College students who specialize in the “sit-down comedy” style called rakugo put on shows in venues all around the capital area. They don kimono and kneel on a cushion to relate a comic tale, switching voices between the story’s various characters. But, unlike traditional rakugo stories, these tales have a serious punchline.

In the project’s nine years, last year was the worst yet for hapless consumers being cheated by crooks. A total 160,817 complaints were brought to the Tokyo Metropolitan Comprehensive Consumer Center in fiscal 2003.

Read the whole bizarre story at asahi.com! I suppose the Japanese would look askance at the Improv Driving Schools!