This week the subject of "Bakusho Mondai no Nippon no Kyoyo" (Bakusho Mondai's Japan Education; NHK-G, Tues., 10:50 p.m.) is music, but not necessarily Japanese music.
The comedy duo visit musician-composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, award-winning maker of film soundtracks, and recipient of the French government's National Order of the Legion of Honor. Sakamoto takes a pedantic rather than a performing role. He brings with him a computer holding 13,000 songs from all over the world.
Chosing pieces at random, he holds forth on the richness and unique appeal of music as an art form, and explains to the two comedians the musical particulars of each song. The more voluble Hikaru Ota is stimulated enough to hold forth on the ouevre of his favorite group, Southern All Stars, thus giving rise to a discussion of the "meaning of music." Speaking of music, the Japanese word nakiuta literally means "cry song," and refers to a piece that invariably makes the listener weep. Everyone can probably think of one of these songs, but what about food? Is there a dish that makes you cry?
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