of Japanese television, though they may be considered quite different from those seen in the western world. Many shows are made up of what are called VTRs, or video segments, and are usually introduced with a hand gesture and the word dōzo (the implied meaning is "let's have a look"), though this procedure is usually made into a joke with strange gestures instead of the usual wave. A few popular variety/comedy shows of varying contents are: King of Comedy (showcasing the stand-up acts and skits of new and popular talent, often featuring VTR segments of the activities of various talents) The God of Entertainment (similar to King of Comedy, though focusing on stand-up acts) The Tunnels' Thanks to Everyone (the origin of the international Brain Wall television franchise, hosted by duo Tunnels) Apron of Love (talents lacking cooking skill are asked to cook difficult dishes and are given harsh, though honest, judgements) SMAP×SMAP (the five members of the immensely popular group SMAP host many different shows, presenting segments such as music, cooking, and news) Zenigata Kintarō (this show's segment bimbō batoru (battle of the poor) showcases the life of two or more people living in Japan who support interesting life styles on minimum amounts of money; the funniest, or most inspiring bimbō wins) Matthew's Best Hit TV+ (hosted by the comedian Takashi Fujii, this show features musical guests and a strange variety of games and unrelated segments) Spring of Trivia (showcasing interesting and strange facts (or strange interpretations of boring facts) of little or no importance using a trivia-style format) Nep-league (featuring the owarai trio Neptune on one of the two teams of contestants, this quiz show features various "levels" of play challenging the players' knowledge of everything from world events to reading Japanese to spelling simple English words) Ken Shimura no Baka Tono-sama (hosted by comedian Ken Shimura) See also List of Japanese comedians Manzai Glossary of owarai terms Nininbaori Further reading External links 大笑い.com (oowarai.com)—Japanese site promoting owarai and owarai talents お笑い芸人相関図 (owarai geinin sōkanzu)—Japanese site with information on various owarai geinin and the relationships they have with other talents お笑い芸人図鑑 (owarai geinin zukan)—Japanese site, so-called encyclopedia of owarai geinin Performing arts in Japan Television in Japan Japanese comedy