Have you ever looked through the Guinness Book of World Records?
Some of the records in there are amazing. Like the “World’s Fastest Professional Boxing Knockout” which was dealt by Mike Collins to Pat Brownson with the first punch in their match in November 1947. The fight was over four seconds after it started.
And some of the records are odd. Such as that currently held by an American woman named Lee Redmond…”World’s Longest Fingernails”. She hasn’t cut her nails since 1979 and now they’re about 90 cm (3 feet) long!
I was just watching a TV program tonight about some of the unusual records in the Guinness Book and it made me wonder what types of records are held by Japanese people.
So I checked the Official Guinness World Records website.
It seems that there are many records currently held by Japanese people.
For example:
– Megumi Suzuki of Saitama, Japan has held the record of the “Most Jump-Rope Skips in Thirty Seconds ” for four years now. In September 2006 she skipped 152 in thirty seconds.
– The record for “The Largest Toast at a Single Venue” was made this past June in Tokyo at a Swallows vs Tigers baseball game. 27,126 people held up their drinks in unison and said 「かんぱい！」 (“Cheers!”) together.
– The famous Japanese TV host Mino Monta broke the record for hosting the “Most Live Hours on TV in a Single Week” when he was on TV for a total 22 hours and 15 seconds in one week.
– When 569 Honda car drivers got together in Tochigi, Japan this past July they set the record for the “Longest Parade of Honda Cars“.
– The parade of Honda cars must have been quite a sight…but couldn’t have compared to the procession of 323 young women in bikinis at a shopping center in Tokyo this past May. They broke the record for the “Longest Bikini Parade“.
– Since 2008, Toshie Kawakami of Tokyo has held the record for “Longest Eyebrow Hair” when she had a single eyebrow hair officially measured at a length of 15.1 cm (nearly 6 inches) long.
What types of world records are held by people from your country?
Tokyo Five 
I think it was on the Guinness World Record TV show a few years ago. American show.
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I’ve never heard of the “Guinness World Record” TV show. Sounds like a fun show.
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“Family Jewels” is a really cool show… I enjoy it more than The Osbournes. After awhile, all the cursing and bleeping on The Osbournes became “ho-hum”. Gene Simmons has a great family to watch… with interesting story lines happening. I’m not being a bias KISS fan about liking this show either!
Stone
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I did watch a few episodes of Gene Simmons’ “Rock School” show.
I thought it wasn’t bad.
Is “Family Jewels” better than that show?
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You know… with all the “reality television” shows that are flooding American television, this “nail lady” would make for a perfect reality t.v. series. Just watching how she “gets stuff done” with those nails would be a hit.
Stone
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Look her up on youtube. I bet she’s there. I’ve seen her on TV, and it’s surprising how she does get things done with a lot of ease. This is the kind of thing you’d see on some Japanese TV shows, which show amazing things around the world.
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>I’ve seen her on TV
Have you seen that woman on TV? Was it TV in Japan or America?
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>this “nail lady” would make for a perfect reality t.v. series.
I’ve heard that “reality TV shows” were popular in America. Are they still popular?
I think Japanese TV and American TV are very different.
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There are “way too many” reality television shows in America. Most of them are just plain “smutty”. Many shows to me, have me saying… WHO CARES? My favorite reality shows are “Ghost Hunters”, “Ghost Adventures”, “Destination Truth”, “Monster Quest”, “Pawn Shop Stars” and “The Pickers” and “Family Jewels” to name a many few! The other 100,000 I don’t care for or have the time to watch.
Ghosts, monsters, Gene Simmons and antiques are right up my alley. I don’t count the music documentaries as being “reality” television… and Lord knows I LOVE music. 😉
Stone
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I haven’t watched American TV for many years…so, of course, I don’t know any of those shows. Except one…I’ve heard of Gene Simmons’ “Family Jewels” show—but I haven’t watched it.
Is it good?
I have seen a few episodes of Ozzy Osbourne’s reality show “The Osbournes”.
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You are correct… she could not paint her own nails. There are two valid options though: 1. She holds the tiny brush between her teeth or 2. Her “hired help” does it for her.
Man… you would think that the weight & gravity of those nails would kinda… hurt? Unreal.
Stone
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Actually, it seems it would be difficult to even sleep with nails like that.
Her fingernails are unbelievably impractical…and unattractive.
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how does she eat food is another question? Better yet, how does she even do anything practical?
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Well, she somehow managed with those nails for thirty years.
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If that fingernail lady uses nail polish… then I’m buying stock in the nail polish industry. She must go through gallons of that stuff.
Stone
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How could she paint her own nails?
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That fingernail lady is American? Gee Metal whiz. I hope I never “bump” into her fingernails.
Stone
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>That fingernail lady is American?
Yeah. The boxing and fingernail records that I mentioned in the beginning of this post are Americans…the rest are Japanese.
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Now… that’s my kind of parade! 🙂
As for the fingernail lady… how does she, well, um, wipe herself? Does she have someone else do it for her for the last couple of decades or more? I don’t mean to sound rude… but it’s a truthful thought.
I’ll search around for some “weird” U.S. Guiness World Records. Great post… (as usual).
Stone
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>Now… that’s my kind of parade!
I assume you’re referring to the bikinis and not the Hondas 😉
I think so too.
>As for the fingernail lady…Does she have someone else do it for her for the last couple of decades or more?
I don’t even want to think about that. 🙂
>I’ll search around for some “weird” U.S. Guiness World Records.
That “fingernail lady” is American.
>Great post… (as usual).
Thanks. 🙂
Please comment often!
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Honestly I think the lady with the longest fingernails must’ve not done one single housework at all!
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Nevermind housework (or any type of work at all), I don’t see she could even manage to use a ball-point pen, brush her teeth, get dressed, put money into a coin-slot, drive a car, etc etc. 😉
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I was going to say that too 😉 i bet she had someone to do ALL that for her ..blimey!! Talk about being wait on hand and foot 🙂
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>Talk about being wait on hand and foot
I think there’s a difference on being waited on and making yourself completely helpless to do even the simplest tasks all because of a refusal to cut your fingernails. (*。*)
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The “Burj Khalifa” Tower in the UAE is the “World’s Tallest Tower”. It’s 828 meters tall.
When the “Tokyo Sky Tree” Tower is completed it will stand 634 meters tall…and will be the World’s Second Tallest Tower. It is the tallest structure in Japan, though.
I wrote a few posts about the Tokyo Sky Tree…including this one and this one.
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Sorry, I should clarify. Burj Khalifa is classified as a skyscraper, not a free standing tower. Tokyo Sky Tree is a free standing tower. They are different things. It will be the world’s tallest free standing tower.
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>It will be the world’s tallest free standing tower.
I see. But, as it’s not completely built yet it won’t be in this year’s Guinness Book.
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And I forgot a couple. The Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills is the world’s largest office building in terms of floor space. Tokyo Sky Tree will be the world’s tallest free standing tower, surpassing Toronto’s CN Tower.
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I’d heard about Mino Monta’s record before. The bikini parade record was in Venus Fort in Odaiba. I recognised the inside of the building. How about the hot dog eating champion? I know the Japanese man who was champion has been defeated, and was unable to compete this year, but he had the record, I think.
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That’s correct. The “Bikini Parade” was at the Venus Fort this past May.
And Kobayashi was the “Hot Dog Eating Champion” at the “Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest” in America…but I’m not sure if that qualified him for the Guinness Record or not.
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After taking a look at the website: 🙂
In last June school children made the largest bead mosaic featuring 8 famous Irish faces, and 410,000 beads and is 108 sq ft.
Largest Riverdance, with 1,038 people dancing tradionaly along the canal in Laois in the year 2000.
Fastest Accordion Player – The fastest accordion player is Liam O’Connor (Ireland) who played Tico Tico at a speedof 11.67 notes per second on the Rick O’Shea show on 2FM in Dublin, Ireland, on 8 November 2006, as part of Guinness World Records Day.
Largest Attendance at a Hurling Match – The largest crowd was 84,865 for the All-Ireland final between Cork and Wexford at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland in 1954.
Largest Charity Walk – The largest charity walk was achieved by 1,903 people during an event organised by the Four Districts in Rathcoole Park, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, Ireland, on 5 September 2009.
Largest Surname Same-Name Gathering – On 9 September 2007, 1,488 people with the surname Gallagher amassed in Letterkenny, Ireland – the largest gathering of the same surname.
I think they’re all still current. Sorry for the long post.
Those nails are eeewwww how can she live like that! :O Very odd!
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Do you remember when any of those Irish records were set?
I remember seeing reports on TV about Mino Monta (the TV host)’s record and also a TV report about the Bikini Parade.
(And I also wonder why anyone would grow their fingernails so long…and how they can live their daily life.)
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I would say they were on the news, but I didn’t see any of them.
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I’d say most of the records set in the Guinness Book get overlooked by mainstream media.
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