We take a closer look at some hilarious clips from the new Conan in Japan episode.
Three months ago, American late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien surprised everyone when he announced he would be travelling to Japan to pick up a tongue-in-cheek 3 trillion yen from the Mayor of Conan Town.
Located in rural Tottori Prefecture, Conan Town is named after popular Japanese anime character Detective Conan, but O’Brien decided to declare himself as the true inspiration for the name of the town. This became the launchpad for the comedian’s visit back in September, which took him from Tokyo to Tottori as part of an upcoming Conan Without Borders episode called Conan In Japan.
While we were lucky enough to view some behind-the-scenes footage during his visit, we couldn’t wait to see what the Japan special would look like after many long hours of footage had been cut and condensed into a one-hour episode. It’s been a long time coming, but the wait is finally over, as the Conan in Japan special finally aired in the U.S. last night, so let’s get right to it and take a look at some of the clips from the episode!
▼ Conan Rents A Family in Japan.
A rent-a-family might seem like a crazy concept at first, but it’s actually a valuable service that can assist people in a pinch at formal occasions and help people cope with loneliness and grief. Even Conan seems to reap the benefits of having a rental family for a day, as his fake father apologises for past wrongdoings and calls him his “favourite son”.
▼ Conan and Jordan Share a Kaiseki Meal
Associate producer Jordan Schlansky, whom Conan calls the “High Priest of Meaningless Conversation“, is known for his deadpan expressions and know-it-all attitude. At one point in the meal, Jordan remarks that the waitress assumes he “is the one in power”, but the real reason for this is because he’s sitting in the kamiza position furthest away from the door, which is reserved for the highest-ranking member of the party.
Other highlights from the clip include Conan mistakenly saying “Iowa” instead of “Ohio“, when he tries to say “Ohayo“, the Japanese word for “good morning”, and Conan crushing Jordan’s love for the Karate Kid with a jarring message from Ralph Macchio.
▼ Conan Visits Conan Town in Japan
Conan Town was the whole reason for Conan’s Japan trip, and the episode culminates with Conan meeting the Mayor–after a hiccup that saw them arriving at the wrong airport–and trying in vain to cash in his fake cheque for 3 trillion yen. In a strange twist, Aussie beef was used in the hamburgers that Mayor Matsumoto demanded as part of the exchange, but regardless of the patty’s origin, burger diplomacy clearly won the day as the two managed to settle their beef with a crowd of fans looking on.
▼ Live Q&A: Conan Without Borders: Japan
Conan and writer Mike Sweeney answer fan questions about the episode and discuss details regarding their trip in this video, uploaded to the Team Coco YouTube channel shortly after the episode aired on TV. Conan’s assistant Sona also makes an appearance, revealing that she was also in Japan at the same time Conan and his crew were there filming, but as she was on her honeymoon she didn’t appear in the episode. However, she did something that Conan and his team didn’t get to do, which was enjoy an all-day sumo tournament.
While these four clips can be viewed on the official Team Coco YouTube account, there are plenty more due to be uploaded soon. If you can’t wait to see the other clips, then head on over to their official website where you can take a look at what happened when they visited the Toto toilet showroom, Harajuku, and a Japanese etiquette class.
The only that’s missing from their official site and social media channels is footage from their top-secret visit to Hideo Kojima’s office, which has us hoping there’s a world-exclusive Clueless Gamer segment coming our way soon.
Source: YouTube/Team Coco
Featured image: YouTube/Team Coco