Tha Japanese Tradition

March 29, 2007 9:30 AM

Comedy duo, Ramenz (ラーメンズ), aka Kobayashi Kentaro and Katagiri Jin, also known as the Japanese versions of Mac and PC, have recently done a number of shorts collectively called "The Japanese Tradition." Apparently, these tongue-in-cheek pseudo-instructional vids about famous aspects of Japanese culture (Tea, Chopsticks, Sushi, Origami, Apology, Onigiri, and Relationships) have been fooling a lot of non-natives into thinking they are actual guides. (YouTube, each approx 4-6 min).
posted by ikahime (35 comments total)

Look around you. Look around you. Have you spotted what it is that we're looking for?
(picture of Angkor Wat)
That's right, it's origami.

[this is good]
posted by boo_radley at 9:47 AM on March 29, 2007

I think the sushi one may have been posted before, but these others look new.
posted by nathancaswell at 9:54 AM on March 29, 2007

These totally made my day. The origami video was especially trippy.
posted by Mach5 at 9:54 AM on March 29, 2007

So it's the Japanese version of infinite solutions.
posted by fungible at 9:55 AM on March 29, 2007

Love this. I saw the sushi one a while ago & I know I posted it somewhere else. I wish I knew everything they were saying though.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:59 AM on March 29, 2007

here is the direct link to the sushi episode.

I happened to have it linked on my... space.
posted by Citizen Premier at 10:00 AM on March 29, 2007

The Japanese version of Look Around You- now more deadpan!

I just wish that at some point during the sushi episode, the announcer would ask "Do you like Japanese sushi?"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:04 AM on March 29, 2007

Favourite part so far:

Slow zoom...

"Gari. No one knows what this is made from."

...

Awkward silence.
posted by Alex404 at 10:06 AM on March 29, 2007

Yes, I remember the sushi one posted here before.
I like how when you are dining alone, you say "one person" and then "show a little guilt with your eyes."
posted by chococat at 10:09 AM on March 29, 2007

The sushi one was linked in an AskMe thread about using chopsticks. It had subtitles, and was awesome.
These have no subtitles, and while funny, are short of awesome because of it.
I WILL NOT LEARN JAPANESE FOR YOUR JOKES, SIR.
posted by klangklangston at 10:09 AM on March 29, 2007

Now I want to go get some kappa maki for lunch (for those not educated in sushi, that's rolled rice with kappa).
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:14 AM on March 29, 2007

You dishonor the poster, klangklangston.
~ shows a little embarassment with his posture ~
posted by boo_radley at 10:15 AM on March 29, 2007

are there any other translated ones? cause , well, holy crap the sushi one is hillarious, i have to assume teh others are as well
posted by das_2099 at 10:20 AM on March 29, 2007

Some are translated (i.e. sushi and relationships) and some are not. I tried finding subbed ones for all. True, it's funnier if you understand the language, but it transcends language even if you don't. P.S. to Klang - Japanese is fun. Try it.
posted by ikahime at 10:27 AM on March 29, 2007

yeah, the onigiri one was hillarious without the japanese.
posted by das_2099 at 10:36 AM on March 29, 2007

I, personally, am excited to think that in just another year of Japanese I'll be recognizing a few words in those videos.
posted by Citizen Premier at 10:52 AM on March 29, 2007

I'm too busy suffering through Arabic & German right now. I'll put Japanese on my list, though. Might get to it during my retirement or something. Hope the videos are still around.
posted by miss lynnster at 11:02 AM on March 29, 2007

Guten tag, fraulein lynnster. Haben Sie Staplerfahrer Klaus gesehen?
posted by boo_radley at 11:17 AM on March 29, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Oh, that's comedically violent, btw.
posted by boo_radley at 11:17 AM on March 29, 2007

Omigod - I've been looking for these (on DVD, but web is better)
With even my mediocre Japanese they are hysterical.

"This is a tea whisk. The use of it... is an enigma"
posted by bashos_frog at 12:01 PM on March 29, 2007

Jesus; YouTube comments make me want to go on a killing spree. Is there a firefox plugin to block them? I sometimes just can't stop myself from reading: it's like watching a car wreck.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:11 PM on March 29, 2007

Do any other mefites in Japan remember seeing these videos (especially the sushi one) in a jVariety or news type show here? I think maybe 4 or 5 months ago; they were using the Ramenz video(s) to demonstrate the difference in sense of humor between Japanese and westerners.

They decided that this sort of deadpan slightly absurdist humor was not funny to Japanese people. They didn't have too much basis for this assertion, and they basically just showed videos to some Japanese people and to some westerners, then asked them about it.

Can't say that I necessarily agree with their conclusions, but it was at least funny to see these show up on an educational/news type show under analysis to decide whether it was funny or not.
posted by p3t3 at 3:30 PM on March 29, 2007

(I laughed so hard I almost fell off my geisha.)
posted by Dizzy at 4:00 PM on March 29, 2007

My wife teaches Japanese to adult Korean students -- she (and they)'ll love these. Thanks!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:25 PM on March 29, 2007

These are great, even without comprehending the japanese.

YouTube comments make me want to go on a killing spree. Is there a firefox plugin to block them? I sometimes just can't stop myself from reading: it's like watching a car wreck.

mr_roboto: There's a new checkbox setting on your preferences page called "Display YouTube video inline?" When you check it little icons will magically appear next to links to YouTube videos (on thread view, not on the MeFi homepage). Click 'em, everything will dim behind a hidden div that displays the vid. Works sometimes, doesn't others, but worth it when it's on. No need for YouTube anymore!
posted by carsonb at 4:27 PM on March 29, 2007

My favorite is Shazai.
posted by betaray at 5:24 PM on March 29, 2007

These are hilarious! I saw the sushi one before, and was yearning for more -- thanks!
posted by tickingclock at 6:08 PM on March 29, 2007

Awesome find!
posted by KokuRyu at 6:44 PM on March 29, 2007

These totally rock!
posted by gomichild at 7:23 PM on March 29, 2007

The sushi and apology clips seem to be the only ones with subtitles...any subtitled versions out there for the others?

The great thing is that they put in true facts mixed in with all the bullshit. For example, it is true that the sushi chef is called "Taisho" (though this is pretty old-fashioned and said only by men), and it's also common, though of course not always true, that a lot of sushi chefs have a checkered past. Last year that sushi one was floating around and was a hit with my Japanese friends.
posted by zardoz at 10:54 PM on March 29, 2007

I have this on DVD. It's from Teevee Graphics, Video Victim 2
posted by gen at 6:40 AM on March 30, 2007

God I'm bananas for these! They are hilarious. What delicous fun! Thanks for the great laughs. I loved the wonderful pseudo-scientific graphs with the tea ceremony. Origami: Level 191 Ankor Wat; The Existential Scream; the origami showdown, ROFL!
posted by nickyskye at 12:55 PM on March 30, 2007

Thanks, nice post. Does Taisho really mean sushi chef? That whole part seemed a bit suspect.

If anyone understands Japanese, you can always make your own subtitled versions using http://www.overstream.net/
posted by yoz420 at 7:32 PM on March 31, 2007

wow, I am glad I did not miss this awesome post. I had seen the sushi one before and loved it - thanks for bringing us more and giving us some context, ikahime!
posted by madamjujujive at 10:03 AM on April 1, 2007

Whoa, thanks for the subtitling website, yoz!
posted by ikahime at 11:29 PM on April 3, 2007