Japanese Television

In England I watched too much television - trashy television mainly and, when I got here, I realized just how much I didn't miss it.

My neighbour had a bilingual telly. This means some programmes are made with an English voice over, or are shown in the original language (in the case of movies). Unless you have a bilingual TV you cannot turn this function on. Anyway, my friend has now moved into a gaijin house and I've inherited her telly. The news cracks me up. The voice that does the English translation is a (non-Japanese) man from - well, I'm not really sure where he's from, but it's the same man every night. He may be Aussie, but it's VERY hard to tell. His voice is very boring anyway. The way of reporting cracks me up too. It's so boring and repetitive and waffly, and whenever someone is interviewed the strange-English-speaking man keeps saying: 'This man says', 'This woman says', 'This man says', etc, with no attempt at making it more interesting.

The weather is the biggest story here and weather reports and stories go on a long time. I particularly like the 5-day forecasts where we are warned / assured / told that it could all change though.

Joe Public doesn't take part in quiz or game shows here, as far as I can tell. They have celebrities taking part and winning instead. In the UK, any shows like this where celebs win things or money, the gifts are always donated to charity.

One channel seems to have a programme on every night where strange masks or hair pieces are worn (imagine you can see the rubber parts and you're getting there).

Other programmes I've seen have comedians hitting members of the public and laughing hard about it.

Of course, the bilingual movies make it all worthwhile and the odd nature doco. Generally though, it appears to be a lot of low-budget garbage. I'm almost glad I don't understand more, although it is amusing to look at.

There is also an overabundance of bad singing, and many of the presenters on the comedy shows - no, pretty much ALL the presenters on the comedy shows, shout and overanimate like a bad children's presenter.

And as for the learning English programmes: I have never heard half the expressions they teach. Long may the English conversation schools continue in this country.

This also means I'm watching bad television. Last night I watched Miami 7 (yes, the programme with S Club 7 doing there thang), and I also watch things whose title I'm ignorant of. I did pick up a great avocado, banana, prawn recipe this morning though....

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Typhoon 11 is on it's way. (They are known by numbers here: it means the eleventh typhoon this year).
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Also I've now read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I said I'd get around to it eventually, and no, I didn't buy a copy. I really enjoyed it too. Still don't get the hype and the need to rush and buy it and be one of the first to read it though.
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Oh, and I'm back into the teaching thing now (in other words I think all my classes today were fab, fun and interesting). I just have to get back into Japan now. I'm hoping this is just a holiday hangover.