WORDS BY: GELO GONZALES

February 23, 2010 | 16667 views

You might have noticed lately that we’ve been featuring a whole lot of things about Japan.

Well, this week our fascination for all things Land-of-the Rising-Sun rises up a notch as we prepare for the 2010 Nihongo Fiesta to be held on February 27, 2010 at the Mall of Asia.

Lots of stuff happening: There's the Japanese And Filipino Street Fashion Exhibit and Contest curated by Team Manila, the Nihongo Speech Contest, and a free concert featuring Pedicab and Osaka's Shonen Knife!

Of course you’d want to come there with something to talk about, so here are seven weird/crazy/out-of-this-world Japanese things that would make for excellent small talk fodder with the people who taught the world to eat raw fish!

1) Japanese Gameshows & pranks
Who here doesn’t know Takeshi’s Castle? For those who grew up with it, it was definitely the best gameshow ever, and it proved that the Japanese people really did take it to another level with their gameshows and pranks.

They’re practically the world’s source for bold, new ideas when the usual Who’s smarter than a fifth-grader and Wow Mali fare just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Let’s start with something familiar. Here’s a clip from the original “Hole in the Wall.”

How about something a little more in line with men’s tastes? Witness the game: “How many coins can your cleavage hold?”

There’s also something for those who want to test if their cardio workouts are working