Best Japanese game show series

Worldwide sensation Takeshi's Castle returns after 34 years! Popular games are revived on a larger scale and new, terrifying obstacles appear one after another. The lord of the castle, Beat Takeshi, entrusts BANANAMAN to protect it. Subaru Kimura is the attack force's new leader. The elite team gathers to bring down the revived Takeshi's Castle. The greatest battle in history begins!

In a race with time, celebrity contestants desperately try to outmaneuver black-clad Hunters in pursuit, for a chance to win a growing cash prize.

Welcome to the Takeshi's Castle, a Japanese game show involving 100 to 140 contestants who try to go through a series of silly physical challenges designed to eliminate them. Designed like a live-action Mario game, thousands of people have come to take on Takeshi's Castle to try and win the ¥1,000,000 prize but hardly anyone does!

This is a series of competitions where each member tastes a randomly selected product, mostly food and drink but once cigarettes, from many different brands blindfolded. After the tasting period, they must find the product they tasted. Anyone who selects correctly will receive a prize money, usually 100,000 yen, otherwise they take a variety of punishments, such as being hit in the groin by a Chinko Machine or getting slapped by a foreigner.

AKB 1ji 59fun is the first season of AKB48's current Variety - AKBINGO!. The show first started on January 24, 2008 and lasted for 10 episodes. During the broadcast of the last episode, it was revealed that the show would move up a time slot and be renamed as AKB 0ji 59fun. AKB 1ji 59fun is hosted by the Comedy Duo Bad Boys and co-hosted by Takada Junji.

AKB 0ji 59fun is the second season of AKB48's popular variety - AKBINGO!. The show started off as AKB 1ji 59fun but when it was moved up a time slot, it was renamed to AKB 0ji59fun. The first episode aired on April 07, 2008 and ran for 26 episodes before they changed the named to AKBINGO!. The show's main hosts are the comedy duo Bad Boys. The first half of the show also had Takada Junji as a co-host, however he left halfway through the season.

Celebrities compete in a singing competition with one major twist: each singer is shrouded from head to toe in an elaborate costume, complete with full face mask to conceal his or her identity. One singer will be eliminated each week, ultimately revealing his or her true identity.

In this highly physical game and variety show, Japanese pop idols Arashi pit their wits, strength and courage against a different team of entertainers or sportspeople every week.

Based on the video games, characters featuring Cid-Boy, Koumisa Chuko, Super Ninja, Austin, Eatitwice, Max, and Etes are traveling all as companions. They could take down enemies as they go to the Temple of Life (their goal) to defeat the Grand Ghost to save Alica.

HKT48's weekly sports show where a different group of members try a new activity, HKT Youth Physical Education Club!