JapanSugoi

From May 2008, this is either the best thing ever or your worst nightmare – Jpop super group SMAP performing with an ABBA cover band ABBA Gold (who are one of the most known ABBA-tribute bands in Europe)

The ultimate combination does a Special Medley (Mamma Mia; Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!; Dancing Queen).   Not for ABBA fans if you want to hear butchered lyrics but still fun to watch.

SMAP and ABBA Gold on Japanese TV show SMAPxSMAP

It’s all about musical creativity when you mash the Sex Machineguns (punk), Paul Gilbert (heavy metal Guitar god from Mr. Big) and squeaky clean Jpop duo Kinki Kids together on stage and see what music comes out!

Sex Machinguns & Paul Gilbert & Kinki Kids – Song Of MIKAN

Another clip from Japanese TV show “IT’S GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS JAPAN SHOW!” which again showcases another WTF world record.  This time Chinese acrobat Sun Xi Zhong creates a new record in 2010 for climbing the most stairs — wait for it — climbing the most stairs on his head. The absolutely amazing stunt was achieved  on the set of Bikkuri Chojin Special #3 (Fuji TV) in Tokyo, Japan.

Only in Japan could you ever make “Unko-san” うんこさん-ツイてる人にしか見えない妖精 a 2009 anime series about a brown turd character called a “poo fairy” .  Thirteen short episodes of the anime were shown in the Osaka area on Kansai TV’s “Otoemon” 音エモン music program between July 19, 2009 – April 26, 2009.  The original concept was created by MAD Barbarians and the  series and title song うんとこサンバ were very popular among Japanese schoolgirls in western Japan.

 Read more...

From Japanese TV show “IT’S GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS JAPAN SHOW”,  a world record for — wait for it — “the most nuts crushed by sitting on them within one minute” — WTF?   The world record from 2010 was achieved by Tomoharu Shoji (Japan)  who crushed 43 nuts on the set of Bikkuri Chojin Special #4 (Fuji TV) in Aoba, Japan.

There are many popular theme parks in Japan but one of the earliest ones built was called Dreamland located in Nara.  Nara Dreamland 奈良の夢の国　was an almost complete replica of Disneyland in California.

The park was open from 1961 (even Walt Disney attended the opening ceremony) to 2006. Just like Disneyland, the park had a main street, matterhorn, monorail, autopia, skyway and more.

The park closed in 2006 due to poor attendance and is abandoned with nature slowly taking over the rides.

From Japanese TV, a news segment about the building of Nara Dreamland

From a few years ago on Japanese TV – a younger Brittany Spears appears on Japanese TV show hosted by comedy duo Downtown ダウンタウン.

Vermilion Pleasure Night or VPN was a popular but short lived late night Japanese variety and comedy show broadcast in 2000 by TV Tokyo.  We’ve previously written about their One Point English and Quickgirl Assassins segments.

Another recurring segment was “Cathy’s House” which featured real people performing as dolls in a very colorful “Barbie Doll” doll house belonging to Cathy. The entire cast is female but the narrator is Mr. Yoshimasa Ishibashi.  Be prepared to be transported into a surreal world.

Wonderful Day

Someday

Ijiri Okada イジリー岡田 is one Japan’s most feared comedians (for female Japanese idols).  In this funny segement from Japanese TV segment from TV Asahi’s variety show  Rain Talk  アメトーーク！ , he torments two Japanese gravure idols models who appear as guests on the show.  While Jun Natsukawa and Ami Tokito are on the live set, he inspects their backstage dressing rooms checking out their clothes and what is in their hand bags.

Ijiri Okada torments idols on Rain Talk Show

Dance shows are always popular on TV in Japan.  In the early 2000′s TV Tokyo’s テレビ東京
Beatopia was one of the more popular shows with individuals and teams facing each other off in a dance off.  In the following clip from Beatopia – last round special, sexy reggae dancer Erika takes on hip hopster Ken (Pro-SeeD).

Erika vs Ken (Pro-SeeD) TV Tokyo Beatopia