Japan's prison system receives in-depth treatment on the documentary variety series "Arayuru Sekai wo Kengaku Se Yo!" (Inspect the World From Every Angle; Fuji TV, Sat., 11:35 p.m.) The whole point of prison is to isolate inmates from normal everyday life, but as the program shows, prison itself is normal everyday life.
Even if the prisoners themselves don't appear much in the report, cameras get up close and personal with the accouterments of prison life. We see the cells in detail. The cafeteria, the bathrooms and even the furniture are examined.
More significant is the work area, where prisoners learn valuable skills that can command good pay outside. Some prisons, in fact, make quite a tidy income from the labor of their charges.