Observations about Japanese TV
I am watching TV after getting home from work and noticed a few things so I thought I woudl write about them.
The first was a program which introduced some restaurants of historical significance in Kanda (神田), one of the older neighborhoods in Tokyo which seems to have been famous for its dining during the Edo period. Each time the two hosts of the program entered one of these places, they would order the archetypal item on the menu. After it came, each host would put the first bite in her mouth and chew thoughtfully for about 8 seconds before doing one of the following: 1) going off into a lengthy monologue about the complexity of the taste and texture, or 2) saying a one-word description about the food, like "Soft!" or "Yummy!" I have seen these programs with exactly the same reactions many times throughout my time spent in Japan but the first time I realized the entertainment value in these reactions was today. Japanese culture is obviously the reason for this behavior, which seems funny me as an American. I think if they don't say anything, or give a half-assed reaction, the restauranteur would be offended, and the viewers of the program would be disappointed, or at least be less tempted to go there themselves and eat the item in question.
Then came the news, and watching it caused me to realize another interesting feature of Japanese TV. When covering court cases, the camera will very frequently show in-court footage, but the camera typically looks straight at the head judge or pan around the courtroom. Nobody ever seems to be talking, or doing anything except looking straight at the camera, unblinking. The announcer will describe the background of the case via voiceover. I have not once heard actual testimony from a case broadcast on Japanese television. I wonder if that's because it's illegal...I'll have to look into that someday.
Anna is coming on Sunday morning for Golden Week, a string of holidays in succession in Japan that will give us just short of a week together. We haven't spend that much time together since Christmas. We will go to a juggling festival in Tokyo together, and maybe try to climb Mt. Fuji together if she is up for it. Will take pictures!
I haven't mentioned my little sister yet in this blog...Laura is 20 and studying studio art, film studies, languages, and various other things at Pennsylvania State University (PSU for short). She will be going to Italy for a few months this summer, and then travelling around Spain and France with one of our cousins who goes to school with her, Kristen. At first we thought maybe she would come to Japan for a little while at the end of her trip, but evidently she won't be coming after all. Apart from my ex-girlfriend coming to visit a few years ago, nobody has come to visit me in Japan yet. I would like some visitors!
That's all for now...going to the gym.
The first was a program which introduced some restaurants of historical significance in Kanda (神田), one of the older neighborhoods in Tokyo which seems to have been famous for its dining during the Edo period. Each time the two hosts of the program entered one of these places, they would order the archetypal item on the menu. After it came, each host would put the first bite in her mouth and chew thoughtfully for about 8 seconds before doing one of the following: 1) going off into a lengthy monologue about the complexity of the taste and texture, or 2) saying a one-word description about the food, like "Soft!" or "Yummy!" I have seen these programs with exactly the same reactions many times throughout my time spent in Japan but the first time I realized the entertainment value in these reactions was today. Japanese culture is obviously the reason for this behavior, which seems funny me as an American. I think if they don't say anything, or give a half-assed reaction, the restauranteur would be offended, and the viewers of the program would be disappointed, or at least be less tempted to go there themselves and eat the item in question.
Then came the news, and watching it caused me to realize another interesting feature of Japanese TV. When covering court cases, the camera will very frequently show in-court footage, but the camera typically looks straight at the head judge or pan around the courtroom. Nobody ever seems to be talking, or doing anything except looking straight at the camera, unblinking. The announcer will describe the background of the case via voiceover. I have not once heard actual testimony from a case broadcast on Japanese television. I wonder if that's because it's illegal...I'll have to look into that someday.
Anna is coming on Sunday morning for Golden Week, a string of holidays in succession in Japan that will give us just short of a week together. We haven't spend that much time together since Christmas. We will go to a juggling festival in Tokyo together, and maybe try to climb Mt. Fuji together if she is up for it. Will take pictures!
I haven't mentioned my little sister yet in this blog...Laura is 20 and studying studio art, film studies, languages, and various other things at Pennsylvania State University (PSU for short). She will be going to Italy for a few months this summer, and then travelling around Spain and France with one of our cousins who goes to school with her, Kristen. At first we thought maybe she would come to Japan for a little while at the end of her trip, but evidently she won't be coming after all. Apart from my ex-girlfriend coming to visit a few years ago, nobody has come to visit me in Japan yet. I would like some visitors!
That's all for now...going to the gym.
posted by jeremy at 5:57 PM
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