I miss (interesting) Japanese TV shows

(Yet another entry on what I miss about Japan. Heh)

Reading Hanny's entry on Warratte Koraete made me kind of miss some Japanese TV shows.

When I first arrived in Tokyo, I found Japanese TV variety shows to be rather boring. "IQ-reducing stuff" was how Amy, my half-Japanese dorm-mate used to describe it. Lots of too plastic acting, slapstick jokes and too many shows seem to concentrate on food, food, food.

Still, after a while (and because we didn't have that many choice anyway with free-to-air TV showing almost 90 percent local content), I've grown accustomed to and begin to enjoy some interesting programs.

Compared to Malaysian TV which seems to be producing more 'new talents' through entertainment shows, Japanese TV more often made use of the available 'talents' (usually comedians - they have no shortage of these) in various game shows. IQ Sapuri, NepuLeague, Q sama and Hexagon came to mind - in which participants have to answer general knowledge questions, solve IQ puzzles and test their knowledge of kanji. Viewers get to laugh at some 'stupid answers' given by the (usually cute, or at least seen to answer with cute expression) participants while increasing general knowledge and sharpening own minds by attempting to simultaneously solve the IQ puzzles as it was shown on air.

Then, there are shows like "Terebi Champion", "The Best House 123" and "Nani Kore" - in which viewers get to learn about some amazing facts and figures in and outside Japan. "Terebi Champion" tries to crown one "King" of a particular ability by challenging short-listed competitors in an array of tasks. The episode on shinkansen (bullet train) for example, tested the participants on the speed, sound and feel of the seats (while blind-folded) in different kind of shinkansens. In "The Best House 123" guests introduce the best/worst 3 of a particular subject, such as the most spectacular sea creatures, strongest fibre, hottest place in the world, etc. Once, Malaysian program "Cabaran Teh Tarik" was featured as one of the 3 most interesting TV programs in the world. "Nani Kore" features strange and interesting sights from around Japan - stuff like a pony born in Hokkaido with a Hokkaido map on its body, or a shop selling ramen filled with shaved ice, or a monkey that works as a shop assistant, and the nearest convenience store to an operating rail line.

Also, there are shows like "Million Kazoku", hubby's all-time favorite. This show brings the traditional hide-and-seek game to a new height. Each week, two regular hosts plus one celebrity guest would try to search for 3 persons (from the same family - it could range from 80 year plus grandpa to a 4 year old daughter) in their house within 30 minutes. If at least one of the 3-persons team could stay hidden during these 30 minutes, then the family win 1 million yen. The families are encouraged to build up traps to make things more difficult for the seekers - in the past such traps include mazes from polystyrene, room filled with large boxes (which could be possible hiding place), room filled with air-filled balloons, a water-filled kiddy pool covered with empty PET bottles and all sort of balls falling down from all sort of places. Creative and innovative hiding places include a make-shift pillar attached to a room's wall, an old tv set, a large teddy bear, an aquarium, the bottom of an oven and inside a piano. No kidding.

(I won't discuss "AiNori" and Smap x Smap (aka as SmaSma) because I'd been partial to them right from the very beginning, when I thought of most Japanese TV shows being boring.)

Now, if only Malaysian viewers can learn more through Malaysian-produced variety shows...