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Japanese TV Culture Shock

ryosuke

Ryosuke
4 Oct 2009
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I remember when i was younger as toddler my mother and i would watch tv together and love it, i remember waking up every day and watching, I still love japaense tv and what NHK as often as i can and ofcourse Takashi's castle. hOWEVer my father would always go on that Japanese tv was rubbish and was nonsense and silly , i used to always disagree but as i got older and when i went to japan i go at least 3 times a year i went in the summer this time and i was amazed by the fact that i too agreed that japanese tv was rather silly ??
Is it only me ??? x
 
I find Japanese game shows and other programs to be silly. That doesn't mean they aren't enjoyable. Just good, mindless entertainment.
 
I find Japanese game shows and other programs to be silly. That doesn't mean they aren't enjoyable. Just good, mindless entertainment.

Yeah I agree, I mean I haven't been to Japan yet, but through the shows I've seen through the internet they just seem like a good laugh nothing to take seriously. Seeing how many rules and the social etiquette the Japanese have to put up through their daily lives you can't really blame them for letting lose through TV, I mean like here in the UK we do get silly shows but not as often as Japan, but thats because we're pretty relaxed comparatively.
 
Yeah I agree, I mean I haven't been to Japan yet, but through the shows I've seen through the internet they just seem like a good laugh nothing to take seriously. Seeing how many rules and the social etiquette the Japanese have to put up through their daily lives you can't really blame them for letting lose through TV, I mean like here in the UK we do get silly shows but not as often as Japan, but thats because we're pretty relaxed comparatively.
you make a fair point i dont take it seriously but i just think that its rather relaxed even my japanese mother agrees that its pretty silly and after living in england for a few years she thinks its even more silly :p x
 
Television appeals to the "lowest common denominator" as a general rule, no matter what country in which you live. I've seen English, Japanese, American, and Korean TV. All countries have unadulterated garbage on the tube, and watching TV can seriously impair your ability to appreciate anything more than simplistic, mindless entertainment (Harlan Ellison didn't call TV "the glass teat" for nothing).

There can be good shows that one can find. Personally, I watch them online or on TiVo--I refuse to live my life according to the dictates of the TV Guide. I watch what I want when I want to, much like how one reads books.

So, when you say that Japanese TV is pretty-much rubbish, you're right. But don't for a second think that Japan is exceptional in this. And I can attest--Korean (and ofttimes American) TV can be far, far worse.
 
I can't stand Japanese "comedy" TV. Personally, I find it mindless drivel that is so childish. I especially can't handle watching my husband watch it. He seems to go down to the level of an elementary school kid... I also don't like the "news"...what's with the flash cards and pointers...it looks like TV from the 50's in America....
 
That reminds me of this show I watched, I think it was some sort of variety show in Japan but they had a bunch of dogs bred from different countries and they were tricking the dogs by making their food disappear to see their reactions to compare the 'big' reactions of the foreign dogs to the reaction of the Japanese dogs.
But they managed to portray it so the 'Japanese' dogs had a mild reactions the 'American' dogs had big reactions, the 'French' dog had an elegant reaction and the 'Italian' dog had a violent reaction. Go figure.
Anyways, it was funny but at the same time incredibly pointless.
 
Hey, that's the Golden Age of Television! How dare you?! :box:
Oh, yes, I grew up watching American TV shows like Father Knows Best, Donna Reed Show, Hitchcock Theater, Laramie, Rawhide, etc., etc., -- all dubbed in Japanese. 😌
All Japanese were glued to the TV set, watching the American-style plots with sense of excitement and novelty and admiring the beauty of the women and their kitchens and living rooms... 😊

As for Japanese TV shows today, esp. variety shows, I no longer watch them. They make me feel stupider...
I just check the news and watch travel/gourmet programs for tips on my next vacation and my next restaurant outing (when will they be???).
I have read in a number of news media that TV viewership is dwindling steadily, with more people having broadband Internet access to watch what they really want to watch and when they want to watch them. The same applies to me, too.
 
MadamePapillons post brought up a touchy subject. I know that there are stereotypes of all people on American television (entertainment) along with other countries as well. What really bugged me was the blatant racism on Japanese TV. I remember one night, sitting with my inlaws, all snuggled around the kotatsu (japanese table with the heater and blanket over it) and having to watch shows that were so horrible, portraying Americans as these stupid, loud, dimwits, and everyone started laughing. I looked at them and said is that what you think of me? I am American, am I like that? It wasn't so funny after that. But, as usual, I got the reply, that I was different because I married a Japanese. :p

The hard part for me, is that I do believe my in-laws really believe the stuff they see on TV. I don't know if it's because it's on TV it must be real? My husband even perpetuates the Japanese idea of what Americans are...his family and friends, think I drink beer with every meal, eat toast for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and steak for dinner! I tell them to please stop it, and he says, that he doesn't want to hurt their feelings. But why keep the stereotype alive? :?
 
...
the blatant racism on Japanese TV.
...
I looked at them and said is that what you think of me?
If the alleged media-induced racism prevailed in Japan, nobody, your in-law or not, would ask you anything.

I am American, am I like that? It wasn't so funny after that. But, as usual, I got the reply, that I was different because I married a Japanese. :p
This is just my quick conclusion, but this is the typical American way.
Sorry, if you are a "Donaldo McDonald IS Ronaldo" activist.:p
 
I dared! So sorry! 🙇‍♂️


:D :D :D

You're forgiven.

All Japanese were glued to the TV set, watching the American-style plots with sense of excitement and novelty and admiring the beauty of the women and their kitchens and living rooms... 😊

Yes, the Emperor was so motivated that he sent a fan letter to an American television star (even though the show was dubbed in Japanese).
 
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MadamePapillons post brought up a touchy subject. I know that there are stereotypes of all people on American television (entertainment) along with other countries as well. What really bugged me was the blatant racism on Japanese TV. I remember one night, sitting with my inlaws, all snuggled around the kotatsu (japanese table with the heater and blanket over it) and having to watch shows that were so horrible, portraying Americans as these stupid, loud, dimwits, and everyone started laughing. I looked at them and said is that what you think of me? I am American, am I like that? It wasn't so funny after that. But, as usual, I got the reply, that I was different because I married a Japanese. :p
The hard part for me, is that I do believe my in-laws really believe the stuff they see on TV. I don't know if it's because it's on TV it must be real? My husband even perpetuates the Japanese idea of what Americans are...his family and friends, think I drink beer with every meal, eat toast for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and steak for dinner! I tell them to please stop it, and he says, that he doesn't want to hurt their feelings. But why keep the stereotype alive? :?
I wonder how much of a cultural insensitive stereotype that really is ? In anime and manga-land, at least, a majority of gaijins (East and West) are marginally Japanese capable. It may be totally moronic, stilted, katakanized and purely for laughs...but they aren't so asinine to walk up to complete strangers and start speaking normal English the way it happens 99% of the time in real life. :eek:
 
As to the TV here, I have to say a lot of it seems poorly researched and extremely low budgeted. Of course there are gems here and there, but the mass of Japanese programs that seem to be pointless is legion. I was complaining to my wife that for even a few of those that seem to have useful information, they still 'dress part' of the program with those insipid panels of talents who seem clueless about many normal things. As an example, a program entitled 'Before After', which features renovation projects is actually very useful for ideas and sometimes features useful ways to use small spaces or convert rooms for multi-purposes. But the panel interludes are useless, anddetrat from the program, making it less of a documentary and more of a variety show. I suppose it is related to the inset screen that sometimes shows the panelists' reactions. For the average Westerner, I could care less, but many Japanese feel this is useful for deciding how they should react to the action on screen(similar to canned laughter on some American programs).
 
No sense in being overly sensitive of what you see on television in another country. Just do your best to break the stereo types. I mean America has the same stereo types for other countries as well so we really have no right pointing the finger at anyone else.

I for one enjoy the variety shows and wish we had more things like the old-school "Laugh-In" on US tv. Now it's all about these ignorant rich kids with no concept of true reality or reality tv that is just stale with no real taste of entertainment.
 
I once read about Japan's TV's quality being especially low because of the influence of the advertising group Dentsu - who have a huge amount of control of what gets on TV, and own a lot of high rated TV shows. I never really looked into it, though.

At least the shows are imaginatively hilarious, and you get to see some things - like sadistic "batsu games" that wouldn't be allowed on western television.
 
I just stopped watching most television after a while.
Im sick of these shows about whiny rich kids and teeagers dating problems >_>
I watch a lot of the history channel, and I love Mythbusters ^^
 
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