Believe it or not, Tea Bo inventor Billy Blanks is the second biggest thing in Japan this year, just under flat-screen televisions and gaming consoles like Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation.

In the fourth spot, just under Billy, is a product featured in our recent article about Weird and Wacky Fitness Gadgets. The iGallop and other “Horse-riding exercise equipment” products seem to be taking Japan by storm. And if you watch the video on that fitness gadget article you might see why. I think I’ll get my wife one.

I find it fascinating that two of the top five products in Japan, according to an advertisement agency survey of Japanese consumers, are fitness-related. What I find even more interesting, is that they are “fun” fitness products. Billy Blanks is super-high-energy, cardio kickboxing that is actually entertaining to watch, even as a spectator. His fitness Boot Camps are serious workouts, but done in a fun way. And the iGallop… well, watch this video and this video to see just how fun and quirky it is.

Want your fitness product to be “Big in Japan”? Make it fun. Make it quirky. And it wouldn’t hurt to drop a few million on advertising while you’re at it.