Tag - channel-surf

 
 

CHANNEL SURF

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 25, 2012
Is the whole world worrying about Japan?; "Villain"; CM of the week: Ezaki Glico
Does Japan suffer from an inferiority complex? That's one way of interpreting the title of the variety special "Nakayoshi Terebi: Nihon no Ima wo Sekaiju ga Shimpai Shite Iru zo" ("Friendly TV: The Whole World is Worrying About Japan Now"; Fuji, Tues., 7 p.m.).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 18, 2012
Research and ranking; Kara explains love; "Knocking over a pile of blocks"; CM of the week: Pepsi
The "R" in the title of the daily variety show "R no Hosoku" ("The Law of R"; NHK-E, Mon.-Thurs., 6:55 p.m.) stands for "ranking" and "research." Kids go out into the streets and find out what interests today's junior high and high school students and then create rankings based on the research. In the...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 11, 2012
'The Anonymous Detective'; 'Wide Area Police'; CM of the week: Bausch + Lomb
Actor Katsunori Takahashi is known for his suave good looks, as well as making fun of them, and this week he appears in two dramas playing idiosyncratic crime fighters.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 4, 2012
'Legacy Liquidation Expert'; 'The Fly Woman Who Loves'; CM of the week: Panasonic
There is a business called ihin seiri gaishi, companies that clean up after dead people. The most common request for such services comes when a person living alone dies and the family doesn't want to go through the trouble of disposing of his or her belongings.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 28, 2012
Kimutaku as a loser; Kabuki posture; CM of the week: Coca-Cola
Kimutaku is back in the coveted Monday 9 p.m. Fuji TV drama slot, which he used to own. SMAP's enduring heartthrob Takuya Kimura used to play topical professionals — airline pilots, race-car drivers, concert pianists — in his Monday night dramas, but in "Priceless" he does something unexpected. He...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 21, 2012
All about Yo; "Words make the world"; CM of the week: Tsutaya
Kimiko Yo's career has followed a different trajectory from that of most Japanese actors. She started in theater at the age of 20 in 1976 and didn't land her first movie role until 1987. She has since made a resume of solid supporting roles but didn't gain traction as a leading lady until the dawn of...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 14, 2012
Intern baptism by fire; "Doctor X: Surgeon"; CM of the week: Aeon Topvalu
Hospital dramas never seem to go out of style. Two new series centered on female physicians premiere this week — and in fact, they premiere on the same night, at the same time.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 7, 2012
All-star drama; A male concubine; CM of the week: Wacoal
Nonsatellite TV drama series tend to have the exact same look and sound, regardless of what they're about. That may finally change with the broadcast of "Going My Home" (Fuji TV, Tuesday, 9 p.m.). Written and directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda, the series looks and sounds...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 30, 2012
"Forgotten and Neglected Brides"; Interviews with tourists in Japan; CM of the week: Tokyo Disney Resort
"Kyoko Kikoku: Wasuresarareta Yometachi" ("Forced Repatriation: Forgotten and Neglected Brides"; TBS, Monday, 9 p.m.), a Cultural Agency-sanctioned program commemorating the 40th anniversary of normalized relations between Japan and China, dramatizes a 1993 incident when a group of women from China staged...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 23, 2012
Olympians vs. comedians; Yayoi Kusama fills the world with dots; CM of the week:
If you're a TV personality, it's not enough to be smart or athletic. You have to be both, as evidenced by the special "Takara Sagashi Adventure Nazotoki Battle" ("Treasure-hunting Adventure Riddle-solving Battle"; Nippon TV, Monday, 6:57 p.m.), which pits a team of Olympic medal winners against a group...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 16, 2012
Single vs. married TV personalities; "The Apply Yourself Cookbook"; CM of the week: Lixil
On Friday, TV Asahi devotes almost three full hours to the variety special "Kekkon Dekinai Shikaisha to Nijusan-nin Yomeiru Geinintachi" (7 p.m.), whose entire premise is described in the title: "Presenters Who Can't Get Married and 23 Comedians With Brides."
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 9, 2012
"Give it a try!"; A winning family drama; CM of the week: Japan Tobacco Consulting
Long-running variety show "Otameshi Ka!" ("Give it a Try!"; TV Asahi, Monday, 7 p.m.) usually tests its guests' knowledge about products offered by famous manufacturers or retail and restaurant chains. This week's two-hour special tries something different.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 2, 2012
Dark dorm desires; "Lose to win"; CM of the week: Chintai
ManaKana, twins Mana and Kana Mikura, are television staples, frequently appearing together on variety shows and in the occasional drama as sisters who are always cheerful. This week, Mana steps away from her twin in the new daytime soap opera "Akai Ito no Onna" ("Red Thread Woman"; Fuji TV, Monday-Friday,...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 26, 2012
Human-birds on Lake Biwa; Mystery at the maternity hospital; CM of the week: Suntory/Softbank
On July 28-29 the 35th annual Toriningen Kontesuto (Birdman Rally) was held in Shiga Prefecture on Lake Biwa and featured 37 contestants. It will be broadcast under the same name on Nippon TV on Monday (7 p.m.).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 19, 2012
The new Ennosuke; Kohei the assassin; CM of the week: Fuji-Q Highland
In June, the Omodakaya kabuki clan carried out its first succession ceremony in 49 years, when the head of the clan, Ichikawa Ennosuke, incapacitated by a stroke some years ago, passed his name to his nephew, Kamejiro. Ennosuke's own son did not undergo traditional kabuki training as a child because...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 12, 2012
"Court Martial in the Field of Battle"; Why didn't Japan Surrender?; CM of the week: Meiji Bono Cheese
Commercial stations normally broadcast specials about the end of the war at this time of the year, but apparently they spent too much money on Olympic coverage, and a large portion of air time this week is devoted to recaps.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 5, 2012
"Intimate TV"; Reconstructing Tut's death; CM of the week: Morinaga Weider
The variety special "Nakayoshi Terebi" ("Intimate TV"; Fuji TV, Tues., 7 p.m.) brings together commentators from Japan, China and South Korea to argue over current affairs and poke fun at one another's cultures and economies. In the typical variety-show manner, it's all done in good humor.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 29, 2012
Gross national happiness; Beloved Unfortunate Women; CM of the week: Summer Jumbo
Master explainer Akira Ikegami makes his sixth appearance on "Mirai Seiki Jipangu" ("Future Century Japan"; TV Tokyo, Mon., 10 p.m.) for a two-part exploration of the Kingdom of Bhutan in the eastern Himalayas.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 22, 2012
Crime-fighting concierge; "We Rent Out Families"; CM of the week: Daihatsu
Atsuko Asano plays the title role in the mystery special "Okinawa Rizoto Konsheruju Gushiken Yoko no Meisuiri Ibitsu-na Misshitsu" ("Okinawa Resort Concierge Yoko Gushiken's Excellent Deduction of the Irregular Locked Room"; TV Tokyo, Wed., 9 p.m.).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 15, 2012
"The Future of Earth! Urgent Coverage!"; Heroine teacher; CM of the week: Hotto Motto
Monday is a holiday, and Nippon TV will air a 90-minute special in the afternoon about sustainability called "Chikyu no Mirai! Kinkyu Shuzai!" ("The Future of Earth! Urgent Coverage!"; 2:55 p.m.), hosted by popular announcer Seiji Miyane.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’