Yurié Collins hails from Wakayama, but her life screams cosmopolitan, not only because of her heritage as half-American, half-Japanese, but also because of her time in the U.S. as a student in Boston, and later as an actor in New York. During her time in The Big Apple, she appeared in TV shows such as Gotham and Orange Is the New Black.

After returning to Japan and settling in Tokyo, Collins channeled her creative energy into a niche but fast-growing genre: stand-up comedy. Performing in both Japanese and English, she has become one of the leading voices in Japan’s stand-up scene.

Metropolis: How was your experience growing up in Wakayama?

Yurié Collins: In hindsight, I feel very grateful that I was raised in Japan and went to a regular Japanese school, but at the time, I was a little brat and wanted to leave Japan. I never went through severe bullying, but I didn’t like getting so much attention because I’m hafu. I was very shy, and I wanted to blend in. It was overall a very happy and blessed childhood, but at the time, I was dealing with acceptance issues, both from outside and my own.

M: Why did you want to become an artist?

YC: If I was going to get attention, I didn’t want it to be because of being hafu, but for something I earned, for my talent. I thought it was very cool to be on stage, so I wanted to be a singer, but I also became interested in acting. When I was around eight or nine, I was obsessed with the movie Erin Brockovich. She didn’t fit in at her law firm, but she cared about justice and was a badass. I memorized the whole movie and would recite it from start to finish. My mother thought I was going to be a lawyer (laughs).

M: You eventually went to the U.S. to pursue acting. How was that experience?

YC: I was looking at a big catalog of colleges, and a category said something like, “Were you the weird kid in school?” and I was like, “Yes!” Emerson College in Boston was the number one school for “weird kids.” They have a very famous performing arts program, so I applied on a whim. I had a gut feeling it would be good for me. I ended up missing my high school graduation to fly to Boston to audition. And I got in. After graduating in 2012, I went to New York. I took acting classes and auditioned as much as I could, and eventually started booking TV roles. It was a struggle, but I have great memories.

M: What got you into comedy?

YC: After I returned to Wakayama in late 2020 due to the pandemic, I started making content to show Japan to my American friends, and some of my TikTok videos went viral. I decided to try my luck in Tokyo and started doing skits instead of just explaining Japan. I guess they were funny because I started getting messages suggesting I try stand-up. Finally, I got a message from comedian Yuki Nivez, and I was very surprised because I didn’t know there was a stand-up scene in Tokyo. She was very encouraging and inviting.

M: What’s the stand-up scene in Japan like?

YC: It only makes sense for Tokyo to have a thriving English stand-up comedy scene. Hong Kong, Singapore and Manila have it. Even if it’s performed in English, humor is influenced by where it’s written, and it’s unique to that culture. When I started, the scene in Japanese was very niche. Sometimes people who showed up to open mic events were just there to vent (laughs). It makes perfect sense because they can’t vent daily. Sometimes the MC had to step in and remind everyone it’s a comedy show. But it’s growing exponentially. In 2023, I was doing weekly Japanese open mics at the Tokyo Comedy Bar, and the audience was like three people. Then a few videos from the club went viral, the audience grew to 60 people, and the shows sold out. So they keep adding shows in Japanese.

M: How is stand-up in English and Japanese different?

YC: In Japan, people come in early, and the shows start on time (laughs). I have this show called Tokyo Hotels, which is a comedy dating expose that requires crowdwork. I had no problem with that in New York, but in Tokyo, it can be a real hit-or-miss. It’s more likely you’ll get a shy audience here. Sometimes, certain Japanese crowds clap after a punchline instead of laughing. It’s awkward, but better than nothing!

M: What does the future look like?

YC: At the moment, I’m trying to finish a special I shot recently, just the final tweaks. I wouldn’t mind showing it to people. Long-term, I wanna do a TV show. I’ve been working on the script for a while, but it keeps changing. People keep saying, “You should do a podcast, sketches…” The important question is, “What do I want to do?” I’d love to act in a show that I create.

This article appeared in the Spring 2026 Print Issue of Metropolis, themed “Drama.“