Here's a downright hilarious (either that, or I've been in Japan too long!) video slideshow of crazy photos, mostly from Japan. The soundtrack is Kotoba Ni Dekinai (meaning "speechless") by Off Course (Kazumasa Oda, the vocalist, is a famous Japanese singer-songwriter who's been around since the late 60s).
For a few of these photos, the humor lies in the language. Here is an explanation of some the Japanese, just in case.
- Sign on fish truck: I am a fish -- Yesterday I was in the ocean -- Today I am fish sausage
- Expert crime analyst on TV: The perpetrator was in his 20s or 30s, or in his 40s or 50s
- Mispellings: Hitsumabushi (grilled eel on rice) misspelled as himatsubushi (killing/wasting time)
- Misspelled label: Chicken cutlet with nurse (nasu = eggplant, naasu = nurse)
- Food package labeled as "store manager" (tencho)
- Instant yakisoba in sink (presumably dropped while trying to drain the hot water through the little drain holes in the lid -- not an uncommon occurrence)
- Doraemon statue surrounded by signs warning against the presence of sexual deviants and molesters
- Windows Task Manager showing each family member's IE Explorer status -- grandpa is the only one having technical problems
- TV broadcast freezes on woman in mid-blink. Message at top of screen advises viewers to stand by while the station resolves the technical difficulties
- Train station sign: Japan has ended (the kanji for nihon (Japan) should be reversed to say honjitsu (today), so the sign should instead read "[train service has] ended for the day")
[Via: Zaeega]
Doodle Bean
What's that stuff on the keyboard -- right after the Windows screen shot?
[ ]Edo
I think that's kinakomochi, a type of chewy rice cake (mochi) coated with powdered soybean (kinako). One often hears stories (urban legends?) of elderly people getting mochi stuck in their throats -- which might explain grandpa's technical problems in the previous picture.
[ ]JANIE
IN ORDER FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT, THIS VIDEO WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE IF THE SENDER WOULD DO A BIT OF EDITING AND INCLUDE ENGLISH CAPTIONS WHERE THE WORDS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. WITHOUT THAT, THIS VIDEO IS ONLY INTERESTING WHERE NO WORDS ARE NECESSARY.
[ ]