
Office jokes come to a head.
After spending time on any social media platform that has video, you’re likely to come across a viral one showing a prank in which one guy makes a fake head in a jar to scare his buddy. The trick looked remarkably easy to execute, so our writer Masanuki Sunakoma thought he’d give it a try in our office.
Aside from being fun, Masanuki felt this would be a suitable punishment for his editor Go Hatori, who had recently ruined their Dark Curry with his stinky and sour luxury oysters.
As in the video Masanuki saw on Twitter, which had gotten over 150,000 likes, the prank basically involves putting a picture of someone’s head in a jar and then hiding it in the fridge. The biggest hurdle is getting a picture of a frightening and disgusting head, but as luck would have it, our website has a vast collection of such horrors.
▼ I mean, Mr. Sato alone…
It was the time Mr. Sato got a makeover as rock star Hyde that really gave our writer that head-in-a-jar vibe, so he printed out a picture from it.
Since this picture was printed out on paper and needed to go into water, Masanuki had to laminate it. However, lamination would put this whole project way over budget, so he just cut the picture to be small enough to fit into a freezer bag.
Depending on the picture used, it might be wise to cut around the head too, but since this is mostly a black background, it would probably work just fine. Since he was going for an instant jump scare, there was no need to make every detail perfect.
It was also important to have a suitably sized jar for the head to go into. Again, it didn’t need to be perfectly scaled for this quick scare, but he would want it to be in the ballpark of a real human head. Masanuki printed his face on A4 (letter size) paper in landscape so that the face covers the whole width of the paper and got a plastic container from Daiso with a comparable height.
He was also fortunate to have some theatre-grade blood paint lying around the office, but any other red paint or ketchup probably would have probably sufficed.
Next, he put some water into the container. Some dirty water leftover from doing the dishes might have added to the overall nastiness of it all, but this would have to do.
Masanuki slid the picture into the container so that the face was prominently displayed and surrounding bits were folded to the side or underneath.
After that, Masanuki liberally applied some blood to the outside of the container, both to add to the horror aesthetic and to cover up the obviousness of this being a piece of paper.
He then smeared it around to give it that look like it’d been handled by a maniac. He also wedged some tissues under the lid which was a good idea because it helped hold some of the blood while also giving the illusion that Mr. Sato’s shirt in the photo was tissue too.
Masanuki placed his completed head into the office fridge making sure it was prominently displayed.
He also set up a camera cunningly hidden behind some milk to get a look at Go’s horrified face from the perspective of Mr. Sato’s disembodied head.
Now that the trap was set, the hard part was getting his mark to take the bait. Go was notorious for staying chained to his desk when focused on work, so getting him to the fridge was a challenge.
Masanuki couldn’t just say, “Hey, go look in the fridge,” without arousing suspicion. He would have to use all his powers of manipulation to keep Go completely unaware.
▼ Masanuki: “Oh, by the way, a fan sent us some chocolate so I just put it in the fridge. I hope that’s OK.”
▼ Go: “Huh? Oh, sure…”
▼ Go: “…”
▼ Go: “Excuse me a sec…”
Masanuki set up another hidden camera to follow all the action as Go entered the room.
Being the poor, gullible chocoholic he is, Go beelined it for the fridge…
▼ Go: “Oh my God! What the?!”
Instead of chocolate lovingly prepared by a fan, Go was face to face with the terror of Hyde Sato’s blood-soaked severed head.
Granted, it was just a momentary spook but it was also super easy to pull off, so Masanuki got just as much out of it as he put in. It was fair to say this prank was a success!
Of course, adding things like a backstory or more detail in the head would have heightened the experience. Heck, even doing it at night rather than in the middle of a workday probably would have at least doubled the fear factor.
▼ As you can see in the full video, Go was all smiles immediately after the initial startling.
Still, it was a great bit of simple fun and highly recommended to kill boredom whenever it might arise.
Photos ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]






















The disembodied arm on the shoulder prank in the office shows you can be too good at something
Fresh out of a sci-fi film! Make your own “head in a jar”!【Instructions】
Testing out the rubber hand illusion in the office to see if people can feel pain in fake limbs
The AI ’90s yearbook trend hits our office, with hilarious results 【Photos】
We find who gives the best deadpan face in inaugural ‘King of Expressionlessness’ Championship
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
More Than a Capsule Stay: Why Solo Travelers Choose “global cabin Yokohama Chinatown”
Street Fighter Hadouken Churros to be launched and eaten in Tokyo, Okami pudding on offer too
Nintendo releases Metroid-shaped ice cube/cooking tray and Samus arm cannon pillow【Pics】
Record number of foreign children in Japan need help understanding Japanese in school
Dragon Quest Slime toys appear at McDonald’s Japan in crossover with Grimace and pals【Video】
Top Japanese baby names for 2025 feature flowers, colors, and a first-time-ever favorite for girls
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
More people in Japan quit sending New Year’s cards and many have started to regret it
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Japanese woman mistaken for bear
Return of Totoro sequel short anime announced for Ghibli Park
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
Is this the most relaxing Starbucks in Japan?
Starbucks on a Shinkansen bullet train platform: 6 tips for using the automated store in Japan
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood?
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods and a rhinestone tumbler that costs 19,500 yen
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
That time we let Coca-Cola bottles predict our fortunes for the new year
Mr. Sato pushes the envelope with his meatiest drinking meal ever【Japan’s Best Home Senbero】
We try Amazon’s lowest rated posing mannequin, but it wasn’t the doll that was one star
We buy Amazon’s lowest-rated smartphone “Eye-view Camera Hat” for easy, hands-free videography
Can you fight an entire pro wrestling match in Uniqlo stretch jeans? We find out【Photos】
Our Japanese writers share times they were the fool in honor of April Fools Day
Leave a Reply