Shiawase Kazoku Keikaku (Happy Family Plan)

This is a great show to if you want to watch TV but can't speak Japanese. In this show, people are given extremely difficult challenges, like learning to play Beethoven's Ode to Joy on the xylophone in just one week, or tying six cherry stems in knots. If they are successful, they get 1,000,000 yen (a little over $10,000 US). Before the Unme no jikan (moment of destiny), you see a video-taped segment of the person practising his skill and you really start to empathise with the contestents, making the challenge very exciting. Unfortunately, most of the people seem to lose. Apparently there is an American version that is much easier to win.