Human Tetris has a challenger

We're clearly suckers for random Japanese game shows here at The Rate, and while this game show, known as Okatch and Miyatch, isn't exactly Human Tetris (or binocular soccer) it's still good. Nothing beats watching a bunch of people dressed up as characters from Toy Story get annihilated by giant soda can logs.

That last sentence didn't really make any sense, but it's about the best description possible.

-100%

Barry Bonds versus Japan

This video seems to be from right after the season that Bonds hit 73 home runs. Some Japanese game show or something came to the local high school in my hometown to have Bonds play in a live version of a Japanese baseball board game. Yeah, what I just wrote really makes no sense, but neither do Japanese game shows. Anyway, it features Bonds taking cuts against a super-modified pitching machine. And also Barry talking smack to a Japanese comedian. I'm stunned Bonds agreed to do this. He must have been in a steroid-induced haze when he signed up for this, there's really no other explanation.

The whole episode is on YouTube, and this is just part 2. So if you're really looking to kill some time today, here's part 1 which has a hilarious introduction of Bonds and part 3 which is him taking more cuts and trying to strike out the Japanese guy using the pitching machine.

-WCK

Keep your drawers on son

Japanese game shows are notoriously weird. But this one may take the cake. It's the "see how long you can keep your drawers on before five people acting together can rip them off you" game. And for some reason a football team makes an appearance. I really don't know what to say.

-WCK

Crazy Japanese Olympics

Man, the 2008 Olympics really should have been in Japan.

-WCK

Japanese game shows continue to amaze

It took a brilliant mind to come up with this game show. Get a crowd of people to rush a lone individual to see what his reaction will be. Sheer, utter terror seems like the most common reaction.

-WCK

Your weekly random Japanese game show

We've gotten the quite the reputation for finding ridiculous Japanese game shows. This one isn't nearly as great as the baseball game show, but it has its moments. The object is to continually pretend you're asleep, even while two guys do stuff like put a vacuum cleaner to your face. It's still better than 3/4 of the junk on American TV.

-WCK

The Japanese turn sexual deviancy into a sport, like they always do

This looks like a packed house for a Kentucky basketball game, but it's not. It's the audience for a Japanese game show that almost defies comprehension. A martial arts master flips a girl over using his feet and tries to get her to fall to the canvas spread eagle style - if that happens, an eagle flies up the screen. That's literally about it. The crowd is just insane though. You'd think they were watching some sporting event that determined the fate of the free world. Instead it seems they're just excited because they haven't been arrested yet.

-WCK

Treadmill hurdle running is hard

This is some video that I guess Japan Probe pulled off some Japanese TV channel. It includes everything you love about Japanese game shows. People dressed in bizarre clothes being forced to do things that will likely injure them. This one is at least sports related. The unlucky people have to jump over hurdles while being on a treadmill, which of course isn't easy. I really hope this'll be an Olympic sport by 2016.

-WCK

Japanese Game Show baseball is in a league of its own

Dammit. We wrote this post literally at the same time as Red Sox Monster and found it independently on YouTube, but we figured we'd save it for today - which in retrospect now seems to have been a horrible decision on our part. So RSM posted it first in full disclosure.

Regardless, this is one of the best things I've ever seen. It's some Japanese game show that takes baseball to a new high. The goal of the game is to throw as many baseballs into specific point zones as possible to get a high score. Not that hard, until you start getting continuously pegged by huge ass baseballs flying at you at high rates of speed. And then on top that there's one extra surprise as well. Here are both clips from what I guess is a full show. An excellent way to waste about 15 minutes of your life.




-WCK

Come fly with me

Ah Japanese game shows. You never disappoint me. This remarkable show has one simple goal. See how far you can fly when you have about 20 pressurized water bottles put on your back. Sure, mock it now, but some day we'll be all be flying to the moon this way.

-WCK