Takeshi’s Castle returns, and we make news with overseas press for our fundoshi

When everyone else wears sensible clothes to a press event, we wear loincloths.

On 20 April, the world premiere of Takeshi’s Castle was held at Yebisu Garden Place in Tokyo, the day before its worldwide release on 21 April.

With no expense spared for the premiere, the event space took three days to construct, as guests were treated to a mini recreation of one of the show’s most popular games — Ryujin-Ike, known overseas as Dragon God’s Pond.

▼ Some of the show’s celebrity hosts appeared outside an hour before the premiere.

Contestants navigate Dragon God’s Pond by jumping on stepping stones to reach the other side of the pond, and in the 2023 iteration of the show, the distance to reach the goal has increased, making it more difficult than ever to reach successfully.

It’s a game our Japanese-language team knows intimately, as they were chosen from over 1,300 applicants to join the 300 lucky participants appearing on the show. As participants, they were also invited to the premiere in Tokyo, where they were able to meet up with some of the other contestants, whom they hadn’t seen since filming took place last summer.

▼ The army that attempted to capture Takeshi’s Castle last summer.

Joining the participants for the premiere screening were social media influencers and members of the press, including members of the foreign press, who approached our loincloth-wearing team for photos.

Our team were excited to watch the first episode, but during the screening, they were surprised at just how much the press were laughing. The level of laughter was beyond what they’d been expecting, and Mr Sato says the cheers and screams from the foreign media behind him was incredible — it was on par with the reactions you’d see at a World Cup match.

▼ Don’t worry, Mr Sato — we’re sure they were laughing with you, not at you.

With the original ’80s program being broadcast in over 150 countries, Takeshi’s Castle has an iconic reputation that precedes itself, and the foreign media were lapping up this first episode of the revival. It was a great reminder of how programs like these, where everyday people attempt to take down a mighty foe, translate so well across countries. It also reminded him that laughing at people falling flat on their faces is a commonality that’s just as universal.

How many times will our team fall flat on their faces? And how many times will they make us laugh? You can find out right now by checking out the first four episode on Amazon Prime, which began streaming on 21 April, with the four final episodes streaming on 28 April.

Related: Takeshi’s Castle
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