“I moved to the United States to do comedy,” shares comedian Naomi Watanabe on the eve of her first New York stand-up show taking place this Friday, October 18th at the Gramercy Theatre. “I’ve been living in New York for quite a bit now, so I wanted to do it in front of a New York audience and see their reaction.” Watanabe made waves in 2008 with her imitation of Beyoncé, catapulting her into global fame.
A tour in 2023 saw Watanabe travel throughout the country. “Even if I’m not fluent in English, people are pretty welcoming and try to understand,” adds Watanabe who traveled to seven cities throughout the country from coast to coast. From California to Atlanta, Watanabe was enamored by the people and the cuisine. “Now I see how different the food is depending on the state and city,” says Watanabe who hopes to explore Houston, Las Vegas, and Boston next.
However, first up is conquering Manhattan with her comedy. “[The show will be about] a lot of my experiences and also talking about dates with New Yorkers, New York men, and just topics other comedians can’t talk about because they’re a blend of experiences from Japan and New York.” And no doubt, they’ll be delivered with Watanabe’s usual combo of wit, humor, and timing.
Below, discover Watanabe’s New York and make sure to check out more tips on where to go from our Inspectors, chefs, and celebrities.
What are some of your favorite places to go in New York?
I go to a lot of Japanese restaurants, but I love Mexican food and going to Chinatown too. Chang Cafe serves real matcha, Japanese cakes, and stuff like that. It’s great to take a break there, drink authentic matcha, and just gossip.Where do you go to celebrate after a performance or just out with friends?
It ends really late at midnight, but I'd go to Balthazar. I go all the time and order the seafood tower and celebrate. Also, my friend took me to Carbone. It’s so hard to get reservations but the cream pasta there was shocking. I can’t forget the taste of that pasta. I’d love to go there again.What’s your favorite shop?
There’s a store called Coming Soon that I really like. It has stuff by a whole bunch of different artists. There are vases, dishes, houseware, all original stuff. And I actually go there to buy for myself. It's very New York, so I buy stuff to bring back to my Japanese friends.What is your favorite museum?
I love the Met [Metropolitan Musuem of Art]; as you know, there's so many events and temporary showings. But of course, we can't forget the Museum of Sex...I was like, oh, okay, so this is New York. But overall, there are (so many) great artists and great galleries so I try to explore whenever I can.
Featured Image: Art director: Yuni Yoshida / Photographer: Hiroshi Manaka / Hair make up: Asami Nemoto / Stylist: Miki Aizawa / Retouch: Shota Emoto / Producer: Mamoru Inagaki
