President Carter on Letterman

In an interview with David Letterman, Carter passed along an anecdote of a translation problem in Japan. Carter was speaking at a business lunch in Tokyo, where he decided to open his speech with a brief joke. He told the joke, then waited for the translator to announce the Japanese version. Even though the story was quite short, Carter was surprised by how quickly the interpreter was able to re-tell it. Even more impressive was the reaction from the crowd. Carter thought the story was cute, but not outright hilarious, yet the crowd broke right up. Carter was very flattered. After the speech, Carter wanted to meet the translator to ask him how he told the joke. Perhaps there is better way to tell the joke? When Carter asked how the joke had been told in Japanese, the translator responded, "I told them, 'President Carter has told a very funny joke. Please laugh now.'"

Chinese Chicken

Q: What does a Chinese chicken say?
A: Wok wok wok wok wok

Bull Free in Tokoyo

The following is supposedly a true story. To be included, besides being true, the story is most likely strange, weird, surprising, or funny.
Tokyo, Japan: A bull bound for slaughter gave its handlers the slip Wednesday and escaped into Tokyo's teeming streets. The 1,300-pound bull, shipped in from southern Japan, thundered down the gangplank as soon as it was lowered, bolted past port police and headed for the wide open spaces. More than 20 policeman chased the animal for 40 minutes through nearly three miles of city traffic before managing to herd it into the parking lot of a posh hotel. Waiting patrol cars formed a makeshift corral to avert another escape. Police then roped the bull's horns and tied it to a tree until the owner came to transport it.