The “I Want to Sleep” TV Show

At a posh business hotel this last weekend, I had the esteemed company of a multi-channel television selection. I do not  have cable in dear Makuhari for a variety of reasons, money being one of them, but mostly due to the fact that I find Japanese TV to be quite mind numbing. Mind numbing in the sense that I have no idea what the majority of people are saying, and that what they are both saying and doing is usually annoying, obnoxious, and irrational. The only time I actually watch TV here is on the gym’s treadmill… one will find me staring with a look of perplexed hatred at the heavily made-up show hosts and their squeals of awe.

On my dear Japanese hotel TV, there was the usual of course: a diary show devoted to a cat island. Porn suited for a range of palates. Like I said, the usual. However, sometimes a diamond is found in the rough: nemuritai (I want to sleep) TV. For those of you who are sleep deprived, it may benefit you to watch an hour load of 10-minute clips showcasing sleep-enticing material. Such clips included:

• A man counting sheep in Japanese
• Two old men playing Japanese chess
• The interior of a moving train
• A fishing bob floating in a lake
• A man reading a timeline of historial dates and events

I fell victim to the last one :) Though I would have prefered facts on chemistry or physics.  After many days of searching, I was unable to track down the acutal video I saw. Bah. However, just for your amusement and mine, here’s something equally awesome: