Visit Japan From Your Armchair (NHK World)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	NHK World
Date:	06/11/09 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: free native langauge lessons, interesting factual programmes

Disadvantages: limited programming as yet, no Japanese language programming counterpart easily available

~~~~What is NHK World?~~~~

NHK is Japan's version of the BBC. That is, the Japanese people finance this broadcaster via a television licesning scheme similar to what we have in Britain. The acronym stands for Nippon Hoso Kyokai (translates as Japan Broadcasting Corporation), though it is always identified by its initials pronounced in the English manner. NHK World is its new English language broadcast channel aimed at the overseas market. It is a recent addition to the Sky channel line up, and is also available via Freesat. The NHK World website ( http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ ) also streams the television feed live so the station may also be watched for free via the web.

~~~Why would I want to watch this?~~~

As it is a relatively new broadcast channel, the programming at the moment is somewhat limited. All programs are in English however, and the English is impeccable. It puts many of the local youth here to shame as the Japanese co-hosts typically have much better diction as well as grammar, while the Europeans and Americans appearing on the shows tend to be slightly more relaxed in their language usuage.

What programming they do have is suitable for the entire family. There is the world news, which features news items that are hot topics in Japan and around the world, with a non Ameri- and Euro-centric bias. Actually, watching the news on here on a few times, it struck me how completely in the middle the reporting was, so if looking for some world news this is refreshing stop. The rest of the shows vary from free Japanese language lessons, to a sort of "how we do it" type shows that take viewers inside Japanese research facilites and factories, and show us rather interesting ways different things are manufactured, to shows focusing on Japanese culture. Armchair travellers will find delight in Hometowns in Focus, where one gets to travel Japan and vist towns and villages of interest that it may never have occurred to them to visit otherwise.

The Nihongo Quick Lesson (Nihongo means the Japanese language) are fun and slightly silly, appealing both to children and adults. Each segment is short, and humour via a guy who incorporates mime into his lesson (its not quite as naff as it sounds, honestly!) and segments with a robot who looks like he owes more to Blue Peter than a cybernetics lab. At 20 minutes long, it is not too long for younger children to sit through, nor is it too short. These are "quick" lessons though, so best utilised by someone who already speaks or is learning the language via more structured lessons, though tourists would also undoubtably find many of the segments useful as they demonstrate the countng of various objects, how to ask for prices and pay for goods, restaurant ordering, polite phrases for arriving for a visit as well as leaving, and more.

The Hometowns in Focus is one programme that my children placed on the Sky+ series record function. Aged 6 and 8, they have been fascinated by the places visited so far, ranging form an historic Edo period village where traditional string spinning and weaving are performed by the villages "Spinner Princesses" and whose hand woven obi belts and kimono fabrics command a price nearly as high as they are beautiful, to a farming village nestled at the foot of a mountain which was devasted last year by a severe earthquake and featured their rebuilding efforts. Each programme is not merely narrated with panoramic shots; we get to visit the homes and workplaces of the families living in these places and they share their personal stories, adding very much to the feel of the programme. It makes it truly feel as if one has come to these places and provides an invaluable glimpse into the real culture and lifestyle of modern Japan.

The J-tech and Begin Japanology programmes are two that my children also have placed on the recording schedule. My 6 year old son is especially fascinated by the visits to the factories and artisans and watching the process from research to raw material to finished product. Again, unlike many similar type programmes seen elsewhere, we get to know the workers and artisans and get a peek into their actual experiences in creating their marvels. One recent programme was on metal spinning, and it was truly incredible to watch a a sheet of steel being spun on a lathe and moulded like clay by hand. Amazingly, not just items such as bowls get made this way, as the factory owner explained that in order to diversify, his small firm had to look for other markets in order to survive. The answer turned out to be extremely profitable, as his artisans proved they could provide superior parts for electron microscopes by spinning the metal by hand. A demonstration on how they do this was of course given, as well as a segment on how the microscopes work and what even a microscopic fault in the metal's surface would mean in the operation of the microscope. The topics in these shows are extremely varied, and always engaging on a personal elvel. I quite like how the presenter actually gets involved in the show, not merely narrating it and uttering tacky puns that make one cringe.

Other programmes exist of course, including a few one off types where they visit trade shows and showcase new products entering the world market as well as shows focusing on nature, highlighting the change of the seasons and such. As the channel gets more firmly established, more programming is being added, so it is worth checking the listings in case something interesting and new pops up on the schedule. All programming is advertising free, so support comes solely from Sky subscriptions and licensing fees paid back in Japan.

~~~Can I watch shows they air in Japan?~~~

Not on this station. NHK DOES offer a service in which one can watch the Japanese television programmes they air back in their home country, but it is a paid subscription only service via certain licensed providers. In the UK, while NHK World is via Sky and Freesat, the NHK Japanese language programming channel is available only by request via a secondary provider (information on this is on the NHK World website). It is admittedly a bit of a headbanger, but I am certain if enough Japanophiles complained, when agreements come up for renewal, something could be done about it as it is a bit odd to have two completely seperate providers without a crossover in services. The Japanese language channel apparently airs all the comedy, drama, anime, and children's programming NHK in Japan runs, and air it unsubtitled, so really, this is something only the serious Japanese speaking Japanophile or native Japanese person wanting a bit of home would really be interested in.

Summary: New channel broadcasting from Japan for English speakers with interesting factual shows