Japan My Love - Japanese culture, tv, news, trend, food

We watch "The red and white singing contest" on New Year's eve.
It's the competition between teams of male and female singers, but on the other hand, there's an invisible costume competition between 2 singers.
One is a female singer called "Sachiko Kobayashi".
She's an enka singer.
Her costume has been the special-feature of this TV program for many years.
The other singer is called "Kenichi Mikawa".
He is a male enka singer, but his way of talking is completely middle aged lady.
We don't know if he's a gay or not...(mysterious...)
His costume is also the special-feature of this program.
Many people look forward to watch their costumes every year.

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Sachiko Kobayashi





Kenichi Mikawa

Each TV station launches new drama series every 3 months.
They compete for "good rating".
So they try to make various kinds of dramas casting popular celebrities to get attention of audience.
However it seems a bit hard these days to make a mega-hit since the audience are tired of stereotypical stories.
This winter, one drama is making a record of high rating.
Its title is "JIN".
It's originally from a comic book series.
The brief summary of the story is like this:
The main character called Jin is a brain surgeon.
His girlfriend is in the vegetative state because of the sergery that Jin performed for her.
One day he operated on a critical patient.
After the operation the patient tried to run away from the hospital and Jin run after him.
They fell down the stairs.
Jin found himself lying in a unknown place when he was conscious again.
He was sent in the ancient time.
He started to save ill people and created still unknown medicine at this time.
But he was caught in a dilemma wondering if he really should do it or not because it might change the history.
He met many people, one of them is the historical important figure.
And he met a prostitute who looks exactly the same as his girlfriend...
The story continues and the higher rating is expected.

(MAIN CAST)
Takao Osawa

Learn Japanese for real communication. Recommending NIHONHO Japanese lesson

Jidaigeki is a drama(often on TV) of the old times.
Actors and actresses dress up in Japanese traditional costumes called "Kimono" when they act in Jidaigeki.
Their way of talking is also from the old times in the drama.
What's inevitable in Jidaigeki is a sword fight.
In Jidaigeki, innocent people are often killed in the first half of the story, and the villain is killed by the hero in the last half.
Its story is not so complicated as modern romance dramas.
Usually Jidaigeki tends to be loved by elder people, but not always.
Sometimes young popular actors and actresses act in Jidaigeki and young people watch it.
NHK(Japanese government-controlled TV station) makes one-year-long Jidaigeki series every year, and it's an hour to be the main cast in that drama for actors and actresses.
Many pop stars(even singers) act in that Jidaigeki.

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