Words by Stephanie Babiak.

Takashi Wakasugi is back for round two of the Adelaide Fringe, having made his debut with an impressive sold-out season in 2020. The new show, Farm Backpacker (Subclass 417), will appeal to crowds he impressed last year and a whole new target market.

Being Japanese, Wakasugi’s humour often revolves around exploring the vast cultural gap between Australian and Japanese society, as well as the common ground we all seem to share no matter what background we come from.

The new show is more specific in its focus; the name of the show alludes to the specific work Visa that many people use to come and experience Australia, which requires them to spend three months working in rural areas picking fruit and veg. Unsurprisingly, the conditions generally attract a pretty young crowd of backpackers from all over the world. Wakasugi, having been twenty-nine at the time, readily acknowledges that he was probably “a bit too old” to be “doing something so stupid”.

This perspective gives a fresh and hilarious entry point to Wakasugi’s tales of hostel-living and farm life. He was young and reckless enough to go with the flow, but also old enough have travelled in comparative luxury. This dichotomy naturally led to inevitable existential crises about his life choices when faced with the true horror of being crammed in a room with seven other men for months.

Wakasugi’s stories still highlight some of the hilarious cultural divides, but this new focus also creates nostalgia for anyone who has ever thrown caution to the wind and made the sometimes-questionable choice to backpack in a foreign land.

Even if travel has never been on your agenda, there’s a sense of unpretentiousness to Wakasugi’s stories which will take you back to your own youth. It feels like glimpse into a more easygoing time, and it makes for a refreshing reminder that we can recapture that youthful optimism even when the world feels more complex. Sure, we may not be jumping on planes to foreign lands any time soon, but if anything Wakasugi’s appreciation for Australia is a timely reminder that our own backyard has plenty of adventures to offer.

Funny and full of heart, Wakasugi continues to grow in confidence and skill with each performance, all without losing the slightly polite and, in his own words, “so Japanese”, quirks which make him unique. Truly a show worth seeing and sure to lift your spirits.

Rating: ★★★★ 1/2