Wacky Japanese Television

While many Westerners have a bizarre view of Japanese television because of a few variety shows that torment people by making them sit in a bathtub of scalding water or put their hand in a box of snakes, most Japanese TV isn't nearly that strange. There are dramas, like the currently running GiraGira that's based on a popular manga about "host clubs" staffed with good-looking males; talk shows like Waratte ii tomo ("It's Okay to Laugh"), which is in the Guinness Book for 36 years of uninterrupted daily broadcasts; and some imports, like the local version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The internationally famous Takeshi Kitano hosts several shows including Anyone Can Be Picasso, which has a segment where artists compete in an "art battle" for the right to open an exhibition of their work in New York, and Unbelievable! which shows touching and miraculous stories from around the world. Japan's declining academic performance compared with neighboring countries has caused a lot of consternation here, and the TV networks have responded by creating popular educational shows in which "talents" (a catch-all word for comedians, actors and anyone who's interesting to watch on TV) sit in "class" and take tests on various subjects, with lots of witty banter to break up the studying. Another apparently popular category of television are travel shows in which a camera crew will follow some famous people as they journey through rural Japan, stopping at traditional inns and hot springs and sampling local food delicacies along the way. I even saw a version of this concept shot in California, in which a former idol singer drove from San Diego to Solvang, a quaint Danish town complete with a windmill, stopping at various points of interest along the way. Although I don't find driving on Los Angeles freeways to be particularly fun, it was quite interesting to see places I knew being described in detail to Japanese viewers.

This is older than God (from before Takeshi had his accident while riding home on a scooter from Fumie Hosokawa's house where he was having an illicit affair), but it's really hilarious: