'Non-threatening sweet Japanese lady in da haus!' Get to know comedian Yumi Nagashima
Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Yumi Nagashima calls Vancouver home and has Canadian audiences rolling with laughter.
However, Nagashima isn't limited to the stage; she also creates content for her own Youtube channel, which has 236,000 subscribers and growing!
Nagashima is one of the featured comedians in the CBC Gem special The New Wave of Standup and is available to watch online here.
We invited Nagashima to take our questionnaire, and here's what she had to say!
1. Where do you come from, and what were you like growing up?
I am from Tokyo, Japan. I was shy, innocent and didn't have boundaries yet.
2. What kind of first impression do you hope to make on audiences when you step on stage?
A non-threatening sweet Japanese lady in da haus!
3. When did you first know you wanted to do comedy? When did you decide it was a career?
When I played my first lead role for the comedy play "How much are those feelings in the window?" at Havana theatre in Vancouver in December 2015. The energy was highly interactive and playful. I got hooked. When I performed at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival for the first time in April 2018. "Look Ma! I'm on TV!"
4. What was the greatest moment you've experienced on stage? How about the worst?
When I received a standing ovation at Sonar Comedy Club in Prince George. I think a standing ovation is the purest form of love you can get from an audience as a performer. Pretty much every time when I bomb it feels the worst.
5. Who are your comedy heroes? Who do you look to for inspiration?
Bo Burnham, thanks for thinking outside the box so that I can try thinking outside the new bigger box. Pretty much anyone who can think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional or expected ideas is my inspiration.
6. What other fellow comics should Canadians know about?
Stuart Jones. He does traditional comedy beautifully.