The short version: who, what, where, when
Pirates of Tokyo Bay is Tokyo's English and Japanese improv comedy group, on stage at What the Dickens! in Ebisu since 2010. This September there are two chances to catch us. On Sunday, September 20th we play the Tokyo International Comedy Festival at Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya, a one-minute walk from Shibuya Station. On Sunday, September 27th we are back home at What the Dickens! in Ebisu, just one stop from Shibuya, for our monthly show. Both nights are fully unscripted: no script, no rehearsal, every scene built live from your suggestions. Both tickets are ¥2,500. Only the Ebisu ticket includes your 1st drink free. Details and tickets for each show are below.
Why two shows this month
Once a year the Tokyo International Comedy Festival takes over Shibuya, and once a month we take over a British pub in Ebisu. This September the two land a week apart. We could have skipped the monthly show. We did not. If you have been searching for comedy events in Tokyo, or typing "comedy events near me" or "comedy clubs near me" into your phone on a Sunday evening, September gives you two.
Show one: festival night in Shibuya
For the third year running, the Pirates are part of the Tokyo International Comedy Festival, the 11-day celebration of comedy that fills Shibuya and venues across the city every September. Stand-up, roast battles, live podcasts, international headliners, and, in our corner of it, live improv.
We play Tokyo Comedy Bar, the festival's home base and the city's dedicated stand-up room, one minute from Shibuya Station. If you came looking for stand-up comedy in Shibuya, this is the same room and the same crowd with the script removed. It is a different room from our usual pub: a proper stage, a packed comedy crowd, and the buzz of a festival mid-run. Our 2025 festival show sold out, so this one is the ticket to grab first.
One more reason to come: September 20th falls on the Sunday of the Silver Week long weekend. No early alarm on Monday.
Show two: Autumn Laughs at home in Ebisu
Seven days later we are back where it all started. Our monthly show at What the Dickens! in Ebisu is the one people mean when they say "the Pirates show": a cozy British pub, a full food menu, and a free first drink with your ticket. This month's theme is Autumn Laughs: Comedy Harvest, our nod to the season of good food and long evenings. It also marks 16 years of the Pirates on the Ebisu stage.
The pub is a three-minute walk from the JR Ebisu Station West Exit, one stop from Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. Arrive when doors open, order fish and chips or a meat pie at the bar, and eat at your table while the show happens around you. It is a dinner-and-a-show night without the dinner-show price tag. For a full plan, see our Ebisu night-out guide.
Which one should you pick?
Honestly, both. But if you have to choose:
Want festival energy, a proper stage, and a room full of comedy fans? Shibuya, September 20th.
Want a pub, dinner at your table, a free drink, and an easy date night? Ebisu, September 27th.
Visiting Tokyo for the week of the festival? Do Shibuya on the 20th and Ebisu on the 27th. Two of the best things to do in Tokyo, one week apart.
What actually happens on stage
Same show, both venues. A host asks the audience for a suggestion, a word, a job, a place, an emotion. The cast turns it into a scene on the spot. Some scenes run in English, some in Japanese, some in languages that do not technically exist. You do not need both languages to follow it. Plenty of what we do is physical comedy, pantomime, and gibberish, which lands no matter what language you think in. New to improv? Start with our explainer: What Is Improv Comedy?
Show details
Festival show in Shibuya
Date: Sunday, September 20th, 2026
Festival: Tokyo International Comedy Festival 2026 (September 17th to 27th)
Venue: Tokyo Comedy Bar, Renga Bldg 3F, 1-5-9 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043
Access: About a 1-minute walk from Shibuya Station
Show time: 19:00
Tickets: ¥2,500, sold by Tokyo Comedy Bar via Fienta, online and at the door Drinks available for purchase at the venue
👉 Festival tickets (Tokyo Comedy Bar): https://fienta.com/ticf-pirates-of-tokyo-bay
👉 Full festival schedule: https://www.tokyocomedybar.com/ticf
Monthly show in Ebisu
Date: Sunday, September 27th, 2026
Venue: What the Dickens!, Roob 6 Bldg 4F, 1-13-3 Ebisunishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0021
Access: 3-minute walk from JR Ebisu Station West Exit, 1 stop from Shibuya
Doors: 19:00
Show: 19:30
Tickets: ¥2,500, includes your 1st drink free Full food menu available
👉 Tickets for the Ebisu show: https://www.piratesoftokyobay.com/shows
FAQ
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Yes. On Sunday, September 20th we perform at the Tokyo International Comedy Festival at Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya. On Sunday, September 27th we perform our regular monthly show at What the Dickens! in Ebisu. They are two separate shows at two different venues.
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Both tickets are ¥2,500, but only the September 27th show at What the Dickens! in Ebisu includes your 1st drink free. At the September 20th festival show at Tokyo Comedy Bar, drinks are purchased separately at the venue.
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Yes. The September 20th festival show is sold by Tokyo Comedy Bar through the festival ticketing page. The September 27th Ebisu show is sold through our own shows page. One ticket does not cover both.