From lost cameras to hotel escapades, Pei’s philosophy keeps him going
If that's what they call the "comedy generation," then I am a B.C. comedian.
Pee, half the photos were gone in the fire
“That was the day before my master Sanpei’s (first-generation Hayashiya Sanpei) memorial. We were at a temple in Take-no-Tsuka, Adachi, for the service. It was like a rally for the Sanpei school, everyone saying, ‘Let’s go, Sanpei school!’ We were about to take a group commemorative photo when my phone rang. People were like, ‘Whose phone is that?’ and then someone said, ‘It’s Pee!’
When I answered, they told me from Akabane Fire Station, ‘Pee-san, your house is on fire.’ I told everyone, ‘Guys, my house is on fire—right now!’ Everyone there laughed and clapped like, ‘No way~ (haha),’ but it was real.”
Hayashiya Pee (84), known for dressing in pink with his wife Paako and snapping photos with puns, made headlines last September when his home caught fire.
“People call me the aside comedian, so watch out for all my digressions (haha),” Pee prefaced, before recounting the disaster and the chain of misfortunes that followed.
After receiving word of the fire, Pee rushed to his Akabane home by taxi. However, he got stuck in a traffic jam halfway across an 800-meter bridge over the Arakawa River. “I went all out—it was like running the Tokyo Marathon or Hakone Ekiden (haha),” he said, jumping out and running. Ironically, the traffic jam was caused by the fire at his own home.
Around 30 emergency vehicles arrived at his apartment, and the fire was extinguished in two hours. The cause was later identified as an old electric cord short-circuiting. Reporters from newspapers and TV were also on the scene.
“I never thought a fire at a comedian like me would make such news. That surprised me first. Another problem was my age had always been a secret, but the news revealed it (haha). Newspapers, TV, and weekly magazines all came. They wrote, ‘Pee, half the photos gone in the fire,’ which was pretty clever (haha).”
Since receiving advice from his mentor Terry Ito that comedians need visuals too—go flashy, Pee and his wife have always dressed head-to-toe in pink.When he arrived at the scene, he saw the area around his home soaked with water, but he was quickly taken to Paako.
“She was in an ambulance next to the house, panicking, so I went to the hospital with her. She only had minor burns on her fingertips and was able to leave the hospital.”
Thankfully, his wife was unharmed, but there was no home to return to.
“A kind bar owner, like the boss of Akabane, helped us out a lot. She lent us 100,000 yen. That night we stayed at a hotel she recommended. After that, we moved around and ended up staying in a love hotel in Uguisudani because there was nowhere else (haha).”
Even in that situation, Pee had work commitments—guest appearances at theaters and events were scheduled.
Because it’s Pe-Pa, “If there’s a god to throw away, there’s a god to pick up.”
“I couldn’t afford to miss work, so I was looking for hotels to stay at, and from there, going to work. That’s how I was doing it. Four cats died in the fire at my burned-down house — since they were family, we call them four people at our place. I had been keeping their remains in the storage on the first floor of my house, but it had been bothering me all along. Paruko went to my house to do a memorial service, and after that, I just assumed she went to her nephew’s house nearby.
I’m a cold-hearted man. Two days later, the mama of that snack bar contacted me saying, ‘Paruko-san is being taken care of at Akabane Police!’ Paruko seemed confused and wandered around the Akabane area.
Later I heard that she ate at a standing soba shop and even asked to stay at a karaoke box but was refused. Paruko has poor hearing and carries notes for written communication, but I had just left her alone.”
Currently, Paruko has calmed down, but there had been previous occasions when the Pe-Pa couple’s eccentric behavior became a topic around Akabane.
“The proprietress, Kayako Ebina (who passed away last December), named her ‘Paruko’ because she brightens things up, but, perhaps inappropriately, ‘Pa’ has another nuance too (laughs). Some people said she was out of touch with reality, but if you ask me, she’s just carefree (laughs).”
However, when talking about a monochrome bromide of Paruko that the writer found extraordinarily beautiful, she said, “I’m so happy!” and dug into a small handbag by her side, saying, “For Paruko’s honor oh no, it’s not here at a time like this,” while continuing to search for the photo. Their deep relationship was apparent.
By September 27, a week after the fire, a new detached house was found, freeing them from the days of moving from hotel to hotel. According to Pe, “Because it’s Pe-Pa, ‘If there’s a god to throw away, there’s a god to pick up’ (laughs),” but Taihei Hayashiya, a junior disciple of the Sanpei school — considered a master by Pe out of gratitude — took the initiative to hold a charity event to help Hayashiya Pe-Paruko.
Renowned figures such as Hiromi Iwasaki (67), Terry Ito (76), and Keiko Toda (68) participated. The events held in Asakusa and Oi were full, and “To conclude, the donations? The sympathy money? Exceeded expectations and even covered the fire damage compensation.”
However, the next disaster awaited Pe.
Words of Wisdom from Kin-san & Gin-san
In 2026, he lost a newly purchased digital camera. On January 6, he posted a missing item report on X (formerly Twitter). In fact, he has lost cameras five or six times before, and as he puts it, “It’s a Pe thing, like Razor Ramon RG (laughs),”
“The place I lost it was Kita-Akabane Station, but it’s not the camera itself that I regret losing—it’s the data inside. In the past, even when I lost it, the camera always came back. This time, maybe because I didn’t report it to the police, it hasn’t turned up.
I thought if I tweeted about it on X, it would come back. But then someone from Hokkaido sent me a better camera. I’m very grateful. The only problem is, I don’t really know how to use it (laughs).”
Apparently, he’s having a hard time just displaying the images he’s taken. He even asked the writer, “Hey, don’t you get it?” for advice. He has also started using his smartphone camera as a last resort, but he admits, “The image quality is great, and you can upload it directly to X,” and only now is he realizing how impressive a smartphone’s performance is.
But as one problem ended, another began. The electricity in the detached house he moved into after the fire was cut off starting January 31. The place reportedly didn’t get much sunlight to begin with, and Pe mentioned the blackout on X just as a severe cold wave was hitting Japan.
“Even with the heater on, it was cold. And then the electricity went out my breath was visible, it was like Siberia. When I called, I was kept waiting. Then a TEPCO worker came to apologize. I told them, ‘I’m sorry too,’ and deleted my post on X.”
Not widely known, Pe is originally from Osaka. He vaguely thought of becoming a talent or rakugo performer in the future, but after moving to Tokyo, he lost confidence after seeing a live radio recording in Yurakucho featuring Koen Yanagi and the young Tatekawa Danshi’s rakugo performance, which was so skillful it made him doubt himself.
However, he later saw Sanpei Hayashiya, who was completely different. “He said, ‘On New Year’s Day, the car crashed, bang-tan (gantan)!’ It was silly but funny. I thought, if he can do it, I can too!” That was the reason Pe decided to become his disciple.
His performing career is now in its 62nd year. Among the first-generation Sanpei school, the three older senior disciples have passed away, leaving him the longest-serving. In the Rakugo Association, he is also the senior-most in the variety acts division.
“See, I’m not skilled at performing and I’m not smart. I don’t even get M-1 comedy. In comedy, people often talk about the such-and-such generation, but for me, I’m like a pre-Christian performer, a ‘B.C. comedian.’ I’m a niche industry. I’m aware that people don’t even understand my humor. I’m a performer seemingly forgotten by the world.”
That’s no exaggeration. Hayashiya Pe and Paruko are truly one-of-a-kind originals.
“Some people say, ‘Pe is fine as he is,’ or just stay the way you are. But deep down, I feel a sense of guilt. As a performer, I think you should constantly strive and challenge yourself… Yet when I watch the Kouhaku Uta Gassen, I don’t even recognize more than half the performers. Even if someone says ‘Snow Man,’ I don’t know who they are.
But I’ve been a performer all my life. I do solo guitar comic talks at yose theaters, and I still do gigs with Paruko. Just having Paruko laughing beside me brightens everything. That’s enough.
I even worked with Kin-san and Gin-san when they were 104 years old. ‘Longevity is part of the art’—that’s my life philosophy. A performer keeps going until death. Of course, that depends on whether there’s demand (laughs). If there’s no demand, then there’s nothing you can do. That’s the life of a performer.”
Before I knew it, the interview had stretched into three and a half hours.
After the interview, Pe left his glasses at the venue. I hurried after him and saw him rounding a corner ahead. I sped up to catch him but he had disappeared.
“Hmm.” I wondered, when I saw him crouched down just beyond the corner. He had been talking happily, but he was also exhausted. And Pe tried not to show that side of himself. When I handed him the glasses, he stood up shyly, saying, “Thanks,” and walked off.
Even today, Pe continues to perform solo guitar comic talks at yose theaters and works alongside Paruko for gigs.
“Longevity is part of the art.”
Just as he says, may he continue to show us his lively, healthy self with Paruko for many years to come.
Photography and text by： Tsuyoshi Nodo