I have a deep affection and respect for the Japanese. Not the Harajuku bullshit Gwen Stefani keeps thrusting at us, but actual Japanese phenomena. There are so many dichotomies at play within their culture, and yet they practically hum with an aura of positivism and move with such grace, literally and metaphorically. For a nation that’s experienced one of the worst atrocities this world will ever know (the atomic bombs we dropped on them at Hiroshima and Nagasaki), they’re remarkably ebullient and have still managed to revere their own customs and traditions while embracing the cultural output of the very country which obliterated a large portion of their population; we can learn a lot from them. Most of all, I love how they laugh at themselves whereas other cultures take themselves FAR too serious (ahem: the French) or think they’re too superior (ahem: Americans). Case in point, Japanese game shows. I came across this gem while researching a list I compiled as part of a Top-Five duel I’m in the midst of with a certain someone.

I give you……Japanese Marshmallow Eating: