Japanese TV never fails to entertain, although some shows might seem a little mundane on the surface. The Japanese care a lot about food, especially beautifully prepared food, and there are a lot of shows that feature nothing more than well-known actors or comedians sitting around talking while they eat, like the popular Mina-san no Okage Deshita (“Thanks To Everyone”) in which Taka from the comedy duo Tunnels (who you may know as the Japanese player from Major League 2 & 3) exchanges witty banter with different guests over dinner while the viewers look on. Another popular food-centric show is Bistro SMAP, in which the popular male idol band members cook an extraordinary meal for that week’s special guest, competing for a kiss on the cheek by that guest (if female). They have foreign stars on quite often, and everyone from Harrison Ford to Tom Cruise to Catherine Zeta-Jones make appearances whenever they’re in Japan to promote a film.
All the top stars eat at Bistro SMAP when they’re in Japan.
