OSAKA, Japan — Onstage, Niyo Katsura wore a delicate pink kimono. With her petite frame and high-pitched voice, she could pass more easily for a college undergraduate than a 35-year-old performer of one of Japan’s oldest comedic arts. Yet when she reached the point in her routine where she impersonated a drunken salesman — a middle-age man — the audience laughed heartily as the character slurred h
![She Broke Japan’s Comedic Barrier Playing Drunks and Fools (Yep, Men) (Published 2021)](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/cf0c16cfed5371b048a79e3a2546fde27372ddb4/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Fstatic01.nyt.com%2Fimages%2F2021%2F12%2F14%2Fworld%2F00japan-comedy1%2F00japan-comedy1-facebookJumbo.jpg%3Fyear%3D2021%26h%3D550%26w%3D1050%26s%3D4111a69807c1a0ddf5954dc71ca917d45f3c8102f515e5a9420afa86ae26aa26%26k%3DZQJBKqZ0VN)