Instead of booking just a pool to film at, NHK booked THE pool.
As Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK prides itself on producing content with cultural and educational value. So while the subject material may not be sensationalist enough for other broadcasters, every week on Wednesday evening NHK airs a new episode of Tameshi Gatten, a program that introduces practical applications and implications of scientific principles.
This week’s episode, which aired at 7:30 p.m., was focused on the cardiovascular system, and the producers wanted to give a demonstration of the medical phenomenon known as the “diving reflex,” in which the body reflexively optimizes the distribution of oxygen to prioritize the heart and brain when the nostrils and face become wet, thus enabling mammals to hold their breath underwater for extended periods while maintaining consciousness. They’d need a venue for the demonstration, though, and so Tameshi Gatten booked a pool in Tokyo and sent two female presenters to perform the demonstration.
It looks like a pretty good filming location, right? If nothing else, the unique glass wall/ceiling should at least ensure plenty of light for filming. But actually, Tameshi Gatten hadn’t sent its presenters to just any pool. They’d sent them to THE pool.
For those unaware (or faking unawareness as a parent, spouse, or other delicate-minded acquaintance reads over your shoulder), this particular pool is instantly recognizable to fans of Japanese pornography, as it’s become an iconic location for adult videos made in Japan, as well as sexy bikini model photo shoots.
The rooftop location, the compact dimensions, and especially the unique architecture make the pool one of a kind, and its appearance instantly brought back memories of passionate couplings enjoyed in a third-person capacity for many viewers.
As such, it’s arguably the worst possible place from which to conduct a complicated science lesson about the cardiovascular system, since a substantial portion of the viewing audience is going to be too distracted by thoughts of other parts of the anatomy for all the science talk to seep in. It also made for some awkward family room moments, with one Twitter user saying “Right at the start of the program they showed two women at ‘the pool,’ and there was a sense of bafflement in our living room.”
While this isn’t the first time for “the pool” to unexpectedly show up in a non-pornographic capacity, it’s the first time in recent memory for it to be presented as just a normal swim spot. We’re guessing that at least a few people on Tameshi Gatten’s staff recognized it before filming started, but no one wanted to be the one to say “Hey, I recognize this place from the last lonely night when I did the laundry by hand.”
Source: Twitter/@kontwi via Jin
Featured image: Twitter/@wafersrobo
Follow Casey on Twitter, where he’d like to mention that “the fern” is an ever-present part of “the pool.”