45 The Fascinating Life of Stand-Up Comedian Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami

45 The Fascinating Life of Stand-Up Comedian Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, stand-up comedian Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami stops by to talk about how he went from almost dropping out of high school to performing stand-up comedy in English in Canada and the U.S.

About Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami

Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami is a stand-up comedian and actor from Tokyo. Currently Murakami is based in Toronto, Canada but he has also performed stand-up comedy in New York and Japan.

Topics Discussed
  • How Shoe struggled academically in high school
  • How listening to and performing English-language music by bands like the Beatles helped Shoee learn English
  • Studying English literature in a Japanese university
  • Traveling in Southeast Asia after graduating from college
  • How Shoe lost all his money due to a blackjack scam in Cambodia
  • How Shoe made a life for himself in Cambodia after getting scammed out of his money
  • Managing Sharky Bar in Cambodia and learning how to deal with the clientele
  • The challenges of running a bar in Cambodia as a young Japanese man
  • Starting his own bar
  • The difficulties Shoe faced when trying to find a job in Japan
  • How Shoe discovered stand-up comedy while in Japan
  • Why Shoe decided to move to Canada
  • Shoe's realization that he needed to become more comfortable on stage
  • Performing stand-up comedy in Canada and New York
  • Getting work as an actor in Canada
  • Getting to perform on the Asian Comedy All-Stars show in Toronto
  • And much more!
Support on Patreon

If you enjoy Japan Station and want to ensure that we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. For a minimum pledge of $1 a month you'll get access to extra blog posts and additional input on future content. You'd also receive Tony's eternal, profound, and undrying gratitude.

Links, Videos, Etc.

You can find Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami on the following platforms.

To learn more about Shoe's time in Cambodia and the scam that resulted in him losing his money, check out the article below.

Use the link below to check out the latest episode of Ichimon Japan.

Special Thanks

Opening/Closing song: Oedo Controller (大江戸コントローラー) by Yunomi featuring Toriena (Used with permission from Yunomi)
To listen to more of Yunomi's music, check out his Soundcloud page or YouTube channel.

Japan Station cover art: Provided by Erik R.

Featured image: Courtesy of Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami

Follow Japankyo on Social Media Full Show Notes

Episoder(213)

Why life in Aomori is so DIFFERENT | Japan Station 194

Why life in Aomori is so DIFFERENT | Japan Station 194

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about some of the unique aspects of living in Aomori Prefecture. 👉Topics Discussed What it's like living in Aomori Prefecture About the Shimokita Peninsula...

1 Feb 1h 3min

The CRAZIEST Taishō era slang EXPLAINED! | Japan Station 193

The CRAZIEST Taishō era slang EXPLAINED! | Japan Station 193

On this episode of Japan Station, we go through a list of some of the most unique and interesting slang of Japan's Taishō period (1912-1926). 👉Topics Discussed Popular Taishō era slang How polie du...

21 Jan 1h 4min

10 Reasons You'll Hate Living in Japan. Really? | Japan Station 192

10 Reasons You'll Hate Living in Japan. Really? | Japan Station 192

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: 10 Reasons You'll Hate Living in Japan. Really? Topics Discussed Reasons why you may hate living in Japan No trash cans Why there are few public trash cans in...

14 Jan 1h 14min

Okuribito: Mortician or millionaire? What does it mean? | Japaan Station 191

Okuribito: Mortician or millionaire? What does it mean? | Japaan Station 191

On this episode of Japan Station, I break down the two very different meanings of the word okuribito. 👉Topics Discussed About the 2008 Japanese film Departures (Okuribito) What does okuribito mean...

7 Jan 14min

How charcoal is saving this rural Japanese town (Ami Eldridge of Sumizumi LLC) | Japan Station 190

How charcoal is saving this rural Japanese town (Ami Eldridge of Sumizumi LLC) | Japan Station 190

On this episode of Japan Station, I talk to Ami Eldridge, the co-founder of Sumizumi LLC, a company in rural Kochi Prefecture trying to revitalize the area through charcoal production. 👉Topics Discus...

5 Jan 32min

Why "religion" in Japan doesn't make sense (to Westerners): A Talk with Hiroko Yoda | Japan Station 189

Why "religion" in Japan doesn't make sense (to Westerners): A Talk with Hiroko Yoda | Japan Station 189

On this episode of Japan Station, author Hiroko Yoda joins us to talk about the complexities of religious and spirituality in Japan, a topic she covers in her new book Eight Million Ways to Happiness....

31 Des 202557min

What you should know about KUMAMON (+ my CRAZY Kumamon story) | Japan Station 188

What you should know about KUMAMON (+ my CRAZY Kumamon story) | Japan Station 188

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk all about Jaan's most famous "local mascot" Kumamon. We cover everything you should know about Kumamoto's most beloved bear. I also share an absolutely crazy ...

20 Des 20251h 4min

Understanding Christmas in Japan (About Japanese Christmas) | Japan Station 187/Ichimon Japan 67

Understanding Christmas in Japan (About Japanese Christmas) | Japan Station 187/Ichimon Japan 67

This is a re-broadcast of episode 65 of the Ichimon Japan podcast (originally published on 12/21/2022). On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is Christmas like in Japan? (About Japanese Christ...

9 Des 20251h 4min

Populært innen Fakta

mikkels-paskenotter
fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
treningspodden
jakt-og-fiskepodden
sinnsyn
rss-kunsten-a-leve
hverdagspsyken
gravid-uke-for-uke
rss-kull
fryktlos
hagespiren-podcast
rss-var-forste-kaffe
rss-bisarr-historie
level-up-med-anniken-binz
hva-er-greia-med
rss-impressions-2