Tag - channel-surf

 
 

CHANNEL SURF

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 4, 2016
A phone booth for contacting the dead; renewal after the tsunami; CM of the week: Brother
Starting March 5 and airing every night for the next week, NHK will present a series of hour-long specials dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. Suffice to say that only NHK could produce the kind of detailed and comprehensive reports the anniversary...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 26, 2016
In search of sea monsters; Matsuko Deluxe solves problems; CM of the week: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group
Hiroyuki Ariyoshi has become one of the most ubiquitous personalities on television, hosting several regular shows on different stations. What people like about him is his ability to turn mundane topics into something interesting.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 19, 2016
Beat Takeshi uncovers greatness; using beef for bribery; CM of the week: Daiwa House
The Japanese word "idenshi" means "gene," but a homonym that changes the last Chinese character in the compound to "history" alters the meaning slightly. Both are manifest in the title of the special "Seiko no Idenshi" ("History of Successful Inheritance"; Nippon TV, Mon., 7:56 p.m.), hosted by comedian...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 12, 2016
The mysteries of the slow loris; explaining the U.S. presidential election; CM of the week: Mister Donut
The slow loris is the odd monkey out in the world of primates. Only 30 centimeters in length, the nocturnal creature is well named. Its movements are so slow as to be practically unnoticeable, but that, as it turns out, is important to its evolutionary survival.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 5, 2016
A Japanese gardener in Cuba; Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's 40th anniversary; CM of the week: Adidas
In 2015, the United States finally normalized relations with post-revolution Cuba. Japan, however, has never severed ties with the Caribbean country, and has always enjoyed a warm friendship with it. Part of the reason for this friendship is Kenji Takeuchi.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 29, 2016
An age-reversing cat; behind the scenes with an idol group; CM of the week: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
Second chances are the theme of the fantasy "Sumika Sumire" ("Sumi or Sumire"; TV Asahi, Fri., 11:15 p.m.), a new series based on a popular "girls comic" by Mitsuba Takanashi.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 22, 2016
A 1971 thriller returns; the life of an indigo dyer; CM of the week: Nihon Waso
'Kuro no Shamen" ("The Black Slope"), made in 1971, is one of the most famous thrillers in the history of Japanese cinema. On Sunday night at 9, TV Asahi presents a new TV adaptation of the tale.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 15, 2016
Lovers with a age gap; secrets of a retired boxer; CM of the week: Sanyo Foods
The natural reaction to the central situation of the new comedy-drama series, "Otosan to Yobasete" ("Call Me Father(-in-law)"; Fuji TV, Tues., 10 p.m.), is queasiness. Though May-December romances are a fairly common cultural touchstone, here the idea is played for maximum discomfort.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 8, 2016
Disappearing-father drama; Swindling in Osaka; CM of the week: Bandai Namco
Osaka is the setting for the bittersweet two-hour drama "Saiko no Oyako" ("The Best Mother and Child"; TBS, Sun., 9 p.m.), which stars Naomi Fujiyama as a single mother raising a daughter, played by Riisa Naka, who has just graduated from university with a degree in architecture but is having trouble...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 2, 2016
New adaptation of Natsume Soseki's classic novel; scaling Mount Everest; CM of the week: Parco
Natsume Soseki's novel, "Botchan," has been adapted many times over the years, but it has been 20 years since it was last done for television. To celebrate the 100th year since the writer died, Fuji TV is presenting a brand new production of the classic story (Sunday, 9 p.m.) starring Arashi's Kazuya...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 25, 2015
What happens when professional baseballers get fired; CM of the week: Reebok
For every professional athlete who makes a long career out of his or her pastime, there are probably another 10 whose moment in the spotlight is painfully brief. That is the concept behind the occasional documentary series "Puro Yakyu Senryokugai Tsukoku Kubi wo Senkoku Sareta Otokotachi" ("Men Given...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 18, 2015
Three troubled sisters; Japan's favorite mystery author; CM of the week: McDonald's
The heroes of the three stories that make up the omnibus drama "Damashi-banashi" ("Stories of Deceit"; Nippon TV, Sun., 11:15 p.m.) are the somewhat untrustworthy Yoshida siblings.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 11, 2015
Secrets of Lawrence of Arabia; a computer judges classical musicians; CM of the week: Panasonic
The Middle East is a region that seems defined by its ongoing factional disputes, many of which are difficult to make sense of. This week, NHK's documentary series "The Profiler" (BS Premium, Wed., 9 p.m.) attempts to shed some light on the background of some of those disputes by looking at the life...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 4, 2015
Secret ballerinas; remembering Setsuko Hara; CM of the week: Mercedes-Benz
Many Japanese women studied dance when they were very young, and some have gone on to careers in show business and incorporated what they learned into their work. On the two-hour special, "Geinojin ga Honki de Baree" ("Celebrities Do Real Ballet"; TBS, Wed., 7:56 p.m.), 20 female TV personalities who...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 27, 2015
Tunnel-building woman; historical food drama; CM of the week: Sharp
Japan is currently suffering a labor shortage that will only worsen. The main solution is getting more women interested in working in certain sectors, such as construction, where only 12.4 percent of the workforce is female. Even worse, only 3.5 percent of the country's civil engineers are women.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 20, 2015
Motor-mouthed comedian returns; nursing drama; CM of the week: Taisho Pharmaceutical
Last year, TBS cancelled "Karakuri TV," hosted by motor-mouthed comedian Sanma Akashiya. "Karakuri" lasted 22 years and was considered the progenitor of the talk-based variety show. It was also the first Japanese series to popularize funny home videos.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 13, 2015
Searching for a missing father; an unusually gifted detective; CM of the week: Mizuho Bank
Fuji TV's documentary series, "The Non-Fiction," celebrates its 20th anniversary this week with a special program, "Watashi wa Dare?" ("Who Am I?"; Sun., 2 p.m.).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 6, 2015
Junichiro Tanizaki's sexual exploits; romantic adolescents; CM of the week: Nissan
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of novelist Junichiro Tanizaki, whose best works were published in the 1930s and 40s. Tanizaki was Japan's most accomplished writer about sex, and much of what he wrote was based on experience.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 30, 2015
Reopened restaurants; SMAP leader's sports knowledge; CM of the week: Jetstar
Ninety percent of the restaurants that open in Japan go out of business within five years. It's tough, so those that survive must have something special. This week's "Nichiyo Big Variety" ("Sunday Big Variety"; TV Tokyo, Sun., 7:54 p.m.) is about "famous restaurants" that have gone out of business for...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 23, 2015
Prefecture battle; the witches of Japan; CM of the week: SoftBank
The government's plan for regional revitalization gets a boost from the world of television with the three-hour variety special "47 Todofuken Taiko! Kakuzeke Nippon!" ("47-prefecture Rivalry! Ranking Japan!"; Fuji TV, Sun., 7 p.m.).

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