Lighten Up Japan!

Masako Kusakari is on a mission. She wants to bring more laughter to Japan. "My mission is to help Japanese people lighten up and enjoy conversation using humor. Many Japanese people take things too seriously," says Masako. "I think if we learn to be more playful, we can enjoy life more."Masako lives in Yokohama City, the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo. Several months ago, Masako's husband got her the best selling book The Healing Power of Humor by Allen Klein - translated in Japanese."I was thrilled!!!" So inspired by Allen's book, she wrote to him that she was teaching an English humor communication class and wanted to learn more about humor."I asked him if he would come to Japan to give a workshop on humor or if he knows anyone who teaches humor in Japan. He wrote back to me the next day. (4 hours later to be exact!) His mail was very warm and kind. He told me about AATH and their conference in April in San Diego.""I had traveled only three times by myself after I got married. And those trips were all in Japan and only three hour rides on a train. Going all the way to the United States? However, it was San Diego, the city we visited two years ago when my son was studying at UCSD for a year."She thought it was "fate." And so she went."And I am so glad that I went! I met so many wonderful people like you and I also learned so much about humor. I am so grateful to Allen Klein that he wrote me and told me about AATH."