It's Never What You Expect

I was under the impression that Japanese TV programs were absolutely crazy. It's not quite so. While there are some very strange panel format entertainment programs, only a couple programs really stood out.

The first was a program we were inspired to watch after hearing an older woman laughing loudly at the TV in our hotel lobby. It took the format of a panel of (famous?) people who were watching short segments of serious people making fools of themselves. It included a senile magician, and a man who invented a "keibeki" (or at least that's what I thought they were saying) which was a diaper of some sort... oh, and then went on to demonstrate its... uhh... capacity (and I don't mean #1) in the back of a car with plastic-wrapped seats. We cried from laughter, but not to the point of needing a keibeki.

The second was another panel format show all about cute animals. This included adorable and... less than adorable puppies, a segment showing the adventures of a chimp and its pet dog, and then the same chimp trying to get lucky by displaying itself in lavish clothing, or by giving the other chimp gifts of food (which it instead ate before giving, much to the very visible irritation of the chimp being courted).

Otherwise, it's the commercials that are the highlight of Japanese television. Usually they are too fast for me to understand any of the Japanese. However, they work on many levels. We just happen to be missing the level that causes the commercial to make sense.

Making even less sense is the reason for airing an episode of ALF just now. It's been 15 years since I've seen an episode! Good thing I found the button on the remote for an english audio stream!