According to the memoirs of his younger sister, Kimiko KOGANEI, Ogai in his youth made depictions of Shikunshi (four plants with high virtue), sketched their courtyard and often went to the yose (storyteller theater) after coming back from work; she writes that he once took her, but left halfway through before the Rakugo story teller finished his nagauta (long epic song with shamisen accompaniment).
なお妹、小金井喜美子の回想によれば、若き日の鴎外は、四君子を描いたり、庭を写生したり、職場から帰宅後しばしば寄席に出かけたり（喜美子と一緒に出かけたとき、ある落語家の長唄を聴いて中座）したという。