Take my passport, please
For Patrick Harlan, the path to success as a comedian in Japan ran through an unexpected place: Harvard College. Harlan’s road to television screens across Japan started in 1993, when he ditched the Harvard Glee Club’s flight home after a post-graduation trip to Asia. His decision to crash instead with a friend in Japan who had both a job and an apartment led to fame for Harlan, first as part of the comedy duo Pakkun Makkun, and then to his current television career. Harlan, who was in Cambridge for his 20th reunion, sat down with Gazette staff writer Alvin Powell to talk about his unorthodox path and about the similarities and differences between comedy in Japan and in the United States. He also shared his advice for smart, funny, ambitious members of the Class of 2013 who might want to test Japan’s comedy scene: Stay home. GAZETTE: How does a Harvard senior from...