ONLINE FAQ
Back in the summer of 2000, a young American and former Japanese TV actor, put together his own self-structured persona/alter-ego that included elements of maximalism, symbolism, satire and caricature and soon afterwards "Rob Pongi" came to life on the mean streets and in the crowded basement bars of Tokyo's infamous Roppongi entertainment district.
And, indeed, since those early-days street performances, he has come a very long way and Rob Pongi has since received a tremendous amount of worldwide acclaim and is now recognized as an intenational web celebrity and has very many very loyal followers the world over. Be sure to read all about it in the below media blogs:
Online Videos Japanese TV Web Shows Asian Entertainment Worldwide Reviews (2006 - now)
Asia Entertainment Online Videos Worldwide Reviews: Archive - 2005
Asia Entertainment Online Videos Worldwide Reviews: Archive - 2004
Asia Entertainment Online Videos Worldwide Reviews: Archive - 2002/2003
Keep reading below to find out more.
? 1. What is "The Roppongi Video Happy Hour?"
It is a well-known variety show in Tokyo, Japan which is by, for, and about, Japanese and foreigners from all over the world coming together for fun and games.
? 2. How did this show get started?
It was started by Rob Pongi, all by himself, in Tokyo's nightlife district - Roppongi - back in the summer of 2000. When he started it all he used to take all his camera gear, props, costumes etc down to Roppongi and interview people, play funny games, film dance parties in bars and more ! Then later on he got more help from Freedom, Mr. Sparkle and others. And since then, the production has moved further out to other parts of Japan and also to the USA.
? 3. What is the reason for doing this show?
With the "The Roppongi Video Happy Hour" Rob Pongi brings joy and happiness to thousands of people all over the world every day by showing a light-hearted and sometimes satirical view of the Japanese and other Asian cultures as they are seen through his eyes and his camera lens. And even though he sometimes may act silly and look funny, his vision is, indeed, very clear and his aim is true: to promote better international understanding, more cross-cultural awareness and also to emphasize the need for better global communications overall.
? 4. Why does Rob Pongi edit, translate and broadcast some very strange and astonishing propaganda videos from North Korea?
For the past few years Rob Pongi has been doing this in order to show the world a very unique and extraordinary side of North Korea's culture. And, in so doing, it is hoped that this will help promote more cross-cultural awareness and also contribute to the progressive improvement of international communications and relations with the DPRK overall. Note: The North Korean videos as seen on RobPongi.com do not reflect the views of Rob Pongi nor those of anyone else associated with Japanese TV Online Videos Asian Entertainment.
? 5. Why does Rob Pongi wear construction helmets, flags, funny glasses, funny Japanese sashes, white gloves and loud-colored jackets?
Many parts of Rob Pongi's costumes actually include several underlying symbolic meanings for various reasons. The construction helmets are worn as parodies of Japan's government-run, overkill construction industry which is constantly tearing apart and 'rebuilding' Japan at taxpayers' expense. Most of such construction and rebuilding is totally unnecessary and very corrupt Japanese-government supported business.
The Japanese sashes that Rob Pongi wears are inscribed with the phrases like "SUKEBE DAIHYOU" ('Perverted Representatve') and "JINSEI SAIKO NO HI" ('The Greatest Day of My Life'). Rob Pongi wears these as parodies of Japanese politicians running for government offices here in Japan as they all wear similar sashes with their own names inscribed on them during their politcal office campaigns. This can be seen in Rob Pongi's humorous Japanese political satire short called Japanese Political Candidates Video. In this you'll see that many of the stumping politicians wear loud-colored clothing, sashes with their own names on them, and white gloves too.
The glasses are just funny party glasses which can be bought in Tokyo department stores. The loud colored blazers that Rob Pongi wears is actually old "YOSHIMOTO KOGYO" Japanese comic fashion style often still worn by many Japanese television comedians.
And, of course, the American and Japanese flags are symbolic of the very close and very important relationship between the US and Japan. Rob Pongi is a J/E bilingual American citizen living in Tokyo, Japan.
? 6. What is the meaning of the personals segments called "Japanese Women Looking For Foreign Friends?"
These very popular and funny segments are exaggerated caricatures of the incorrect and constant misuse of the English language in Japan - the world's second wealthiest nation. And some of these "Engrish" email messages are partially real, and others are either transposed or written by Rob Pongi but all of the email addresses are fake.
And, Rob Pongi really likes and admires Japanese people very much and he has many very close, long-term Japanese friends. Some of them are his "second family" and have greatly helped him and taught him very much about the Japanese language and culture for many years.
And these comic "Engrish" personals segments are quite popular to many of Rob Pongi's fans - both foreign and Japanese alike. Its all just fun and games and comic "Engrish" humor which have become quite popular since Rob Pongi started doing them several years ago.
And other comic "Engrish" segments can also be seen in Rob Pongi's classic stream of consciousness internal monologue shorts "Conversations With Nature" and "Conversations With Sea and Sand".
? 7. What is the meaning of "Birds of Prey"?
This is Rob Pongi's second 3D animation video. This is a black comedy short which addresses the insanity of war in general and how its so driven by mass media, especially television. Also, "Birds of Prey" is currently featured as one of the best 3D animation videos on the web at Internet Video Magazine
? 8. What is the meaning of "Happy World"?
This is Rob Pongi's third short 3D animation video which is expressing the hope that with improved communication and understanding, then someday all the war machines will fly away and then all people, all over the globe, will live in peace and happiness together in a real "Happy World". This 3D animation video was inspired by John Lennon's legendary hit song "Imagine" and an old Japanese late-night variety TV show.
? 9. Is this show on Japanese TV?
In the past some segments have been shown on some cable TV stations here in Tokyo and also in Australia (ABC TV) , London (ITV) and in the US (Tech TV). We are now negotiating with other networks for more future broadcasts here in Japan and other countries too. Also, "Conversations With Nature" and "Conversations With Sea and Sand" and also "The Airbag Experience Machine" were all previously featured on Comedy Central.com.
In the past, Rob Pongi has also performed on several Japanese cable TV shows and some commercials in English and in Japanese, but as different characters.
? 10. How can I see more of "The Roppongi Video Happy Hour?"
You can see more comedy and music videos at TokyoDV.com where all of the internet broadcasts started years ago.
Check out an old archive page from the early days: TokyoDV.com - March, 2001
? 11. How can I contact Rob Pongi?
Previously, Rob Pongi had a direct email contact link on the front page of Japanese TV Online Videos Asian Entertainment but as the site grew in popularity, he started receiving too much spam email. So, because of that, in order to contact Rob Pongi, first you have to join The Rob Pongi Fan Club and then you can post messages on the discussion board or send private messages directly to the managers and it will then be forwarded to Rob Pongi.
? 12. Who is Evil Pongi?
Evil Pongi is Rob Pongi's Siamese twin brother separated from the head at birth. He is totally different than Rob Pongi and not a very nice guy. He has his own "website" here: EvilPongi.com
? 13. How can I watch the videos on RobPongi.com ?
Now most of the videos on RobPongi.com are in flash format. So if you have an old pc or mac computer you may have to download the Adobe Flash Player at the Adobe Flash Player Download Center Also, some other videos are in Quicktime format and require the Quicktime player. Download the latest free version from the official Apple Quicktime Download Website Note: Quicktime Player 5.0 is the minimum required version for watching videos on RobPongi.com. Viewers with older versions of Quicktime should download the newest available free upgrade as soon as possible.
? 14. How can I find out more information about all of this?
You can find out more info, updated news and reviews about many upcoming video releases and other big highlights right here as they continue to happen in the future. Come on down and join the The Club! It's free so sign up now and be among the first to know about all of Mr. Rob Pongi's "Happy Hours" right here: Fan Club Sign Up
See more in the News Section
