TV in Japan

This is how you make the stakes matter. By putting your teammates on a slide. That grows. And grows. And grows. Really it grows much higher than I ever thought. On TV. In Japan.

This is how you park a car. Between two guard rails. With less than 1cm of extra space. On TV. In Japan.
Japanese Parking GameshowUploaded by vidyokanal

This is how you endear yourself to a nation. By removing your shirt and sticking snack foods to your pasty belly. On TV. In Japan.

This is how you combine comedy, pain and some sort of tongue fetish. On TV. In Japan.
japanese tongueUploaded by peach456

This is how you make someone move fast. By sticking them behind a screen. And handing them a bikini. And putting sixty seconds on the clock. And then asking them to wow you. On TV. In Japan.

This is how you make contestants really work for their dough. By putting them on giant shuffleboard pieces. And then allowing them to end up in the “Danger Zone”. Where really bad things can happen. Hence the name. On TV. In Japan.

The following clips encapsulate what may be the pinnacle of the Japanese torture for laughs show:
24 Hours. One Gym. Four comedians. An army of torturers in black pleather suits.
This is the 24hr Punishment. With subtitles. On TV. In Japan.
Part One:

The entire rest of the series is availible but with embedding disabled. I’m linking below [...]

I, for one, welcome our tablecloth pulling overlords. Wait, that was the last post.
Here we have more Japanese TV at its finest, thanks to the people at Japan Probe. A contest of skill wherein individuals must pull table cloths off a table. With a variety of more stuff on it. And a side serving of [...]

Pre-Note: This is a repost but the video had died and now it lives again. BTW, it’s kinda racy but nothing crazy. It is, however, relatively degrading. Be warned.
This is how you weed out the weak. By testing their ability to handle sausages. With their mouths. On TV. In Japan.
NOTE: I am deeply sorry for [...]

This is how you test your skills at catching a baseball. Actually lots of baseballs. Some of which are large. All while standing at a 45 degree angle. With a tub of water to catch you when you fall. On TV. In Japan.

Thanks to YouTube user JMX29 for the uploads!

I’ve never seen this before. But, due to the ages of the comedians in this, it might be pretty old.
It matters not.
If you’ve never seen a Downtown Gaki No Tsukai video, this is a fine place to start. If you know them well, as I do now, prepare to be amazed yet again.
I can [...]

This is how you produce a Pop Idol rip-off show. With cute girls as contestants. And balloon heads as the celebrity panel of judges.

Via Metafilter whom I wish would link here instead of my old site.

This is one of my very favorite clips from TV in Japan of all time.
It does, however, often get ripped down from places it gets uploaded. Therefore I suggest you do one of the following two things:
1) Watch it. And then watch it again. Then cry when it gets taken down.
2) Grab it using one [...]

This is how you knock down pins. By dousing yourself in oil. Then sending yourself down a “lane”. On TV. In Japan.

This is how you entertain the masses. With gross out stunts and psuedo-torture. All of this at least fifteen years before the rest of the world catches on. On TV. In Japan.
Clip One: Bikini Girl + Pig Slop = Frightening Eating Fest

Clip Two: Bikini Girl + Sweet Brushes + Insects = Torturous Squim Festival

Clip Three: [...]