After their bank account is drained at a cyber-cafe, the Simpsons go on a disastrous low-budget trip to Japan, where they wind up as contestants on a humiliating game show.
Absurdist momentum sustains 69 jokes across travel chaos, though impact dips below season standard.
Directed by Jim Reardon · Written by Dan Greaney, Donick Cary
WAR
47.6
Wins Above Replacement
“Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo” ranks #190 of 226 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 75.0 — Great. The episode packs 69 scored jokes at 3.2 per minute, averaging 6.9 on craft and 6.5 on impact, with Homer landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Marge: Remember, Homer? You loved that Japanese film we watched.
Homer: Yeah, well, I don't remember it that way.
Marge Homer Meta/Self-Referential Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Homer: How can you afford all those nice appliances, Ned?
Ned Flanders: Well, they're murder evidence! The police auction them off real cheap!
Folks, we're experiencing some moderate Godzilla-related turbulence at this time.
Pilot Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Game Show Host: On this show, we celebrate ignorance.
Homer: Ignorance? I don't know what that means.
Homer: Marge, I'm buying this square watermelon.
Marge: Homer, that's ridiculous. It costs three times as much!
Homer: But Marge, think about it. Round watermelons are inconvenient. They roll all over the place. They take up too much room in the fridge. But this square one? Perfect. It sits nice and neat.
Marge: Homer, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
Homer: Dumb? Or genius? I'm buying it.
All Jokes — 69 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Homer: Oh boy, oh boy! I found it! My favorite magazine!
Marge: Homer, that's my "Better Homes and Gardens."
Homer: No, no, it's definitely mine. See? It has pictures of things I like.
Marge: Those are doilies and potpourri.
Homer: Exactly!
Homer: Gigabytes? What kind of stupid movie title is that? Oh wait... this is a computer magazine.
Homer Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Lisa: The Internet is something new and exciting!
Homer: The Internet? Bah! I'm already sick of it.
Homer Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Bart: The Internet? Ay caramba! Finally, a way to expand my mind and learn about the world!
Bart: Let me just type in... 'boobies.'
Lisa: The Internet is a valuable educational tool with vast resources for learning and research.
Homer: Oh yeah? Then how come every time I use it, I end up looking at... uh... never mind.
Lisa: Well, yes, there are some... inappropriate sites, but those are just a small fraction of—
Bart: A small fraction? Lisa, I found like fifty of those in the first five minutes!
Lisa: That's... that's just because you were specifically looking for them!
Lisa Irony/Sarcasm Misdirection ★ Rewatch Groundskeeper Willie: Ach, the internet! Finally, a use for these contraptions!
Groundskeeper Willie: Och! What's this? Me own kilt!
Groundskeeper Willie: Aye, listen up ye lonely lassies. Groundskeeper Willie here, lookin' fer a bonnie lass who appreciates a man with dirt under his fingernails and a heart full of Scottish rage. I enjoy long walks through the school grounds, tendin' to me grass, and yellin' at children. I'm a man of few words but many threats. If ye can handle a fella who smells like fertilizer and regret, then send me a message, ye daft woman!
Barney: She's perfect! Look at those eyes, that smile... I'm in love!
Homer: I just invested in News Corp. Great company!
Lisa: Dad, no! That's the network that owns this show!
Homer: So?
Lisa: So if the network fails, we all lose our jobs... including the animators drawing us right now!
Homer: I invested some money in News Corp.
Lisa: Dad, you invested in Fox? The network that airs our show?
Lisa: Do you realize what this means?
Homer: What?
Lisa: You're profiting off our exploitation!
Homer Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Snake: Alright, dudes, this is a robbery. Nobody move or I'll drop you all from my friends list, man.
Snake: Hand over all your bitcoins and ethernet cables, or I'm gonna DDoS this whole place.
Snake: Heh heh, you could say I'm about to go viral with this heist, man.
Snake Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Homer: Ned, I'm in a real bind. I'm like a pig in a mud beehive.
Ned: A pig in a mud beehive? Homer, that doesn't make any sense.
Homer: That's how desperate I am, Ned. I'm mixing my metaphors!
Homer Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Homer: How can you afford all those nice appliances, Ned?
Ned Flanders: Well, they're murder evidence! The police auction them off real cheap!
Ned Flanders: Well, Chuck Garabedian says if you live like a millionaire, you'll go broke. But if you live like a billionaire, you'll stay rich!
Homer Simpson: That doesn't make any sense.
Ned Flanders: Well, it's simple economics, Homer. You see, billionaires can afford to live extravagantly without going broke.
Chuck Garabedian: Life is full of simple pleasures. A nice vacation, a good meal, spending time with loved ones.
Chuck Garabedian: But why stop there? Why not treat yourself to a jet pack? Solid Gold Dancers following you everywhere you go?
Chuck Garabedian: A personal blimp? A trained monkey butler? The sky's the limit, people!
Rich audience member: I resent the implication that we fat cats are somehow less deserving than the rest of you!
Rich audience member: We earned our money the old-fashioned way — we inherited it.
Rich audience member: And another thing — I'm not a 'fat cat,' I'm more of a Boardwalk and Park Place kind of guy.
Rich audience member: He leaves to catch another Monopoly property reference
Chuck Garabedian: Here's how to save money on formal wear. This tuxedo belonged to a very famous man.
Chuck Garabedian: Adolf Hitler.
Chuck Garabedian: Even my companions have a 'discount' backstory
Homer: Why, I'm rich! I'm gonna buy myself a nice Duff beer... Oh wait, that costs money.
Lenny: Homer, you crushed your penny!
Homer: Yeah, and it felt great!
Homer Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Lisa: Mother, I can't believe you shop at these discount stores. The lighting is so fluorescent, and the products are of such poor quality.
Marge: Well Lisa, when you're out on your own someday, you'll understand that sometimes you have to shop where you can afford to.
Lisa: Mom, I saw that dress on sale for $19.99.
Marge: I paid $39.99 for it.
Lisa: That's twice the sale price!
Marge: I know. I bought it before it went on sale.
Homer: Just because it's expired by Mexican safety standards doesn't mean it's bad. It just means it's good enough for Americans!
Homer Observational Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Marge: Homer, why didn't you just ask me for the key?
Homer: A key? Why didn't I think of that?
Chuck Garabedian: He's literally scavenging their leftover discount food
Bart: Yo, mon. We should be chillin' in Jamaica, ya know? All that reggae and the beaches and whatnot. It's like, the vibe, mon.
Bart Character Comedy Absurdist Homer: Hey! Those were our seats! We could've gone to Japan!
Ned: Homer, we didn't want to go to Japan.
Homer: That's not the point! You stole our trip to Japan!
Homer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Homer: Sayonara, Flanders!
Homer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Marge: Remember, Homer? You loved that Japanese film we watched.
Homer: Yeah, well, I don't remember it that way.
Marge Homer Meta/Self-Referential Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Besides, if we wanna see Japanese people we could have gone to the zoo.
Homer Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Besides, if we wanna see Japanese people... we could have gone to the zoo. Homer! What? The guy who washes the elephants is Japanese.
Lisa: Oh, look at this! Safety instructions written as haiku. How delightful!
Lisa: Exit to the left, / Emergency lights will guide, / Obey all our rules.
Lisa: What an elegant way to convey such important—
Lisa: Oh. It ends with 'Drink Coca-Cola.'
Lisa Observational Misdirection ★ Rewatch Flight Attendant: In the event of a loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will automatically deploy from the compartment above your seat. Place the mask over your nose and mouth, secure it with the elastic band, and breathe normally.
Homer: Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm just here for the peanuts.
Passenger: Jim Belushi movies? More like Jim Belushi... bathroom.
Flight Attendant: We're showing the sequel to Animal House set in the future.
Passenger: What's it called?
Flight Attendant: Animal House 2: The Retirement Years.
Movie Observational Absurdist Toilet: Konnichiwa. I detect urgent need. Please be seated. I am honored to serve you. After you finish, I will provide gentle posterior cleansing with warm water at precisely 38 degrees Celsius. Thank you for using Premium Sanitation System 3000. Your comfort brings me great joy.
Bart: Wait, that's Itchy & Scratchy: The Ultraviolent Years!
Homer: Oh no, not that one!
Lisa: Everyone cover your eyes!
Narrator: The family immediately starts having seizures from watching it
TV Announcer: We'll be right back!
Lisa: I want to experience authentic Japanese culture.
Homer: Oh yeah, Japanese efficiency! They'll make your sandwich in like 2 seconds.
Lisa: That's not what authentic Japanese culture is about.
Homer: Sure it is. I saw it on TV. A guy made 500 sushi rolls while I was still chewing my first bite.
Moe: There once was a man from Peru
Barney: Who dreamed he was eating his shoe
Moe: He woke with a fright to find that the night had turned golden, not lime colored... and he was deeply disappointed.
Moe Barney Setup/Punchline Misdirection ★ Rewatch Japanese Waiter: Welcome to American-themed restaurant! I am very American. I eat hot dog for breakfast, watch baseball, and say 'how you doin'?' to everyone.
Japanese Waiter: Also, I have gun in holster and I say 'yippee-ki-yay' even though I don't know what it means.
Customer: What kind of Japanese food do you have?
Japanese Waiter: We have sushi, ramen, tempura, yakitori...
Customer: Do you have anything American?
Japanese Waiter: Of course! We have Big Mac, Bud Light, and high fructose corn syrup. Very authentic American cuisine.
Homer: Marge, I'm buying this square watermelon.
Marge: Homer, that's ridiculous. It costs three times as much!
Homer: But Marge, think about it. Round watermelons are inconvenient. They roll all over the place. They take up too much room in the fridge. But this square one? Perfect. It sits nice and neat.
Marge: Homer, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
Homer: Dumb? Or genius? I'm buying it.
Woody Allen: I'm doing a Japanese commercial. My career has really hit bottom. Next week I'm gonna be the spokesman for a suppository.
Woody Allen Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Woody Allen: Wait, what happens to me?
Homer: Well, let's just say your personal life makes mine look like a Disney movie.
Woody Allen: Oh no...
Woody Allen Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Homer Character Comedy Absurdist Emperor: You have won great honor. What title would you like?
Homer: Uh... Lord of the Rippers... and the Dinosaurs!
Homer: From now on, call me 'The Scopalami'.
Crowd: All hail The Scopalami!
Crowd Callback Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Homer: You know, I spent three weeks in Japan, and you know what bothered me the most? In those old samurai movies, they always give the best roles to the Japanese guys!
Homer Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Homer: Don't worry, Lisa. I'm gonna do something very Japanese for you.
Homer: I'll make it completely authentic. Bonsai!
Homer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Homer: Please, I just need to get home to my family in Springfield.
US Ambassador: I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do to help you.
Homer: But you're the US Ambassador! Isn't that your job?
US Ambassador: My job is to protect the title 'US Ambassador.' Actually helping Americans? That's not in my job description.
Homer: Work, work, work. That's all it is. Day after day, the same thing over and over.
Homer: But I've figured it out. It's really just one simple thing repeated.
Homer: Squeeze, gut, squeeze, gut, squeeze, gut...
Homer Character Comedy Running Gag ★ Rewatch Homer: Fish guts, fish guts, fish guts!
Fish: Wait, wait! I have a family!
Homer: Fish guts, fish guts, fish guts!
Homer Running Gag Dark/Subversive Game Show Host: What does your family wish for?
Homer: A new car!
Game Show Host: Wonderful! Anything else?
Homer: Nope. Well, maybe some donuts.
Homer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Game Show Host: On this show, we celebrate ignorance.
Homer: Ignorance? I don't know what that means.
Game show host: What is the capital of Assyria?
Homer: Uh... Springfield?
Game show host: That is correct!
Game Show Assistant: You're doing great! How are you feeling?
Homer Simpson: Oh, I feel fine. A little internal burning, but fine.
Moe: Wait a minute... that's Homer on Japanese TV!
Moe: But Homer's been here at the bar this whole time... hasn't he?
Barney: Uh, Moe... I hate to break it to ya...
Barney: That ain't been Homer.
Moe: What?!
Game Show Host: You've won airline tickets! Now for our final challenge...
Game Show Host: You must safely land this Boeing 747 while it's on fire and losing altitude!
Game Show Host: Ready? Go!
Homer: Maybe next time I'll win a prize that doesn't hurt me.
Homer: Mmm, ice cream.
Homer: Owww! My teeth!
Homer Setup/Punchline Irony/Sarcasm Homer: No, not the ice cream round! Anything but the ice cream round!
Homer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Game Show Host: The lava is actually just orangeade!
Homer: Orangeade? But it still hurts!
Game Show Host: Yes, we added wasabi.
Game Show Host: And now, the Simpson family appears to be dying in a vat of lava!
Game Show Host: But it's all fake! This segment is brought to you by Duff Beer.
Homer Simpson: Wait, you're telling me this lava is just fake orangeade?
Host: That's right.
Homer Simpson: Well, that's a relief. I thought I was really dying.
Host: Oh, you still are. It contains wasabi.
Homer Simpson: AHHHHHHH!
Homer: You know, a game show should represent the highest ideals of American values: honesty, integrity, and the pursuit of—
Homer: —a new Cadillac and a year's supply of Rice-A-Roni!
Homer Observational Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Homer: I'll miss you, Japan. But not as much as I'll miss the American chain restaurants back home.
Homer: At least when we destroy the environment, we do it with bacon.
Homer Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Folks, we're experiencing some moderate Godzilla-related turbulence at this time.
Pilot Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Pilot: We're experiencing some light turbulence. Nothing to worry about.
Pilot: We've got a giant monster on the left wing. Maintenance has been notified.
Pilot Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Top Episodes — The Simpsons
