“The Office”, Japanese Version

I love, love, love the UK version of the TV comedy show ‘The Office’. Actually, it’s no longer on the air so I guess I should say I “loved, loved, loved it”, but anyway. And I never really saw it on TV either. I rented the discs from Netflix, which was AWESOME because I was able to get all of them at once and just like, get in bed under my covers and stay there for an entire weekend without moving except to pee and get Haagen Daz from the freezer. And that’s what I did. Because when you start watching the UK ‘Office’ you cannot stop. It’s addictive and sooooooooo hilarious. A little too racy for my tastes in some parts but otherwise absolutely brazilliant comedy. I have never been able to get into the American version although I adore Steve Carrell and think he’s brazilliant, too. I don’t know–the American version just doesn’t do it for me. Anyhoo, Ricky Gervais–the creator of the original ‘Office’–introduced a hilarious little skit for Saturday Night Live in which he claimed to have gotten his inspiration for ‘The Office’ from a Japanese show of the same name. Then, the cast of the American ‘Office’ preceeds to act out the skit of the Japanese version…in very, very poor Japanese…and it’s just a hoot. Enjoy the clip here.

P.S.

Some of the things in the skit play into obvious stereotypes–like yes, Japan is the forerunner of the creation of robot-pets but that does not mean every Japanese office has one. Nor does every Japanese person drink sake every time there’s a party. But other things are spot on…like the receptionist who giggles into her hand and the junior staff saying “I’m sorry” multiple times and bowing.

Mount Takasaki Monkeys

First, a sudden random thought: Why isn’t the plural of “monkey” spelled “monkies”?

Anyway, adorable monKEYS of Mount Takasaki on Kyushu island, Japan. For those not in the know, Kyushu is the part of Japan where Nagasaki (my favorite city) is. Although the nation of Japan is comprised of literally hundreds and hundreds of islands–most so small you can’t see them on a map–the country’s “mainland” (what most people commonly think of as Japan proper) is made up of 4 big islands: From North to South they are: Hokkaido (where Sapporo is located–home of the famous beer); Honshu (this is where Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, all the way to Hiroshima, are located); Shikoku (no famous world-known cities here); and Kyushu (Nagasaki and Fukuoka are here, as well as a US Naval base in Sasebo). You can actually include Okinawa as a 5th major island.