View Larger Image

Sesame Street - Big Bird In Japan Number of Items: 1 Format: Color Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Running Time: 60 minutes Studio: Sony Music (Video) Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2004-02-10 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 "Still A Favorite" OMG! i used to watch this video when i was a little girl and i still love to watch it, and im 17 :) very informational, teaches some japanese including how to count...excelent flick! "Some good parts, some lame" I have a 2-year-old who is fond of Big Bird and has come to like this video, though she was a bit scared of it at first. Most appealing: (1) Charming song in which children teach BB Japanese numbers and words. (2) Sweet visit to an elementary school where kids act out tale of the Moon Princess. My daughter liked the visit to the temple, where Barkley was scared by the fierce statues. She wanted to watch that over and over, I think because she was coming to terms with her own scary feelings. The first time she saw it, it did frighten her, but she was delighted to project her fears onto Barkley after that. The penultimate scene where the Moon Princess reverts to her mythical self and is escorted away by her attendants has ominous music and may be too scary for little kids. Personally, I was annoyed/bored by some of the silly stuff and as usual with SS videos I found the overall narrative paper-thin, but as I said--my child likes it, and maybe it will lead to a later interest in Japan, as it appears it did for other reviewers. "We're off to Kyoto like Dorothy and Toto..." There is no greater testament to the strengths of this movie than my admitting that at the age of 22, I still remember the lyrics to half of the songs in the movie (and I haven't seen it since I was 5). Big Bird is in Japan, but he and Barkley lose their bus when they spend too much time trying to eat plastic sushi. The mournful song "Homesick" follows ("I don't have a fever / but I do feel a pain..."). Luckily, a mysterious Japanese woman who speaks English comes to their help, and an adventure through Japan begins. They sing on the car-ride: "We're off to Kyoto like Dorothy and Toto; I've got feathers, He's got fleas, --I speak Japanese." A classroom of children enact the story of the moon goddess, Barkley is frightened by the statues in a temple, Big Bird learns how to bow and to speak common phrases in Japanese (and yes, I still remember the entire songful) - and they all find out that their Japanese friend has a secret of her own. The movie has a kid-pleasing plot, if one that may occasionally frighten the youngest, and it definitely teaches some important basics on Japan. Most impressive, however, was the catchy music. Even now, whenever I see a moon "hanging in the trees / so pretty and white," I think of the haunting tune of the misplaced Japanese moon goddess from this very film. A movie that stays with you indeed. "so sweet even grown-ups I know have enjoyed it" I saw this when I was 9 yrs. old. Have seen it on PBS/Disney Channel several times since over the years and still enjoy it. Big Bird and his canine pal Barkley travel to Japan and within less than one day of arriving in the country are lost with very little money, no plane tickets home and unable to communicate in the native language. Fortunately, a lovely but mysterious young Japanese woman befriends them and takes them acorss Japan learning the language, meeting interesting new people and seeing the amazing sights. All-around entertainment for kids 1-100! "Big Bird in Japan" I absolutely loved this movie when I was younger. I rediscovered the tape my mother recorded it on recently and watched it over again. I showed it to my friends too and they all loved it. I plan on majoring in japanese when I go off to college next year. This video was the beginning of my love of japanese culture.