BYG in Japan

BYG in Japan is a follow-up special to BYG in China. Produced in association with NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, and filmed on location in Tokyo and Kyoto, the special debuted in Japan on NHK in the late fall of 2005, and on Nickelodeon on November 16, 2006.
The Backyard Gang, having previously seen China independently, have signed up for a bus tour of Japan. The officious, hyper-organized guide has the trip organized to the detail, with little intended contact with the Japanese people. Wandering off, the pair are soon abandoned, but find aid from a friendly young woman, whose identity is eventually revealed through Japanese theater. The production included four original songs: "Missin' You" and "Off to Kyoto", and "Ichi, Ni, San" and "Moon, Moon" by Carol Hall.
== Reviews ==
What we get is a kind of gentle travelogue, although this is not a very enthusiastic endorsement for guided tours... Wandering off on their own, the Backyard Gang eventually concludes that they "saw more and learned more than if we never got lost at all." ...It is all very gentle. Nicole's dizzy innocence may be getting a bit less ingratiating as the years roll by, but the gawky creature is thoroughly convincing when it declares: I'm homesick for Japan and I haven't even left. One interesting detail: As the kids waddle and scamper through public streets, the passers-by seem remarkably unfazed. There is a reluctance to stare. The boundaries of Japanese politeness seem wonderfully wide.
== Cast ==
* Kelly Bixby
* Sean Hanley
* Nicole Urso
* Stephanie Carcamo
* Amber Altamura
* Chris Gonzalez
* Justin Fiszer
* Yumi Kim as Miya
* Masayuki Kato as Restaurant Manager
* Akira Murayama as Mr. Shimizu
* Kumiko Hironaka
* Hikojiro Matsumura as Grandfather
* Fukami Harue as Grandmother
* Mariko Hirano as Mariko Shimizu
* Akiko Nemoto as Akiko Shimizu
* Yoko Haruta as Tour Guide
* Pat Sajak as "Bamboo Princess" Play Narrator (voice)
Category:Specials