We have an early frontrunner for craziest prank of 2014, courtesy of Japanese television.
In the above video, which appeared on a TV special called Dokkiri Award (“dokkiri” apparently means “being surprised”), a comedian named Toshiaki Kasuga is sound asleep in a cabin at the base of Mt. Fuji. After a 10-second countdown, fireworks ignite beneath him. Soon he’s launched through the cabin’s roof, 50 meters into the air by a pair of giant cranes that were surreptitiously tied to his bed.
How does something this elaborate get orchestrated without waking up the victim? Alcohol:
In a radio interview, Kasuga said he was at the base of Mt. Fuji for work early the next morning. The night before was cold, and to stay warm, he got drunk with the crew and crashed in the cabin.
Then, he said he woken up by the fireworks going off under the bed. He thought about getting up, but the bed was rocked 50 meters into the cold air. According to Kasuga, he was strapped into the bed while he was sleeping, so he couldn’t move.
The lesson here is pretty clear: don’t get drunk and pass out near a Japanese television crew. Or maybe just don’t get drunk and pass out anywhere in Japan. You know what? Just be safe, never fall asleep in Japan.