Atsuko Okatsuka: Joking in Japanese

Trevor sits down with comedian Atsuko Okatsuka for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about identity, humor, and finding your voice. Bonding over their shared immigrant experience, the two explore how feeling like an outsider can become a powerful lens for comedy. Along the way, Atsuko shares personal stories that are as hilarious as they are revealing and reflects on comedy as a way of making sense of the past and connecting across cultures. With hundreds of new sales every week, you can eat well for less at Whole Foods Market. If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the channel here: http://bit.ly/SubscribeTrevorNoah Or follow the podcast on your other favorite platforms... SiriusXM Apple Podcasts - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnApplePodcasts Spotify - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnSpotify 00:00:00 – True Crime Is Just Bad Filmmaking With Real Victims 00:01:29 – TSA Agents: America's Most Committed Volunteers 00:02:16 – South Africans Would Simply Not Show Up 00:04:42 – The Twinkle in Trevor's Eye (Atsuko Explains) 00:05:27 – The Doorway Conversation That Started a Friendship 00:07:23 – What If Game Night Was Just… Talking? 00:08:34 – Japan Disneyland Has No Fast Pass. Not Even for the CEO. 00:13:26 – Born in Taiwan, Raised in Japan, Kidnapped to LA 00:15:49 – Speed Dating, Schizophrenia & a Student OBGYN Uncle 00:19:00 – My Mom Was the Girl from The Ring 00:22:34 – Nobody Writes a Book About Martin Smith 00:26:22 – The Zap Theory: Symphonies vs. World Wars 00:31:09 – My Mom Thought the Chinese Government Had Microphones (They Might) 00:38:56 – Trevor's Ice Cream Problem (And the Apple Pie Incident) 00:50:47 – The Thing We Actually Lost When We Left Church 00:59:56 – "Aren't All the Comedians Already Taken?" — Finding Stand-Up on Craigslist 01:07:36 – Craigslist Was Healthy Tech. Then the Killer Showed Up. 01:17:30 – Why Trevor Stopped Hosting the Grammys 01:37:37 – Blowing Up at the Right Speed (And Being Afraid to Mess It Up) 01:52:02 – "Tadaima" — Coming Home to Japan for the First Time

Atsuko OkatsukaguestTrevor Noahhost

Apr 2, 20262h 24mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

150 min read · 30,014 words

0:00 – 1:29
True Crime Is Just Bad Filmmaking With Real Victims
1. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [upbeat music] When you watch, like, a true crime or when you read an actual, like, how a serial killer killed-
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Yes
3. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... there's a lot of clumsiness to it because it's a human person. There's nuance.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  It's also, I don't think they need to make it as many episodes as they do.
5. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  They do do that.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  It's always like a four-part... It doesn't need to be four parts. Could be one.
7. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  They do do that. [laughs]
8. TNTrevor Noah
  It should be one.
9. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I know, and it's like, [scoffs] also, you know, as, like, the- the- the f- families of the victims, you know, being like, [scoffs] "Six episodes with boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. My son died, bitch."
10. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
11. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "My son died. Now everyone's singing the theme song."
12. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
13. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "Is this a game to you? Jesus Christ. Oh, a podcast, three seasons?"
14. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
15. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "What about my son died? Do you not understand," right? Jesus Christ, this is why I'm not a mother. I would just, I would stop every podcast. [laughs]
16. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, wow.
17. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You know?
18. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
19. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "This is humanity you're talk- playing with," you know? And then they make-
20. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh
21. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... the- the narrative version of it. [scoffs] Who's gonna play Brian, the killer?
22. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, wow. [upbeat music] This is What Now? With Trevor Noah. Were you
1:29 – 2:16
TSA Agents: America's Most Committed Volunteers
1. TNTrevor Noah
  doing shows?
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Uh, yeah, I was doing shows and then, you know, so with the connecting and then, you know, TSA agents being tired already.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, man.
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And then today's the day ICE agents are coming in to w- work as TSA agents.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  You know, I-
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  So.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  I don't know. Actually, I- I wonder what this is like for you, what your perspective on this is because-
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I'm like, "Hurry, record. He's having a good thought."
9. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  It was a trap. I was sent in to trap you-
11. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... into having this... I- I, we- we all wanted to hear your thoughts on TSA.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh.
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And I- I- I got sent in.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  You sent in to trap me.
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yes, that's right.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, no. [laughs]
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. They said, "Get the good stuff out of Trevor." I said, "Don't worry, I got it. I'll just act tired. Oh, I have three drinks. Hahaha. Nice shirt, nice shirt. Okay, now that we're here, Trevor-"
19. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "... them agents coming in"
2:16 – 4:42
South Africans Would Simply Not Show Up
1. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh, I was thinking if this, if this was happening in South Africa, we don't, we don't have, I think South Africans have a really healthy relationship with their obligations and their government-
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm
3. TNTrevor Noah
  ... in that if you told South Africans that the government was shut down and so government workers couldn't get paid, government, government workers in South Africa would very politely tell you that then they will not be working. It's as simple as that.
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Do you know what I mean?
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, I, my brain doesn't comprehend how TSA agents-
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Continue to show up
9. TNTrevor Noah
  ... go to the airport-
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
11. TNTrevor Noah
  ... when they're not being paid just because some people in Washington are squabbling. Do, do you know what I mean?
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, for sure.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  I, like-
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  It's not very American actually, though. Like, I don't think typically they would. I don't know how the payment works. I wonder if they still get back pay.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  No.
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Is that why?
17. TNTrevor Noah
  No, so last time they were saying, I think you're supposed to get back pay, but then last time there was an issue, and then they said they won't get back pay. I don't, I don't know, I don't know how it turned out.
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Okay, 'cause yeah, it-
19. TNTrevor Noah
  You're supposed to get back pay, I believe.
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And that's why we keep a person showing up, not because they care about, d- not out of the goodness of their hearts volunteer for five weeks for free.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, yeah.
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right?
23. TNTrevor Noah
  But as South Africans, we just wouldn't show up. We'll be like-
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
25. TNTrevor Noah
  ... "Don't worry about the back pay. We'll-"
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  We still won't
27. TNTrevor Noah
  ... "I'll come back when you pay me."
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs]
29. TNTrevor Noah
  It's as simple as that.
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Uh, yes. I would think that's an American way of doing things, too, no? I mean-
4:42 – 5:27
The Twinkle in Trevor's Eye (Atsuko Explains)
1. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh, oh, okay.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh my God, I just wanted to make sure.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  'Cause when you, 'cause you have a twinkle in your eye when you're about to have an introspective thought.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  When we met recently for the first time at Questlove's game night-
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... that happened, and I was like, "Ugh," and I'm been such a fan.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Wait, are you being serious right now?
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yes, yeah.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, I thought you were joking.
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh, I'm so serious. I've been a fan for so long, and I know that twinkle, that twinkle in your eye when you're about to... And we're at a party. We're talking, there's people drinking, people are having games.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  It was a fun party. It was a nice games night.
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And I asked you about something, and then you just, the twinkle came, and then you, I was like, "Oh my God, is this recording right now?"
17. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "There's no cameras, and he's about to have an introspective, insightful thought about actually performing abroad-"
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... you know, when there's, like,
5:27 – 7:23
The Doorway Conversation That Started a Friendship
1. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  restrictions versus not.
2. TNTrevor Noah
  We were talk- we were talking about Saudi Arabia.
3. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  That's right.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, we were talking about the Saudi Comedy Festival.
5. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  That's right. Yeah, which is-
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, that's why I, I remember the doorway.
7. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
8. TNTrevor Noah
  We, we were, we were literally stationed, it was myself, you, and Ezra-
9. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
10. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and we were, it was just by a doorway. It was a-
11. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
12. TNTrevor Noah
  ... perfect moment of, I really had fun talking to you. I, I had loved your comedy 'cause I had seen clips of it, but, like, I don't necessarily say I could, like, become a fan of anyone just because of their comedy, like, 'cause, like, them, the person.
13. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  But I became a fan of you just from our conversation.
15. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  By a doorway is how I thought I would meet you
16. TNTrevor Noah
  I do, I do have doorway vibes
17. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  By a doorway. Not like, I'm like, again, I was saying earlier, I don't know if it was recording or not when you went insightful, but, um, you weren't, like, partying. You weren't, like, in the middle of a game. You were like, "Trevor Noah by the door, come, you come talk to me"
18. TNTrevor Noah
  No. [laughs]
19. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "Because I might have-"
20. TNTrevor Noah
  No
21. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... something wise to say"
22. TNTrevor Noah
  No, no.
23. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  It is kind of how I felt. I was like-
24. TNTrevor Noah
  No, this is, you see-
25. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... am I in The Lord of the Rings?
26. TNTrevor Noah
  No, this is like a, this is like a perception thing that people have sometimes.
27. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Did you play games that night at all?
28. TNTrevor Noah
  People, pe- Yeah, I did.
29. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Okay.
30. TNTrevor Noah
  There's, there's photos, by the way.
7:23 – 8:34
What If Game Night Was Just… Talking?
1. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  yes.
2. TNTrevor Noah
  You should make, like, your own games nights, where all the games-
3. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
4. TNTrevor Noah
  ... are just about getting to know people.
5. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yes.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Just, like, do your own thing.
7. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I would love that.
8. TNTrevor Noah
  Atsuko's Game Nights.
9. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I'll put down a bunch of, like, gadgets and, and dice-
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
11. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... and cards and I'll say, "Psych," and I'll swipe it off the f- the table and say-
12. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, it's just like roll the dice
13. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... we're just chatting now.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Who are you?
15. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  Who are, roll, roll a six.
17. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yes.
18. TNTrevor Noah
  What are six terrible things that happened to you in your life?
19. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  100%.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  You know what I mean?
21. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  The twinkle in your eye, yeah.
22. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
23. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And so that, that's just what I was talking about when we just talked about the-
24. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
25. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... you know, TSA agents.
26. TNTrevor Noah
  Yes.
27. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  South Africans would not work for free, which they shouldn't.
28. TNTrevor Noah
  Would, do you think Japanese people would?
29. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  That's the thing, it's hard to imagine because it's hard to imagine the government would allow for something like that to happen. Not a-
30. TNTrevor Noah
  See, I wouldn't even, yeah
8:34 – 13:26
Japan Disneyland Has No Fast Pass. Not Even for the CEO.
1. TNTrevor Noah
  No, no, no, I'm, yeah
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... but yes, that too.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  When, when I went to Japan for the first time, I had all these ideas of Japan.
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Right? I grew up loving the idea of Japan. It was, you know, manga or anime, and then, like, you know, movies, documentaries, food, et cetera. But when I got to Japan, so I, I went to, um, is it Disneyland or Disney World? I, I never know which one it is.
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, there's a Disneyland and a Disney Sea.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Ah.
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yes, yeah.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay. So I went to Disneyland, right?
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. Yeah.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  And-
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I'm picturing you there, yeah
13. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and in America-
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
15. TNTrevor Noah
  ... you know, you buy, like, the little flash pass where you, like, skip the line-
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yes
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and you do the whole thing. So when we get there in Japan, we thought there would be some method for us to, like, skip the lines-
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm
19. TNTrevor Noah
  ... because the lines were quite long.
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  And then they were like, "No."
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  "There is no way for you to skip the line."
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs] Mm-hmm. Yeah.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  And then I remember asking one of the people, I said... Oh, and I was using, I was using a phone to translate for me, 'cause the people there spoke Japanese, and that was it.
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  And so I was using the phone to translate to have this conversation, and then I said-
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs]
29. TNTrevor Noah
  ... "What if the CEO of Disney comes?"
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Well, you know the CEO of Disney, of course.
13:26 – 15:49
Born in Taiwan, Raised in Japan, Kidnapped to LA
1. TNTrevor Noah
  w- where did, where did your journey begin?
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  We're so far. We're also so far.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  What do you mean?
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Like, from each other physically.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  We're not, we're not far at all.
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  When we hang out, when we hang out, you know, like-
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Well, normally there's a doorway between us, so it helps
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  There's a, there's a doorway, yeah.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah.
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  But this is, yeah. Anyway, I just wanted to acknowledge the physical distance, but-
11. TNTrevor Noah
  But the emotional distance is, is nothing.
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh, my God.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  I mean, we're basically the same.
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You're m-
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Like-
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You're the TSA agent to my Trevor.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Well, thank you.
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  English isn't my first language.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  But you're the TSA agent. Like, you know what I mean? We're close like that.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, I appreciate that.
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  What's up, Trevor?
23. TNTrevor Noah
  I appreciate that.
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  What, well, yeah, but w-
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Laptops out of bags.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, you do that well.
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Thank you.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  You see? I like that. Um, w- where does your journey begin? Like, take, take me through your life, 'cause I, I, I love meeting people, especially comedians, to be honest, and then, like, going back through their journey to figure out, like, how their comedy became their comedy.
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. Right.
15:49 – 19:00
Speed Dating, Schizophrenia & a Student OBGYN Uncle
1. TNTrevor Noah
  that?
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs] No. Oh, wait, hold on. That was too fast.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Let's go back to our respective countries and take it slow.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay.
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  No, she was like, "I'm gonna move here."
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You know? And so once she got pregnant with me, you know, my, uh, she went back to Taiwan to g- give birth-
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... because, uh, m- her brother, my uncle, uh, was studying to be an OBGYN, and so he said, "I'll, I'll, I'll do it for you."
11. TNTrevor Noah
  "I will practice on you"?
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, that's what I'm saying, because studying is-
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, he was studying
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... yeah. Sweetie, that doesn't mean you are it. Studying is worse. Studying is... But it was, uh, cheaper, I think, because of it. [laughs]
15. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I was like, "Was it because of a discount?"
17. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  My family loves a discount. I was like, "You let him practice on me?"
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Wait, so your, your uncle was the OBGYN-
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  He was, oh, studying to be one.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, but he-
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  That's very n- yeah
23. TNTrevor Noah
  ... but he was still the person-
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  He was, he was the one that, like, caught me or pulled me out or however-
25. TNTrevor Noah
  I hope it's-
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... the term
27. TNTrevor Noah
  ... I hope it's, like, guided you. Caught you is, like-
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. Some people-
29. TNTrevor Noah
  ... implies like a-
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, guided me out.
19:00 – 22:34
My Mom Was the Girl from The Ring
1. TNTrevor Noah
  like?
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  From what I am told, because, you know, I'm, I'm now, uh, talking with those siblings again.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  They had a very traumatic time with her. My mom was very abusive to them. You know, she was the stepmom, [laughs] you know?
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, wow, I'm sorry.
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And so, um, so it presents itself, you know ... How do I ... So there's, right, there's, like, movies about ... I talk about representation in TV and movies.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And I joke that, you know, there's like, sure, there's Fresh Off the Boat, of, an Asian family on TV, or, or Crazy Rich Asians, the movie, but, you know, when people ask, like, "Was, was your family kinda like that?" And I'm like, "No, it's more like, have you seen The Ring?"
9. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You know? Like, uh, the, you know the bitch that comes out of the TV? Ah.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Ah. [laughs]
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  That's my mom. So it's more like that.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, man.
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You know, my family is like-
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Comedians, we're the worst.
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs]
17. TNTrevor Noah
  We're truly the worst. [laughs]
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  We are the worst, but they made us this way.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh.
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Uh, so it's more like that. Like, you know, or like Babadook or something. Uh, this is how, I mean, even my siblings describing it, you know, my mom, I guess, used to, when they would go to bed at night, she would, you know, take a kitchen knife, and there's, like, metal bars for the framing of the bed. I guess she would just run the knife along. I'm like-
21. TNTrevor Noah
  You are shitting me.
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, and then they would als- she would also do it on their face, they told me. Just this last trip back to Japan they told me. They're like, "Oh, we didn't tell you this story about your mom." So, you know, when I joke, I s- I joke that it's like the girl from The Ring, Samara, that crawls out of the TV.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  But I mean, it's kinda. Or Babadook lurking in the darkness, watching you sleep. That was my mom. And so I guess that's when they were like, "Okay, you know, she's, it's not a, I don't think it's a Taiwanese thing." [laughs] You know, they started realizing there was a lot-
25. TNTrevor Noah
  There was something wrong
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... happening.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, tormenting in her head, voices in her head telling her, you know, to do things. Um, yeah, so, so then, but then I've al- I've always known her like that, so, you know, I, I just didn't ... I guess that's, that was the beginnings, yeah.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Wait, wait. So help me understand. So, so your, your mom and dad get divorced when you're still one years old, and then you grow up with your mom?
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Good question. Thank you.
22:34 – 26:22
Nobody Writes a Book About Martin Smith
1. TNTrevor Noah
  of course.
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Of course, yeah.
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. You know who's not an inspiration? Martin Smith. You know who that is?
5. TNTrevor Noah
  No.
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Exactly. We've never heard of him, because he's just living a regular life, parents still together, baby trust fund. Happy.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  I'm, I'm, I'm often torn about whether or not I would want that for myself.
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Where just, uh, you know, just chill.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Well, yeah, like, like, so ...
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  No laws keeping your parents apart.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, like, like I just think of, um, I think there's a world where somebody grows up and everything is the way it is meant to be, for the most part.
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh, their life doesn't involve anything particularly crazy. Like, let's put it this way. Like, no one would read their book is the, is the way I would put it.
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  No, yeah, that's what I said. You, we don't know Martin.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  You know? But-
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Never heard of him
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... but I go, those people are, I think, honestly, I think they're sort of, like, better for society for the most part, because I think they don't, they don't exist in, in extreme land.
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  But they're also not the people who write the greatest symphonies, and they're not the people who make the greatest movies-
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs]
21. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and they're not the people who, like-
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Sure
23. TNTrevor Noah
  ... invent things and then ... But-
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And sometimes they do. They do, actually.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Invent things?
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Sometimes they're the ones that get to tell stories too. [laughs]
27. TNTrevor Noah
  I don't know.
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  No?
29. TNTrevor Noah
  I don't know.
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm.
26:22 – 31:09
The Zap Theory: Symphonies vs. World Wars
1. TNTrevor Noah
  it, I'm not saying it to feel bad for him.
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Not to you, to-
3. TNTrevor Noah
  No, no, no, but I'm not saying it's to feel bad for him, it's just, um-
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
5. TNTrevor Noah
  ... it's the ... You know what it is? It's the other side of the coin, right?
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  If you, if you, um ... I think of it like an experiment. If you, uh, inflict a certain amount of anything on this object that is a human-
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm
9. TNTrevor Noah
  ... it can turn out sort of one of two ways. So you, you, like, zap it with this, call it terribleness in some shape or form, emotional, financial, whatever it may be.
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  You zap it. It could become, like, beautiful genius, or it could become terrible genius in a way.
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm. No, for sure. Yeah.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  And, and so I'm like, is it worth, is it, is it worth zapping at all if symphonies might, on the other side, be, like, world wars?
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  For sure. Yeah. Right. Or it's like, or do the, do we just ... It's like, keep it basic.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, just everyone is Ma- you said Martin Smith?
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Uh, m- yes. [laughs] You remembered his name.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, we just Martin Smith everyone.
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs] We just ... Yes, exactly. Made up name, obviously. It was, like, a Jane Doe, you know. No offense to Martins.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Of course not. Of course not.
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. It was just the first name.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Or anyone from the Smith family.
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yes. [laughs] It's kind of my go-to. I think when I was learning English, Smith was, like, the example name in sentences or something.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  How old were you when you learned English?
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I was eight. I was start- I started at eight, yeah.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  'Cause you, 'cause you, you joke and you say, like, English is not your first language, but I argue you have a greater grasp of the English language than many native English speakers because of how you play with the language.
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, a lot of us, uh ... You're a what? A ... I don't even know the name. Polygot.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, polyglot?
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Polyglot.
31:09 – 38:56
My Mom Thought the Chinese Government Had Microphones (They Might)
1. TNTrevor Noah
  gonna write this shit down.
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I don't know about the writing down. I used to go to church sometimes. Now, now, I, I mean, with a mom with schizophrenia-
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... I'm like, "Oh, man, I mean, what if, like... Who, who are we listening to? Did he have mental issues?"
5. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  He's like, "He walked on water." I'm like-
7. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... "Yeah, my mom thinks the Chinese government has microphones in our house."
9. TNTrevor Noah
  But they might have.
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Huh? They-
11. TNTrevor Noah
  They might have
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... they might have what? Actually-
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Had microphones in the house.
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I know, and she's not not wrong.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  That's the, that's the thing, right?
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  There, it's always based on some reality.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Yes.
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yes.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  That's the thing.
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. J- yes, Jesus could have walked, kind of wa- maybe for, like, a h- half a second. I don't know. I don't know. But, you know, I'm just saying, check your sources. They didn't have psychiatrists back then, you know?
21. TNTrevor Noah
  There was a, um, there's a story of, uh, I don't wanna mess it up, but it's like, I feel like it's, like, one of the saints or something like that.
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh, uh, someone who was a saint and-
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  A Bible story? This is a Bible story?
25. TNTrevor Noah
  No, no, this is not a Bible story.
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh. Oh.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  So this is a, a woman who apparently was, like, a s- 'cause I think they make you a saint afterwards.
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  I, I'm not completely familiar with how it works, but, like, the church, the Catholic Church-
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
38:56 – 50:47
Trevor's Ice Cream Problem (And the Apple Pie Incident)
1. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  How much ice cream are you eating in a sitting? Like a, like a pint?
2. TNTrevor Noah
  How much ice cream, how much ice cream do you have?
3. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  How mu- ... Is it really like that?
4. TNTrevor Noah
  How much ice cream do you have?
5. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And you don't feel, and you don't feel bad the next day?
6. TNTrevor Noah
  I feel bad from like a, like a society level.
7. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  From society level.
8. TNTrevor Noah
  So I'll be like ... Yeah, you know, the same way I feel bad if I wake up like after midday. I'm like, "Oh, I shouldn't have done that."
9. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh, you mean guilt?
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
11. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh, sweetie. [laughs] People keep telling me there's only 15 years left or something on Earth. Is that true?
12. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
13. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Again.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Who, who tells you this?
15. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  Which Ubers are you in?
17. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh. Right? I don't, no, this, yeah.
18. TNTrevor Noah
  15 years left on Earth?
19. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Or like, I know that's not technically-
20. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah
21. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... but like 15 years of like where it's like too late to save certain things or something like that.
22. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes, there's certain, there's certain clocks. I mean, I even saw the other day that the, the w- the sea level has risen more than people thought.
23. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right.
24. TNTrevor Noah
  And it's affected-
25. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  So you're just like trying to eat ice cream as fast as you can before-
26. TNTrevor Noah
  No, I just, I enjoy it
27. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... before the water hits your neck, and you [laughs] kind of, you're like, "Hurry."
28. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
29. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  This is Trevor at the end of the world. The water's rising, right? And you're like, "Bitch, how much ice cream do you have?"
30. TNTrevor Noah
  I'm ... You know when they're in the room and the water's...
50:47 – 59:56
The Thing We Actually Lost When We Left Church
1. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  That's-
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, it's, it's the, it's the biggest thing I miss about church, to be honest.
3. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  I think it's the biggest thing society misses about church.
5. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  W- w- free food?
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, all of it.
7. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Sorry. [laughs]
8. TNTrevor Noah
  No, really.
9. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh, yeah.
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Really.
11. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
12. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, I, I think, I genuinely think about it, is I, and I've spoken about it before, but I go, "We take for granted how much we lost when people sort of shifted away from religion," but not the religion side, the church side.
13. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm, mm-hmm. Yeah.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Because it was that. Kids would get these free meals after church services.
15. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  There'd be clothes that you could sometimes just go and collect-
17. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm
18. TNTrevor Noah
  ... you know, from a bin that everyone would contribute to.
19. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  People giving jobs. There's people finding love. It was, it was ... Imagine, you, you've come from another country, you've come from another city, wherever it is-
21. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm
22. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and you, you're all just welcome because of this book that tells your story. I, I, I think it's beautiful and we, it's sad that we lost, and are continuing to lose so much of it, that part p- specifically.
23. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, yeah. I mean-
24. TNTrevor Noah
  You know?
25. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... I think, you know, other, like, community centers try to do that, too-
26. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, but not with like-
27. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... without the religious part. Yeah.
28. TNTrevor Noah
  They don't ... Community requires, um-
29. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Organization? [laughs]
30. TNTrevor Noah
  And, and club.
59:56 – 1:07:36
"Aren't All the Comedians Already Taken?" — Finding Stand-Up on Craigslist
1. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  stand-up." And I was like, "Stand-up? Isn't that only for, like, aren't all the ..." I thought at the time there's only, like, 10 stand-ups in the world, you know? Do you know what I'm talking about?
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, I know what you mean.
3. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right? It's just like there's only, Margaret Cho was already a stand-up then.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh-huh.
5. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I was like-
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh-huh
7. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... "Well, they already have her."
8. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
9. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  What do you mean you could just start stand-up? Did you feel that way in South Africa, too?
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh, no, I didn't.
11. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You didn't?
12. TNTrevor Noah
  I didn't.
13. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Okay. I just was like-
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Because it, because it was so new there that it felt like anything was possible.
15. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Okay. [laughs] Yeah. I thought here it's just like we have a quota, and there's only, like, 10 comedians at a time.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And, uh, so, you know, and I, I l- I liked their work. I watched even, yeah, Margaret Cho I watched. Um, what's his name? Uh, Robin Williams and, you know, uh, so I- I, and then I found out there were, like, stand-up comedy classes, so I decided to take one.
18. TNTrevor Noah
  How are those?
19. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Um, so this one I liked. It was an all-female stand-up comedy class.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
21. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Because I f- I said, "Okay, how else do I start? Just start showing up at an open mic?" Back then, it's like an open mic, sometimes they were, like, 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM in some dark alley.
22. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah.
23. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You could be the only girl.
24. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, most of the time you were. Yeah.
25. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I was like, "That's- that- that's how you go missing. I think that's how you go missing." I was like, "Ah." And I, I wasn't, you know, I didn't have enough confidence to be able to go by myself like that-
26. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm
27. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... to a place.
28. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
29. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Um, so, uh, so this all-female stand-up comedy class was actually a really great, like, supportive way for me to start, where... Also, I needed deadlines, you know? Um, I'm not good with, like, self-motivation. I, I, um, I haven't been diagnosed, but I think I have ADD. It's hard, like, I need someone to be like, "There's homework. This is the homework. Come up with a five-minute set." So it, it was a good... That's how I started.
30. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh.
1:07:36 – 1:17:30
Craigslist Was Healthy Tech. Then the Killer Showed Up.
1. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  you know.
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Pretty good furniture.
3. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Worth a few killings, some would say.
5. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I mean, I wonder.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
7. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I'm so lucky. I actually answered some random ad that said, "All girls class, stand up at my house"
8. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, yeah, you, yeah, you were-
9. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And I showed up. I fucking showed up, and it wasn't a man with, like, weird gloves on waiting to do some weird thing. You know what I mean? I was lucky.
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Love how you're worried about the gloves being weird.
11. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs] I was gonna say.
12. TNTrevor Noah
  Just gloves.
13. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs]
14. TNTrevor Noah
  I like that you're like, "No, those are weird gloves." [laughs]
15. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  He just does this... This is danger. He's got this-
16. TNTrevor Noah
  He's got, like, one extra finger. Oh, he's got the weird gloves. We're in trouble.
17. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  [laughs]
18. TNTrevor Noah
  What kind of gloves, girl? Not the usual gloves.
19. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Not the gloves.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, man.
21. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I could have said ax, but I didn't wanna be violent.
22. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, okay.
23. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  I decided not to go violent there for some reason.
24. TNTrevor Noah
  So you wanted to go with some- you wanted to go creepy-
25. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Well, yeah, what if he's-
26. TNTrevor Noah
  ... but not violent
27. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... yeah, he's just a guy that's like, "Just watch me play with my gloves for hours" and then-
28. TNTrevor Noah
  For some reason, those, those ones are, like-
29. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Scarier?
30. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
1:17:30 – 1:37:37
Why Trevor Stopped Hosting the Grammys
1. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You're the forever host for Grammys, right?
3. TNTrevor Noah
  The forever host?
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
5. TNTrevor Noah
  No, no, I'm done now
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh. I guess I missed the done part.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Did you announce it or something?
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You said, "I'm, I'm done now"
11. TNTrevor Noah
  I said this is my last one, yeah
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh. In my head you were gonna be f- uh, for another at least 15 years
13. TNTrevor Noah
  I would hope not
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Because 15 is what we have left. What? You would hope not?
15. TNTrevor Noah
  No, I hope-
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You're so good at it
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah. Thank you. But I, I don't, I, I, I don't like doing things forever
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  For too long
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Um
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  What do you wanna do next?
23. TNTrevor Noah
  This
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  You're already doing it, but then you're gonna-
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, but this is like, this is, like, the next part of it
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah
27. TNTrevor Noah
  You know?
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. Ice cream. Maybe, um, like, a invest in a ice cream
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Don't turn your passions into businesses
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Oh, then what's stand-up comedy?
1:37:37 – 1:52:02
Blowing Up at the Right Speed (And Being Afraid to Mess It Up)
1. TNTrevor Noah
  So when you, when you look at your life now, I mean, it, it feels like, at least from the outside looking in, obviously you've said you found your voice in comedy, your vibe, your style. You're also blowing up, right? And you, and you feel that moment. It doesn't matter what, what you do in en- in, in entertainment, there are these inflection points where it feels like you're hitting. You know what I mean?
2. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  And I ... Correct me if I'm wrong, but it feels like you're like hitting, you know what I mean? You- you're there. You- you- you're cruising. Does it feel like that to you?
4. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  That I'm finally hitting certain strides?
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah.
6. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  But like in a, like a ... 'Cause you ... A- a- all right, I'll speak for myself. There was a time in comedy where it's like I didn't know when the next gig would come-
8. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm-hmm, mm-hmm
9. TNTrevor Noah
  ... if it would come, how it would come, wh- so you ... It was very much like do a gig. All right, let's see what happens.
10. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Do a gig. All right, what's you ... And then at some point, you- you- you're booked in advance now. You know what-
12. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Mm
13. TNTrevor Noah
  ... you're gonna be doing. You ... So I, I don't know-
14. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  That ... Right, that's true. Yeah. How ... Yeah. I mean, I've, you know, I've never thought you could ... In the past if you told me-
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
16. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... when I was, you know, slinging ice cream, if someone said, you know, um, "What are you doing, um, March," [laughs] let's say it's 2026 right now.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah.
18. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  If someone told me, uh, "What are you doing March 2028? Uh, can I book you down for the 18th?" I would be like, "What are you talking about? [laughs] What do you mean? You're gonna book me out that far in advance? I'm gonna have something to do, and I will know it?" You know, I, I would be like that.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
20. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "You're insane." But yes, to have that be a thing, um, is cool. And for, because I was being me, you know? That's, that's really cool.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, wow.
22. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right? Like-
23. TNTrevor Noah
  That's really cool, actually
24. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... right, to be able to do stand-up, to be booked is because I got to finally be me, and I'm being me. And, you know, so, you know, sometimes, like, people talk about, like, okay, you know, in, in the industry or in the, in comedy you wanna be, you know, relevant.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
26. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  How do you stay relevant? And I don't think you have to worry about that. You just s- accidentally are relevant if you care about the world and people and what's happening, so you're gonna speak on that. And that's naturally just gonna be you being present. And, you know, so you find your fellow weirdos, that's the audience-
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
28. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... they'll find you, and, and they keep you booked because it's a constant conversation with, right? As an artist, it's a constant conversation with your, your audience and you. And so yeah, it's, it's really cool that ... You know, I wish when I was starting out stand-up, it's like, "Okay, how do I start? What do I grasp at?"
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
30. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Kinda just being you was kind of a thing you would think would be told to you, but it wasn't. You know? It was more maybe people were more focused on, like, how do I get success fast or something-
1:52:02 – 2:21:27
"Tadaima" — Coming Home to Japan for the First Time
1. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. Right. Yes. Because now they're like, "Yes, come back, girl. We've always liked you." [laughs] You know what I mean? Yes, now, uh, you got... You know, it's the whole thing, right? You find success in the US, and then they're like, "Now, yes, please come. We've always g- we've always believed in you." And I'm like, you didn't come, come get me-
2. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
3. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... or look for me when I was kidnapped. I was begging to go back to Japan. [laughs] I left Tokyo for this. [laughs] Um, but, uh, yeah. Yes, it's, it's really cool. Um, in Japan, there's this, uh, when you come home, you say tadaima, like e- oh, no, sorry. When you leave your home-
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
5. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... to go to school-
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay
7. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... it's usually, like, kids say it. They go, um, what, what is, what do they say? Uh, oh, God. Ikimas itterasshai. They go ikimas itterasshai. That means like-
8. TNTrevor Noah
  Ikimas itterasshai
9. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah.
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay
11. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  So it's like, "I'm leaving."
12. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay.
13. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  "Okay, go ahead, now." Like, you know. And then when you come home, you say, "Tadaima, I'm home."
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, I like that.
15. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And then they say, uh, okaeri, which means welcome home.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  Okaeri
17. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah, okaeri. And so the first time I, um, toured Japan, just, like, two years, two years ago, um, you know, I didn't k- it was just like thousands of people know who I am. Locals, you know?
18. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
19. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right? So locals, and, and, uh, and I have, I felt, I always felt like I was kind of ripped away from Japan. I didn't get to say goodbye to my dad or my friends. I didn't know I was moving, you know. And then I had to give up my Japanese passport when I became a US citizen-
20. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, wow
21. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  ... on Japan's side. Japan doesn't-
22. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, I didn't know that.
23. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Yeah. So I just felt like layers of my Japanese identity was being ripped away, and so for me to, you know, and I, I really wanted to do well on my Japanese shows, you know? Like, prove that, like, I am home.
24. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
25. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And so I just decided to say to the audience, I said, you know, "Tadaima," like, "Uh, I'm home," and thousands of them, all of them said back to me, "Welcome home."
26. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh
27. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  Right? In Japan. In Japanese
28. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, I just got goosebumps
29. AOAtsuko Okatsuka
  And I was like, yeah, so I, I, I-
30. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh

Episode duration: 2:24:44

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