Gaki No Tsukai Episode #1065

Episode Title: ドライブは豆知識でGO！50！

"2nd Trivia Drive Go! 50!"
Note that the "go!" in the title may be a pun on the number 5 in 50. 5 is "go" in Japanese, explaining why the previous trivia drive (100) could be "Go!Go!" (50!50!).

Original Broadcast Date:

Sunday, July 31st 2011

Viewing Links:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjkwMjU2Mzc2.html

Guests:

None.

Important Vocabulary:

豆知識（まめちしき）：Trivia
大道具（おおどうぐ）：Scenery, stage setting.
甲州街道（こうしゅうかいどう）：The KoushuuKai-Dou, one of the major Edo period routes tokyo. Now modern route 20.
縞模様（しまもよう）：Striped pattern
地肌（じはだ）：Texture, grain (so says my dictionary, but I take it to mean skin or hide.
統計（とうけい）：Statistics
裏付（うらづけ）：Substantiate, prove.
確実（かくじつ）：Certainty, reliability.
要素（ようそ）：Component, item, factor.
国会議事堂（こっかいぎじどう）：The Japanese National Diet Building.
日清戦争（にっしんせんそう）：First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)
翻車魚（マンボウ）：Ocean Sunfish.
審議（しんぎ）：Deliberation.
仰向け（あおむけ）：Face up.
固まる(かたまる）：Harden, solidify, assemble together.
つばめ： The swallow (bird).
単独（たんどく）：Single, solo.
寂しい（さびしい）：Lonely
振り付け（ふりつけ）： Choreography or a dance competition.
特訓（とっくん）：Special training. A crash course.
由来（ゆらい）：Origin, source, derivation.

Timestamped Notes:

Each part of this section is headed the following values:

• Approximate timestamp for the relevant notes in hours:minutes:seconds since start of program.
• Approximate Latitude and Longitude of the Gaki Regulars' car at said moment. Locations have been verified in Google Maps, but as that site limits Lat/Long precision, Googling the location may result in a spot several meters away from the intended location.

0:0:0 location: +35° 39' 54.18", +139° 45' 35.47"

As many times before, the regulars are standing before the NTV tower in Shimbashi, Tokyo. They recount the previous, more ambitious Trivia Drive (#1025/1026 originally broadcast October 10th and 17th, 2010), and Matsumoto says he'd be happy to do a 100 Trivia Drive again, but for 入江さん( 入江 豊 or Irie Yutaka, scenery handler for the show, currently crouched behind the regulars holding up the show banner). He'd have to stay holding the banner the whole time!
Note that this is the same Irie-san who has a very funny speaking role in episode #1072 concerning how protective he is of his show banners.
The regulars now mention the route and rules of the drive:

• They will drive west along the KoushuuKai-Dou (Route 20).
• They must continue until 50 items of trivia have "come out" (been mentioned).
• Trivia items chosen shall relate (be "themed") to things seen.

0:1:30 location: +35° 39' 56.05", +139° 45' 34.33"

The regulars mark the start of their journey by turning North under the rail line at Shimbashi Station.

0:1:45 location: +35° 39' 58.02", +139° 45' 34.78"

Spotting an advertisement (easily visible if you Google the above lat/long) for Zebra Pens, Matsumoto prompts Tanaka for some of his famed animal trival knowledge. He comes up with:

★ A zerbra's skin color is neither black nor white but gray.

This bit of trivia prompts Hamada and Matsumoto to produce this:

★ In the Tiger Mask Anime Japanese Wrestler Giant BaBa made an appearance as masked wrestler "Great Zebra."

Note that Tanaka did a very funny impression of Giant Baba in GnT episode #922, aired September 21st, 2008.

Tanaka as Giant Baba (Gaki no Tsukai #922)

The bits of trivia are coming so quickly, that it prompts Endou to say "at this rate we'll be finished by the time we're in Shinjuku!"

0:2:52 location: +35° 40' 2.16", +139° 45' 31.86"

The title card shows it's 2:32pm real time, and the regulars are traveling north west along Sotobori-Dori.
Matsumoto asks which members (Gaki regulars) are blood type O. Yamasaki, Tanaka and Endou raise their hands, which surprises Matsumoto. "That many!?". He then asks Endou, if he could change his birth, which blood type would he choose. Endou say's he'd choose A. But Matsumoto says, "If you ask anyone with blood type O, if they could change, they say they'd choose O." The staff don't rate this observation as trivia, however, saying that "Statistical data is difficult to substantiate, for the reason that there are too many factors to verify."
This is the first of several times Matsumoto will flunk out at his attempts at trivia.

0:3:46 location: +35° 40' 21.12", +139° 45' 0.73"

Traveling north along Sakurada-Dori, approaching Kasumigasaki Station.
Matsumoto, presumably referring to his previous attempt at trivia, says hes "Pulled a Yamada Gorou." I'm unaware what this could refer to, however.
Then Matsumoto brings up the surprising cost of one section of Japanese road guard-rail.

★ One meter of highway guard-rail cost on the order of 50000 yen (about 650 dollars)

0:4:55 location: +35° 40' 34.20", +139° 44' 48.95"

They drive past the Japanese Diet Building, which Yamasaki describes as "The Diet Building that Hamada likes" (??). Endou, however, brings up this fact:

★ During the first Sino-Japanese war, the diet was briefly relocated to Hiroshima.

Yamasaki, seeing a white police bike (白バイ) mentions this:

★ Japanese Shirobai (white police motorcycles) were originally Red. They became white in Shouwa year 11 (1937)

When asked WHY they changed color, Yamasaki has no idea. But the reason can be found in this book. It mentions that they became white to increase their visibility on the road.

0:6:03 location: +35° 40' 45.90", +139° 44' 45.97"

Turning the corner past the Shirobai!

0:6:11 location: +35° 40' 56.32", +139° 44' 39.60"

It's now 2:46pm and 9 trivia facts have been mentioned (only 5 of which made it onto the air, however) and the Regulars have officially entered the KoushuuKai-Dou. "There's a lot on the KoushuuKai-Dou," says Endou, hopefully.

0:6:22 location: +35° 41' 11.17", +139° 43' 41.73"

Spotting the Golf sign here, Hamada mentions this about golf balls:

★ Golf balls have dimples because it was understood balls with nicks and flaws went further.

0:7:02 location: +35° 41' 16.35", +139° 43' 22.65"

Matsumoto points out a billboard for 錦松梅 (Kinshobai ltd.) but doesn't have any trivia to offer.

0:7:21 location: +35° 41' 22.31", +139° 42' 10.11"

The regulars enter Shinjuku, near Shinjuku station.

0:7:29 location: +35° 41' 22.77", +139° 42' 13.28"

Hamada notices a sign for Manbo manga and internet cafe. This brings up another bit of Tanaka animal trivia:

★ Among all animals, the ocean sunfish (Japanese: Manbo) lays the most eggs at one time; about three hundred million.

0:7:56 location: +35° 41' 22.37", +139° 42' 10.53"

Passing the DoCoMo sign in Shinjuku.

0:8:24 location: +35° 41' 21.78", +139° 42' 7.56"

Passing Lumine department store in Shinjuku. Still no trivia.

0:8:46 location: +35° 41' 19.89", +139° 41' 58.86"

Endou comes to life. Pointing at the various tall buildings in Shinjuku, he notes this fact:

★ The distinction between tall buildings and SUPER tall buildings (skyscrapers) is 60 meters. Buildings above 60 meters in height must have lights to warn aircraft. This is the reason in Tokyo Disneyland Cinderella's Castle was built to be 51 (Endou says 59) meters tall. The Disneyland Tower of Terror ride is 59 meters tall.

Gaki No Tsukai #1065 Trivia Drive 50! Go!

0:10:07 location: +35° 40' 28.44", +139° 40' 5.19"

Near Sasazuka station, Matsumoto spots a bowling alley, and comes up with this (rather weak) trivia item (but not before the staff say they're "deliberating...":

★ Matsumoto was the one to think up lining guests up along the side of a bowling alley television shoot (for Heyx3).

0:10:17 location: +35° 40' 27.43", +139° 40' 2.06"

Passing a SukiYa Gyudon restaurant, Endou has no trivia, but he mentions that when he divorced from Chiaki in 2007, he used to eat there and cry.
"This has nothing to do with trivia," says the staff.

0:11:59 location: +35° 40' 18.92", +139° 36' 49.51"

0:12:09 location: +35° 40' 21.90", +139° 36' 33.99"

A dove is sighted! Or at least the logo for Hato Moving compnay. This allows Tanaka to mention:

★ If you capture a dove, and surprise it by returning it to face-up very suddenly, it will become petrified and unable to move.

Then a flurry of Tanaka animal trivia:

★ The swallow is the fastest of all birds.

★ The dog's nose is 100 million times more sensitive than a human's.

0:13:19 location: +35° 39' 51.51", +139° 35' 11.83"

Passing a Karaoke parlor, Yamasaki starts to recount a story about comedian 荒井 注(Arai Chuu)... but Hamada's already heard it. "OH, Geinin news!" says Matsumoto. Evidently, he had tried to open a Karaoke BOX establishment, but when the building was completed, they couldn't fit the Karaoke machines through the narrow doorways.

0:13:52 Location: Unknown

Someone spots a plastic rabbit, and Tanaka is back in action:

★ When rabbits used for cooking are transported they will not cry out from loneliness.

And Matsumoto mentions this about Yamasaki's wife:

★ Yamasaki's wife is receiving special training in Lady Gaga and KARA choreography.

0:15:11 location: +35° 39' 23.22", +139° 32' 25.13"

4:11pm, and 10 trivia items to go.

0:15:27 location: +35° 39' 44.45", +139° 31' 37.87"

Driving next to Ajinomoto Soccer stadium, Hamada comes up with this:

★ The term "Hat Trick" is derived from a special present (a hat of good quality) given to a bowler in Cricket for making three wickets.

0:17:02 location: +35° 40' 13.45", +139° 29' 46.16"

Finally, Matsumoto comes up with a good one:

★ On Japanese roads, horses are classified as Keijidosha (light cars or subcompacts) for legal purposes.

0:17:50 location: +35° 40' 17.95", +139° 29' 15.82"

Hamada once again demonstrates a fairly good knowledge of Japanese Manga and Anime:

★ The character on the Anime program 魔法使いサリー (Magic Using Sally) was originally named サニー(Sani or Sonny?) but the name was changed because of its proximity to Sony (Hamada says Nissan, but the point is clear).

0:19:14 location: +35° 40' 22.75", +139° 27' 36.54"

Now endo comes up with one I wish was true:

× The Sanrio company was originally named 山梨王 (Yamanashi-O) but taking the alternate pronunciation of the characters Yamanashi-O became San-Ri-O or Sanrio.

But this is incorrect. The actual origin of Sanrio's name is from the Spanish for "Holy River." Still, the wikipedia entry on Sanrio does make mention of Endou's claim-- might there be some truth in it after all?

0:19:53 location: +35° 40' 24.02", +139° 27' 32.58"

0:20:03 location: +35° 40' 36.90", +139° 27' 4.73"

Seeing a sign for アリさんマークの引越社 (Mr. Ant Mark Moving Company), Yamasaki tries to say that "20% of all moving ants..." but Matsumoto knows it already. Then Tanaka comes to the rescue with the following:

★ It's said that all the ants in the world would weigh the same as all the human beings.

At this point, Matsumoto is asking what we'd all like to ask in similar circumstances, "If you knew something so incredible, why haven't you mentioned it before?"

0:21:11 location: +35° 40' 32.22", +139° 25' 50.09"

4:48pm and only two to go!

0:21:18 location: +35° 40' 21.43", +139° 25' 28.77"

Hamada says this while thinking about baseball:

★ The Japanese term　ラッキセブン(Lucky Seven, or the seventh inning stretch) came from an american Major League event when a chance breeze carried the ball to make a home run in the seventh inning.

0:22:40 location: +35° 40' 9.82", +139° 24' 9.82"

At about 5:06pm, Tanaka comes up with this:

★ Only human beings can breathe from both their noses and mouths.

And after 2 Hours 40 minutes, and 38km from their starting point-- that's then end of Trivia Drive 2!

Gaki No Tsukau #1065: Triva Drive 50! Go! Path

Episode Analysis:

Despite the fact that I should be quite humble regarding my poor Japanese language skills I'm rather proud of this blog entry-- I spent some time last summer tracing the Gaki crew's car along Route 20 using Goodle Maps, and stored the data away until the past day or so. I wish I could embellish all my blog entries with a similar level of detail, but often time doesn't permit.
In all, I think this yet another successful "drive" episode, even if it is half as long as the previous Trivia Drive (shows #1025/1026 originally broadcast October 10th and 17th, 2010) it's just as entertaining.
One remarkable part of this episode is how poorly Matsumoto appears to do. It's true the score that is shown for him is just as high as Endou's, but it's difficult to watch this episode and not have the impression Matsumoto had an "off" day. I have a belief that this was originally intended to be a 100 trivia drive challenge, but only later did they decide to cut it down to 50, after Matsumoto's poor performance. The show intro could then have been and insert filmed the next day.
Regardless, I don't think this detracts from the show. Instead, I rather enjoy riding along with the Gaki members through Tokyo, giving the viewer a second hand tour of the city, and making the journey that much more memorable.