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

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

It's the pecial TV program on New Year's Eve.
Red means women, and white means men.
So this contest is female singers VS male singers.
They sing the hit songs in the year.
The program starts at around 7 pm and ends at midnight.
At the ending of the program, the winner(red or white) is chosen by the votes from judges in front of the stage and audience.
The judges are celebrities from many fields like showbiz, sports etc...
Right after this program's finished, the New Year comes.
Most of Japanese citizens used to watch this program on New Year's Eve.
Less people watch it these days, but it's still the main program on New Year's Eve.

Discovered - Amazing Way To Improve Your Japanese Speaking In 30 days

"Winter Sonata" is something ladies, especially middle-aged ladies, used to be crazy about before.
It's a TV drama series that was on NHK channel before.
In Japanese it's translated as "Fuyuno Sonata".
As I already wrote, Japanese people like to abbreviate words, especially name of popular thing or person.
So "Winter Sonata" is usually called "Fuyu Sona".
This drama has made 2 Korean names quite famililar in Japan.
One name is Bae YongJoon, Korean actor who is known as a guy wearing glasses.
The other is Choi Jiwoo, Korean actress who is called "the queen of tear".
(She cries a lot in the drama)
Ladies started to call Bae YongJoon "Yon sama", and it spread all over Japan.
"Sama" is a suffix in Japanese language, and it's used when you call someone you respect or worship.
Winter Sonata is a love story that is called "pure" romance.
Brief summary of its story is, a high school boy acted by Bae YongJoon fell in love with a calssmate girl acted by Choi Jiwoo.
They were happy together, but one day the girl was informed that the boy died in car accident.
Then 10 years passed and the girl was engaged but still didn't forget the boy.
One day a guy who looks exactly the same as the boy appeared.
The story became complicated after the guy appeared!
If you're interested in what was happening next, just get the DVD and watch it!

Here's How To Speak Japanese Like A Diplomat!

NHK means "Nihon Housou Kyoku".
Nihon means "Japan", Housou Kyoku means "TV station".
It's the only TV station controlled by the government.
NHK channel doesn't have any commercials.
Popular foreign dramas like "ER" "The X-File" "Ally McBeal" "Friends"...were broadcasted on NHK channels.
NHK also offers many language lesson programs.
The picture is the character of NHK called "Do-mo kun".

Japanese people, especially young people tend to abbreviate words.
They abbreviate anything if possible.
Let me give examples...

America jin(=American) => Amejin
Kimura Takuya(=name of a pop star) => Kimutaku
Power Point => Powapo
Around thirty(=30 years old) => Arasaa
(* In Japanese language, thirty is pronounced as saaty)
Netscape Navigation => Neske

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.

Want to learn Japanese?

Interested in Japanese celebrities?

Konkatsu is mixed words of "Kekkon" and "Katsudo".
Kekkon means "marriage", and Katsudo means "hunting".
We often use "Shukatsu" that means "job hunting", but this "Konkatsu" word appeared recently and it's getting popular and often heard on TV, in manazines and news.
There are many Konkatsu parties all over Japan, and ladies and gentlemen who hope to get married join those parties.
They are generally in their late 20s or 30s and some are 40s.
This word "Konkatsu" even became the theme of a TV drama.