Saturday, April 22, 2006
Keep A Band Aid On All Day
This is self-help programming. About band-aids. In Japan.
The Simpsons Skiing In Japan
Kasou Taishou - The Show Behind The Matrix Ping Pong Clip
I first got a glimpse of Kasou Taishou on a flight to Tokyo last year. It was an awful, early moment in the morning. I realized I was never really going to get to sleep and the movie had already finished. The laptop battery was dead. I hadn't had a chance to pick up a book and after driving from Northern British Columbia to Vancouver to catch the plane I really wasn't in the mood to read any of the longer articles in Harper's.
Then, at what was something like 3:30 AM, Kasou Tashou flickered to life on the screen in front of me.
It's hard to describe if you've never seen it (so obviously go see it) but were I forced to say exactly what it is I might say this: Kasou Taishou is Kabuki Theater that's been throughly masticated by modern Japanese daily life.
I might also call it amazing.
As far as I can tell (from my exhaustive internet research), it's a Japanese talent show that airs on Nippon Television a couple of times a year. There's also some sort of ranking mechanism that happens after each performance which in some way signifies how the competitors will do.
Here's the official website.
Here's some videos from the offical website.
Of course lots and lots of videos are out there on the internet.
Here's a great one.
If you see another awesome one, let me know and I'll throw it up here.
Are You Wake Up?
This is a salary man courtship ritual. With lipsynching. And awesome air guitar. On TV. In Japan.
Bob Sapp on Game Show
This is Bob Sapp. As cultural icon. Chasing much shorter people. On TV. In Japan.
The Inside Look
This is Innerspace. With an audience. On TV. In Japan.
The Japanese Take on Escher
Friday, April 21, 2006
Getting Tied Up On Japanse TV
This is learning how to tie your significant other up. In front of a live studio audience. On TV. In Japan.
Spider-Man In Japanese.
This is Spider-Man. Putting on his suit. Then clawing at the camera. Then bouncing. In Japan.
Horror of Horrors, A Blinking Shirt!
This is video of a haunted octopus. That blinks. Once. In Japan.
Erectile Dysfunction...Now With Flowers!
This is an erectile dysfunction commercial. With dripping flowers. In Japan.
Robots with Cell Phones in Belts
This is an example of roaming. With exceeding charges. In Japan.
Co-ed Bathing with Fat Man
This is how they conserve water. By bathing with fat people. In Japan.
Getting Up In Japan
These are graffiti artists. On a bike. Wearing tights & body paint. In Japan.
Nasubi: The Human Guinea Pig
DavidS writes in about Nasubi, which may very well have been both the darkest and most brilliant series in Japanese TV history.
Nasubi (both his name and the name of the show) was forced to stay in a bare room and win all of his food, entertainment and consumables via send-away contests. It's a disturbing tale of depravity but when viewed through the vibrating laughter of the Japanese TV audience it became a smash comedy hit!
I've never seen the show but I've heard/read about it for a long time. If ANYONE out there has clips or knows where I can buy DVDs, let me know. I'd love to not only put them up here but just see it with my own two eyes.
Oh and to get back to the parlance of the site.
This is Survivor. Without teams. In an apartment. In Japan.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Sex Sells Everything Even Ice Cream
This is how you sell ice cream cones. With jiggle. In Japan.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Hot Towels Vs. Man
This is how we get our jollies. With projectile hot towels. In Japan.
Guy Dances With Himself
Monday, April 17, 2006
Vaccum Used for Game Show.
This is, again, the Price is Right. With vaccums. Attached to people's heads. In Japan.
Fans Used as Weapon on Game Show
This is the Price is Right. With puffy dice. And contestants getting beat by fans. In Japan.
UFC & Pride Champions Shaving One Another
These are tough guys. Shaving one another. To sell shavers. In Japan.
Toilet Curling
This is the great Canadian sport of Curling. With toilets. In Japan.
Cohesive Bra/Swimsuit
This is support wear. For swimming. In Japan.
NOTE: Clip is SFW but looks vaguely NSFW.
NOTE: Clip is SFW but looks vaguely NSFW.
Extreme Sports Furries Take On Snowcross
Crazy Japanese Baseball TV Promo
This is how they play violent baseball. With yelling. In Japan.
Bikini Giants
This is a cat fight. With giant women. In bikinis. In Japan.
Women Shave Heads for Pachinko
This is how you get people excited for Pachinko. In Japan.
