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May 06, 2024
 

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CHANNEL SURF

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 8, 2015
Visiting Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii; Swimmer Miki Kamata eyes return to form; CM of the week: Shop Japan
The most active volcano in the world, Kilauea, is located in a park on the island of Hawaii that is appropriately named Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. In June 2014, Kilauea exploded and a river of lava flowed out of it and eventually reached the village of Pahoa, 20 km away.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 1, 2015
Bizarre homes around the world; legendary Korean drama series; CM of the Week: Nisshin
Real estate and home renovation programs continue to be popular, but the housing-oriented special, "Osekkaina Sawabe Fudosan" ("Meddlesome Sawabe Real Estate Company"; NHK-G, Mon., 10:55 p.m.), aims for something out of the ordinary.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 24, 2015
Taiwanese gangster learns to bake; old lady detective; CM of the Week: Asahi Beverage
Japanese comics are as popular in the rest of Asia as they are in Japan. The 2012 Taiwanese drama series "Chocolat" (BS-TBS, Tues., 7 a.m.) is based on a manga originally serialized in Big Comic Spirits that itself was adapted as a Japanese TV drama in 2003.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 3, 2015
Buddhist priests in a nutshell; Models survive on a desert island; CM of the week: Eneos
Producers of TV shows often try out their new creations during the wee hours and if they attract enough viewers the show is bumped up to prime time. That's the case with "Obosan Variety: Butchake-dera" ("Buddhist Priest Variety: In-a-nutshell Temple"; TV Asahi, Mon., 7 p.m.), whose prime time premiere is a 3-hour special. It's a show featuring Buddhist priests talking about their work, which most people don't really understand since they only have contact with priests when a loved one dies.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 27, 2015
SMAP Bistro; Documentary 72 Hours; CM of the week: Kincho
On Monday, NHK starts a new morning drama, which means U.S. actress Charlotte Kate Fox, who played the female lead in the previous series, "Massan," will be leaving Japan soon. But before she does she has to do at least one variety show, so she'll be the guest for the regular "SMAP Bistro" segment on "SMAP X SMAP" (Fuji TV, Mon., 9 p.m.).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 19, 2015
The Miracle of Japanese Manufacturing; Wandering Tamori; CM of the week: GLS Japan
Although Japan's talent for industrial innovation has lost some of its luster in recent years, Japanese products remain the envy of the world, and a new series, "Monozukuri Nihon no Kiseki" ("The Miracle of Japanese Manufacturing"), takes in a wide range of design to prove it — so wide, in fact, that the series will be aired over five nights (TBS, Mon.-Thurs. 10:54 p.m., Sat. 9 p.m.).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 13, 2015
'Sachi and Mayu'; 'Music Fair'; CM of the week: Hoyu
On Tuesday, NHK will broadcast a dramatization of the script by Shin Adachi that won the 38th annual TV Writers Association of Japan Award. The drama, titled "Sachi and Mayu" (NHK-G, 10 p.m.), stars Mugi Kadowaki as Sachi, a young woman who was abandoned by her mother when she was 5 years old and left in an orphanage.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 6, 2015
Home design; Pacific war; CM of the week: Taisho Pharmaceutical
TV Asahi's "Before/After" (Sun., 6:57 p.m.) is single-handedly responsible for the "reform boom." The show has inspired thousands of families to remodel their homes into something more livable and aesthetically pleasing.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 1, 2015
'Omokuri Kantoku'; 3/11 commemoration; CM of the week: Aoki Suits
The word "omokuri" in the title of the variety show "Omokuri Kantoku" (Fuji TV, Sun., 9 p.m.) is a combination of the words "omoshiroii" (interesting) and "creator." The program invites several people famous in other fields to "direct" television shows based on their own ideas. Then a panel of judges, headed by comedian and director Beat Takeshi, critiques the finished products.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 20, 2015
Temporary housing; famous siblings; CM of the week: Meiji
The temporary housing built for the survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami is usually depicted as being dark and cold, inhabited by sad people. But according to the NHK regional documentary, "Egao no Kasetsu Jutaku" ("Temporary Housing of Smiling Faces"; NHK-G, Mon., 12:40 a.m.), at least one community of refugees is keeping up its spirits.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 13, 2015
Saitama Gold Theater Company; Aum Shinrikyo sarin attack anniversary; CM of the week: Takarakuji
The Saitama Gold Theater Company, supervised by Japan's most famous theater director, Yukio Ninagawa, is made up of seniors — average age 75 — who were stage amateurs before they auditioned for the troupe. Now they play to thousands of paying customers every year, even overseas.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 6, 2015
Sumo tournament; "The Eternal Zero"; CM of the week: GlaxoSmithKline
If you like sumo but think the two-week basho schedule is too much, then check out "Nihon Ozumo Tournament Dai-Sanjukyu-kai Taikai" ("39th Japan Grand Sumo Tournament"; Fuji TV, Sun., 4:05 p.m.), which compresses the whole thing into a 90-minute event.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 7, 2014
World Cup opponent economies; riding a robot horse; CM of the week: Kirin Beer
The FIFA World Cup is about to start, and the Japan national team will face the three teams in its group. Sports programs will analyze the team's chances against these rivals in athletic terms, but, as part of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun group, TV Tokyo will look at the matter from an economic angle.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 31, 2014
Former stars in tough times; Osore-zan, "Mountain of Fear"; CM of the week: Mos-Do
Japanese TV is fascinated with the lives of people who were famous in their youth, as shown on "Tama no Koshi ni Notta no ni, Sono Go Donzoiku ni Ochita Onna-tachi" ("Women Who Married Rich But Later Fell to the Bottom"; TV Asahi, Mon., 7 p.m.).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 24, 2014
A "New Interpretation of Japanese History"; the seawall debate; CM of the week: Yomeishu
Teacher-cum-TV personality Osamu Hayashi has made Toshin, where he works, the most famous juku (cram school) in Japan. One Toshin colleague who has ridden on his coattails is history instructor Shinichiro Kanetani, the host of the new series "Shinkaishaku Nihonshi" ("New Interpretation of Japanese History"; TBS, Tues, 1:11 a.m.).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 17, 2014
The 'variety' of reasons foreigners come to Japan; profiles of Senshin Settlers; CM of the week: Kellogg's
The "You" in the title of the variety show "You wa nani shi Nihon e?" (What Are You Doing in Japan?; TV Tokyo, Mon, 6:57 p.m.) is fluid, since it can be used as both a second person and a third person pronoun. In both cases, "you" always refers to foreigners who are visiting Japan.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 10, 2014
Osamu Hayashi teaches memory aids; painter Balthus's love life explored; CM of the week: Aflac
Osamu Hayashi is the most famous juku (cram school) teacher in Japan thanks to his frequent TV appearances and trademark phrase "Ima desho" ("Why not now?"). His main claim to fame as a teacher, however, is his ability to retain huge amounts of information.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 3, 2014
German documentaries explore WWI history; Yukie Nakama stars in Mitsuko Mori biopic; CM of the week: Merry Maids
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, a conflagration whose causes most people probably don't understand. This week, NHK will present a series of German documentaries, "Doomsday World War I," on its BS1 channel that attempt to explain the so-called war to end all wars, with colorized film shot at the time as well as dramatizations. All programs start at midnight.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 26, 2014
Jun Ikeido's "Roosevelt Game" gets drama; dancer Ebina profiled; CM of the Week: Lawson
In baseball parlance, a "Roosevelt game" is one where a team wins by one run. The new TBS drama series, "Roosevelt Game" (Sunday, 9 p.m.), is based on a novel by Jun Ikeido, who wrote last year's smash series "Hanzawa Naoki." This one is also set in the corporate world, but in manufacturing rather than finance.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 19, 2014
Christel Takigawa gets Akita 'omotenashi'; a dandy drama; CM of the week: Nisshinbo
Former news anchor Christel Takigawa gets to sample some of that famous Japanese omotenashi (hospitality) she promoted during the bid process for the 2020 Summer Olympics. She is this week's guest on NHK's travel show "Tsurube no Kazoku ni Kampai" ("Tsurube Toasts Families"; NHK-G, Mon., 8 p.m.), the second part of a two-part series on the city of Daisen in Akita Prefecture (Part 1 is repeated on NHK at 10:05 the same morning).
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
G7 eyes plan on U.S.-led $50 billion aid package for Ukraine
A local resident visits the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday. The U.S. is in talks with close partners to lead a group of allies that would give as much as $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Japan drops to 70th in press freedom rankings
A businessman reads a newspaper outside a train station in Tokyo.
Kishida talks up bolstered Latin American ties as China cements position
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
'Monster' Inoue ready to tear down Luis Nery in title defense at Tokyo Dome
Naoya Inoue (left) and Luis Nery following a pre-fight news conference in Yokohama on Saturday, two days ahead of their super bantamweight title fight.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Sapporo court ruling on Ainu fishing rights presents tough questions
A traditional Ainu preserved food called <i>satchep</i> (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25. The Sapporo District Court ruled last month that the Raporo Ainu Nation's rights as an Indigenous people did not extend to having an inherent right to fish for commercial reasons.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.

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