According to research, currently the only TV show that men over age 45 can stomach, other than NHK's "Project X," is "The Tetsuwan Dash" (Nippon TV, Sundays, 6:55 p.m.). In the show, the boy band Tokio -- collectively and individually -- embark on large, time-consuming projects involving agriculture, commercial fishing, mechanical engineering and even paleontology. In a way, its popularity with older males is easy to understand. As with "Project X," "Tetsuwan" celebrates the joys of initiative, ingenuity and hard work that is carried out for the sake of both the individual and the group.
On Oct. 6, the program will present a special two-hour version that highlights the funnier side of Tokio's ambitious endeavors.
Over at Dash Village, the farming commune that the boys have been building from scratch over the past two years, the big project now is digging a new well. In order to irrigate their extensive fields of rice, potatoes and vegetables, power their mill, and nourish their goats and ducks, Tokio diverted a stream, but it isn't satisfying their expanding needs. One of the members even resorts to dowsing to find the best places to dig.