Tag - channel-surf

 
Menu
Search
 
August 15, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

CHANNEL SURF

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 24, 2009
Trial suspense, dealing with depression and the problem with pedigrees
A recent NHK documentary about the new lay judge system cited a survey that found many citizens were learning about trials by watching movies and TV dramas. To that end, TBS's ongoing drama series "Hotei Suspense" ("Trial Suspense") should be popular.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 24, 2009
Trial suspense, dealing with depression and the problem with pedigrees
A recent NHK documentary about the new lay judge system cited a survey that found many citizens were learning about trials by watching movies and TV dramas. To that end, TBS's ongoing drama series "Hotei Suspense" ("Trial Suspense") should be popular.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 17, 2009
Lay-judge drama, exotic real estate, and Kimutaku's 'Mr. Brain'
The new lay judge system starts on May 21, so it's not surprising that somebody decided to make a two-hour suspense drama to mark the occasion. However, the subtitle of "Hotei Suspense" ("Trial Suspense"; TBS, Mon., 9 p.m.) sounds like this might not be the best way to promote the new system: "Do you...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 10, 2009
'Insect crazy tour,' Rubicon decisons and comedian Edo Harumi's early days
The title character of "Dora the Explorer," the American animated TV series, is a bilingual Latina girl who often takes the time to teach Spanish phrases to the viewing audience. In the Japanese version (TV Tokyo, Mon., 6 p.m.), Dora and her monkey sidekick Boots speak Japanese and teach English when...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 26, 2009
60-second success stories, Japanese baritone in Estonia, and tales of drifter Manjiro
Answers to questions that probably never occurred to anyone except the producers of this variety show are the subjects of "Jinsei ga Kawaru Ippun no Fuka-ii Hanashi" ("Profoundly Satisfying One-Minute Stories About Life-changing Incidents") (Nihon TV, Mon., 8:54 p.m.). Celebrities discuss anecdotes that...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 19, 2009
Kuwata roars back with 'Tora-san,' drama about running from debt, and the story of a 'bad wife'
Keisuke Kuwata, the leader of the Southern All Stars, who called it quits last summer after 30 years as Japan's most popular rock band, revives his old TV series. "Kuwata Keisuke Ongaku Tora-san" ("Keisuke Kuwata, Music's Tora-san") (Fuji, Mon., 11:15 p.m.) was first broadcast for six months in 2000...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 5, 2009
Gender-bender drama, 'Three Kingdoms' spinoff anime, little-known big biz
...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 29, 2009
A prime-time news contender, Japanese aesthetics and tales of a reformed assassin
The new television season kicks into high gear this week with TBS's bold experiment "Soryoku Hodo The News" ("Combined Power Information The News") (Mon.-Fri., 5:50 p.m.). Though live news shows are as old as television itself, "The News" marks the first attempt by a Japanese commercial broadcaster to...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 15, 2009
Alaska photographer remembered, three decades of Doraemon, Kansai retro-drama remake
Photographer Michio Hoshino, who died 12 years ago, is profiled in the documentary "Hoshino Michio Inochi e no Manazashi" ("A Look at the Life of Michio Hoshino") (NHK-E, Tues., 10:25 p.m.)
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 8, 2009
Father-son poverty showdown, phone-promo office drama, remembering Koki Hirota
The recession has prompted a resurgence in reality shows where people attempt to survive on very little for a fixed length of time. TV personality and mixed martial arts fighter Bobby Ologun once lived a full month on ¥10,000 in front of TV cameras. Bobby will repeat this challenge under different circumstances...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 1, 2009
Retro name-that-tune comedy quiz, stain science at a dry-cleaning academy, portrait of a fashion icon
Nostalgia never goes out of style, and this week Fuji TV revives one of the popular game shows of the Showa Era (1925-89) for a one-night special. "DoReMiFaDon!" (Tues., 7 p.m.) was broadcast from 1979 to 1988. It takes its name from the musical scale that children learn in school and which was made...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 22, 2009
Blood-type drama week, smoking-cessation trials and an enka singer's road to success
Supposedly, you can tell a lot about a person by his or her blood type, and there is a cottage publishing industry in Japan dedicated to the subject. Certain blood types indicate particular personality traits, and some combinations of types are more romantically compatible than others.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 15, 2009
Historical fact and fiction from 'Mito Komon,' Tokugawa Mitsukuni special and 'Hissatsu Shigotonin'
The long-running historical drama series "Mito Komon" (TBS, Mon., 8 p.m.) is about an itinerant nobleman who travels the land incognito with a retinue of followers, righting wrongs and giving exploiters and other bad guys their just desserts. It is thus a good means for regions to promote themselves...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 8, 2009
Tele-fraud documentary, urban myth sleuths, eco-institute tour
Remittance fraud, where con artists call people on the phone and fool them into transferring money through automatic teller machines, has become a hot topic. Despite warnings from police and banks, people still fall victim to such swindles.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 1, 2009
Pet vet mystery, 'character' wear on youth fashion show, post-war cop drama
Pet lovers get their turn in the suspense drama spotlight in "Dobutsu Byoin: Ayako no Jiken Karute" ("Animal Clinic: Ayako's Case Charts") (TV Tokyo, Wednesday, 9 p.m.). Veterinarian Ayako (Yasuko Sawaguchi) works at the Enoki Animal Clinic. One day she sees Tokie, the owner of one of her former patients,...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 25, 2009
China tries English, cuddly but deadly animals, and best of bad-boy comedian Tamori
English-language teaching professionals know that the place to be right now is China. NHK's documentary program, "Chikyu Dramatic" ("Dramatic Earth") (NHK-E, Wednesday, 7 p.m.), looks at English-learning in the world's most populous country, particularly during its orgy of internationalization leading...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 18, 2009
'Forgotten song' show, 'impossible crime' investigator and a reset to the past
The Nihon TV series "Dare mo Shiranai Nakeru Uta" ("Songs That Make You Cry and Which Nobody Knows") (Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.) is hosted by actor Toshiyuki Nishida and comedian Shinya Ueda, who listen to obscure songs suggested by viewers.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 21, 2008
Southern All Stars-inspired drama; Takeshi as Tojo; and communal living
Though they officially retired a few months ago, Japan's most beloved rock band, Southern All Stars, just won't go away. On Monday, Nihon TV will present a special two-hour drama, "Za Naminori Resutoran" ("The Wave-riding Restaurant") (8:54 p.m.), which is built around 30 SAS songs.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 30, 2008
Tsurube and Nakai's travels, Detective Takemura, and a famous cross-dressing spy
It's impossible to turn on the television now without seeing SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai, who is working overtime to promote his new movie, "Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai" ("I Want to Become a Seashell"). And since he was just chosen for the fifth time to cohost NHK's New Year's Eve song contest, "Kohaku...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 23, 2008
'Tarento' on parade, featuring Sanma-san, Akiko Wada and Beat Takeshi
These days the ideal TV personality is someone who can talk nonstop about any subject for a long period of time. The person doesn't necessarily need to be knowledgeable about the subject, but he or she should certainly be funny. In this regard, comedian Sanma Akashiya is the gold standard. Several weeks...
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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’
By Thu-Huong Ha

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’
Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER