Have you checked out “今際の国のアリス” (“Imawa no Kuni no Arisu,” “Alice in Borderland”; literally, Arisu in the country of final moments) on Netflix yet? What about “鬼滅の刃” (“Kimetsu no Yaiba,” “Demon Slayer”; literally, demon destroying sword) on Disney+? If you haven’t heard of either of those, maybe it’s time to brush up on your Japan streaming knowledge.

The world of テレビ番組 (terebi bangumi, television programs) has been boosted significantly by the steady uptick in Japanese content in the ビデオ・オン・デマンド (bideo on demando, video on demand/streaming services) space. This means there are far more viewing options that can be turned into learning opportunities.

For me, 一人で見るシリーズと夫と見るシリーズは違います (hitori de miru shirīzu to otto to miru shirīzu wa chigaimasu, the series I watch alone and the ones I watch with my husband are different). When we’re together, we might watch a ホラー (horā, horror) series like “今際の国のアリス.” But when I’m alone, “極主夫道”のような軽いシリーズを見たくなります (“Gokushufudō” no yōna karui shirīzu o mitaku narimasu, I find myself wanting to watch a light series like “The Way of the Househusband”).