Posts Tagged ‘funny’

Michael Moore visits a maid cafe in Akihabara

Shinichi Karube of “Mezamashi TV” takes American director Michael Moore on a tour of Akihabara:

Part 1

Michael Moore is amused with the crowd of onlookers taking photos of himself and Karube. He borrows a camera from one onlooker so he can take the onlooker’s photo. He then asks to call the guy’s dad, who is a reporter for the Sankei Shimbun (FTV is part of the same media group). The father cannot speak English, but Moore attempts a conversation anyway.

Upon seeing a man wearing a mask, Moore decides to give a lecture on why it is good for us as humans to breath in germs and get a stronger immune system. The lecture doesn’t seem to have much effect.

They move on to a figure shop. Moore ignores the figures and buys some wire instead.

Next, they interview a Japanese gyaru. She had never heard of Michael Moore, which gives the show an opportunity to air some clips further introducing Moore’s achievements to the audience at home. The gyaru and her friend had just come from a maid cafe….

Part 2 (The maid cafe)

Moore and Karube go to Akihabara’s famous @home maid cafe. Moore does not seem to enjoy the servility of the maids and fears that it is some sort of pedo business that will soon be raided by the police.

Before leaving, Moore apparently comments on his opposition to Obama’s Afghanistan policy. He then reminds Karube that masks are bad and germs are good. Teenage girls are to be avoided.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Haircuts around the world

In the process of traveling around the world, NTV’s “Itte Q” forced assistant directors and other staff members to place themselves at the mercy of local barbers:

Each man was given what the barber thought would look best. The results varied greatly, especially since they went to high class hair stylists in some countries and cheap local barbers in others.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Youtube’s talking goat on Japanese TV

What happens when YouTube’s famous talking goat finds its way onto Japanese TV? It becomes “the goat that talks like Ken Shimura“:

It does indeed sound kind of like the voice Shimura makes when he acts dumb.
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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Wedding kiss confusion

Two little boys are told to give kiss the bride on her cheek, but one boy, 2-year-old Koichi, seems to not understand the meaning of the word “bride” (oyome):

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Google protects the identity of anime characters

Google Street View’s automatic face censorship technology protects the privacy of a statue:

Found from a post about the anime statues that line the road outside of Bandai’s Tokyo HQ. [via JapanSoc]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

That bread and red bean headed freak’s got character(s)

A Japan Times article reports that Anpanman, the superhero with a head made of bread and sweet red bean paste ubiquitous in Japan, has made it into the Guiness Book of World Records.  The record: most characters in an animated series.  Apparently, as of March 1,768 different characters have appeared in the long-running cartoon.

[Image courtesy of http://cinematicroom.com"]

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Contributor Bio: I am a doctoral student of environmental anthropology currently living and conducting research in a mountain village in Nagano. In my research I explore modernity as it is expressed in a rural mountain community. Specifically I look at national management structures, as well as social discourses, related to forests and probe the impacts these have on local human communities. I have lived and worked in Japan for 5 years. My interests also include Buddhism, literature, music, and mountaineering. Read more at my personal blog: In the Pines.
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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)