7 Examples of Japanese Awesomeness

We’ve already covered some strange Japanese commercials and crazy Japanese TV clips, but that only scrapes the surface of the gently used panty filled iceberg that is Japan’s awesomeness.  Here are seven more examples among the many:

#1: ADORABLE, THIEVING SNOW MONKEYS

Shibu Onsen in Nagano is famous for its many snow monkeys that hang out in the surrounding area’s natural hot springs.  The monkeys bring in tourist dollars, which might be why most of the residents don’t seem to mind how often the monkeys sneak into stores to steal fruit and boxes of souvenir snacks.  And of course there’s a video:

I caught up with one of these snow monkeys and asked him if he thought he did anything wrong:

That’s a no, then.

#2: TERRIFYING ROBOTS

Engineers at Japan’s Kagawa University have created a robot that shouts gibberish.  It’s only a matter of time before one of these is sitting behind you in a movie theater:

And, of course, the remix:

#3: THAT RACCOON CHARACTER I LOVED AS A CHILD HAS WHAT?

Tanuki is a Japanese raccoon dog that, in Japanese folklore, is mischievous, jolly, shape-shifting, and a little bit absent-minded.  Oh, and he has enormous balls:

No, I mean, like, enormous balls, dude:

Yeah, that’s more like it.  Tanuki shows up in pop culture in some interesting ways.  There’s a whole movie about raccoon dogs battling against a suburban development project with their giant testicles and (I would assume) sweet dance moves set to an ’80s beat.

But there’s another way Tanuki found his way into all our childhoods, and we didn’t even know it:

They may have changed his name to Tanooki and hidden the giant nuts, but he’s still’s the adorable Japanese raccoon dog who was even cooler than we realized.

For a more recent example, here’s an ad for a construction company in Japan, starring Little Red Riding Hood, huge-breasted animals, and Tanuki.  Who wouldn’t want their office constructed by these guys?

#4: SPEAKING OF MARIO . . .

Allow me to present, without further ado, the greatest Mario Kart commercial ever:

#5: EVEN THEIR PARODY SKITS ARE AWESOMELY INSANE.

Japan can take a parody of workout videos and turn it into something horrifying that will also be a new fetish for at least one person reading this (you scamp).

#6: WHATEVER THIS IS

The stunts on Japanese variety shows are always a pervert’s dream, and the next clip is no exception.  First, an oiled-up man tries to slip and slide across more than two dozen girls in bikinis.  It takes a few tries, but he eventually figures out that the best way across is also the best way across.  As if that wasn’t enough, they move on to the second part, which they explain with this helpful on-screen graphic:

Actually, that’s a very accurate depiction of what happens next.

#7: LOOK AT THIS DOG.

Somewhere in Japan, there is a Dalmation dog riding a bicycle.  Sweet mystery of life, at last I’ve found thee.

Domo arigato to WarmingGlow, JapanProbe, ToplessRobot, and WTFJapanSeriously.