is a public indoor stage

Stage (theatre)

In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...

 owned by the Japanese entertainment

Entertainment

Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...

 conglomerate Yoshimoto Kōgyō

Yoshimoto Kogyo

is a major Japanese entertainment conglomerate, with its headquarters based in Osaka. It was founded in 1912 as a traditional theatre, and has since grown to be one of the most influential companies in Japan, employing most of Japan's popular owarai talent, producing and promoting the shows they...

 situated in Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....

. The stage opened on March 25, 2006 and has since staged the Yoshimoto Mugendai event hosting daily owarai

Owarai

is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word owarai is the honorific form of the word warai, meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". Owarai is most common on Japanese variety shows and the comedians are referred to as owarai geinin or owarai tarento...

 performances and live broadcasts on television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 and over the internet. Yoshimoto Mugendai, which commenced on November 11, 2005, was held at the now closed Ariake Studio prior to the opening of Yoshimoto Mugendai Hall.

Mugendai means "infinity" in Japanese

Japanese language

is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...

 and the symbol ∞, often replaces the word itself in casual Japanese writing.

Live event

The daily live performances (open free to the public) are hosted by popular owarai duo Oriental Radio

Oriental Radio

Oriental Radio , also known as Ori Raji , is a Japanese comedy duo consisting of Atsuhiko Nakata and Shingo Fujimori under the entertainment agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo.Atsuhiko and Shingo met while working as part time operators at a vehicle accident reception desk...

 from approximately 4-6 pm

12-hour clock

The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...

 and comedian Hosshan from approximately 6-9 pm. For the purposes of the show, the hosts are referred to as "navigators". The entire 5 hours is broadcast live on the Yoshimoto's television channel, Fandago TV, which is dedicated to broadcasting live owarai acts and Yoshimoto variety

Variety show

A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

, and is also broadcast over the internet.

The contents of each show generally rotate according to a weekly schedule featuring many corners common to Japanese television, although guests and special appearances on the stage vary widely from day to day. Almost all of the guests on Yoshimoto Mugendai are minor Yoshimoto comedians, although much more famous acts (such as Jichō Kachō

Jicho Kacho

is a Japanese comedy unit consisting of two , and . Sometimes also known as , they are one of the most popular owarai kombi coming from Yoshimoto Kōgyō in Tokyo. Their name literally means "Vice manager, Section manager", and is a reference to the titles of two visitors at the bar in which they...

) have made appearances in the past.

There is an official monthly magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

for Yoshimoto Mugendai and the hall called YOOH! (shown right), featuring interviews with the guests and information on future shows.