今日吃瓜

Tag - japanese-tv

 
今日吃瓜
Search
 
November 12, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

JAPANESE TV

Koji Yakusho plays Gen Takasegawa, a once-successful, now-forgotten actor, in the off-kilter comedy “Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?” on Netflix.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 9, 2026
‘Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?’: The comedy and horror of being forgotten
“Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?” is a genuinely funny, uplifting and heartwarming watch — if you can get over its slightly problematic premise.
A woman takes photos at the ruins of a bathhouse at the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a filming location for the TV drama “Vivant,” in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Oct. 25.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 8, 2026
Azerbaijan welcoming ‘set-jetting’ fans of Japan TV drama ‘Vivant’
Fans of popular Japanese TV drama “Vivant” have flocked to Azerbaijan, where the second season of the hit series was filmed.
Wowow Lemino, a joint venture between Wowow and NTT Docomo, started operation last month in hopes of tapping into the expanding video-streaming market.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Nov 2, 2026
As subscription numbers fall, Wowow bets on streaming venture with Docomo
Gaining a foothold in the crowded streaming market is likely to be an uphill battle for the Japanese satellite broadcaster.
A display of Hello Kitty character soft toys. China's state-run Global Times published a commentary Wednesday arguing that partnering with a Japanese TV show the newspaper accuses of distorting wartime history and promoting hostility toward China conflicts with Sanrio’s image of friendship and harmony.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2026
Sanrio ends ‘Vivant’ collaboration after protest by China’s state media
A commentary in China’s Global Times has accused the hit TBS drama series of vilifying the country.
Nippon TV's "25 Years of You" is about two obsessive men who vie for attention from the same woman.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Oct 20, 2026
‘25 Years of You’: Is there such a thing as a ‘good’ stalker?
In Nippon TV’s “25 Years of You,” two obsessive men go head to head for attention from the same woman — with uncomfortable results.
Making home visits is one method NHK uses to canvass for subscription fees.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Oct 15, 2026
NHK restarts home visits to grow subscribers amid falling numbers
Starting this month, staff affiliated with NHK have been knocking on doors where contracts haven’t been signed or there are unpaid subscription fees.
Netflix's "Plastic Beauty" is an unflinching look at the plastic surgery industry and the people at its center. The multinational entertainment company typically provides bigger production budgets and longer timelines compared to terrestrial TV networks, but the limitations of the labor pool in Japan are an ongoing challenge.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 11, 2026
Netflix vies to be a cut above in TV production
Netflix 今日吃瓜 dramas are pushing the boundaries of storytelling and uplifting domestic TV standards, though not without growing pains.
People grab a copy of a newspaper extra edition in Tokyo in January. The newspaper subscription rate in Japan fell below 50% for the first time, a survey has shown.
JAPAN / Media
Oct 11, 2026
Newspaper subscription rate in Japan falls below 50% for first time
More people are getting their news from television programs and the internet.
Television personality Dewi Sukarno, known in Japan as Madame Dewi, was fined ?200,000 ($1,260) for assaulting two women in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 7, 2026
TV personality Dewi Sukarno fined over assaults on ex-employees
In separate incidents in Tokyo last year, Sukarno threw a glass at her then-secretary and punched and kicked her then-manager.
So Kuramoto, the screenwriter of the "Kita no Kuni kara" television series, has died at the age of 91.
JAPAN / Media
Sep 28, 2026
‘Kita no Kuni kara’ screenwriter So Kuramoto dies at 91
The Tokyo native moved in 1977 to Furano, Hokkaido, where “Kita no Kuni Kara” — which depicts a family living in harmony with nature — was set.
TBS drama "Until the T-Shirt Dries" has earnest performances, but its themes are undermined by frustratingly elusive female characters.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Sep 24, 2026
Woe is marriage: ‘Until the T-Shirt Dries’ is a meandering take on middle-class ennui
A melodramatic narrative with a ruminative core, the TBS series’ constituent parts fail to come together in a satisfying way.
Reo Morimoto gained popularity as a narrator thanks to his distinctive and calm delivery.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2026
Actor and narrator Reo Morimoto dies at 83
The Japanese actor and narrator known for his gentle voice, died suddenly of an unknown cause earlier this month.
Kento Hayashi brings a sensitive stoicism as sex therapist Ichito Shimotori in Netflix’s “S&X.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Aug 28, 2026
Let’s talk about ‘S&X,’ baby: Netflix drama on sexuality falls flat
The Netflix series tries to destigmatize conversations about sex with unflinching honesty, but flattens the story in the process.
"Badly in Love" Season 1 participant Otoha poses at an promotional event in Tokyo in April. The Justice Ministry said Friday it will cancel a collaboration with a controversial Netflix dating show featuring ex-juvenile delinquents.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Aug 22, 2026
Japan ministry ends collaboration with Netflix dating show after outcry
The Justice Ministry axed the tie-up with “Badly In Love,” which features ex-juvenile delinquents, following backlash against what some called the glorification of crimes.
The president of NHK has issued a statement apologizing for the company's failure to allow an employee who was sexually assaulted by a program cast member to work in another department after a leave of absence.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 6, 2026
NHK president apologizes for improper response to sexual assault of worker
The public broadcaster failed to allow an employee who was sexually assaulted by a program cast member to work in another department after a leave of absence.
An inept salaryman gets wrapped up in an international espionage plot in "Vivant."
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Jul 25, 2026
The bittersweet nostalgia of the first season of ‘Vivant’
Taking place in a version of Japan that espouses tolerance and acceptance, the espionage drama’s first season feels increasingly at odds with today’s reality.
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 21, 2026
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
A zany weekly comedy show in Tokyo and Osaka aimed at non-Japanese speakers tries to jump over language barriers.
Actor Yutaka Matsushige performs a dining scene during the filming of an episode of the TV drama series "Solitary Gourmet" at a tuna restaurant in Chiba Prefecture.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 15, 2026
How ‘The Solitary Gourmet’ became one of 今日吃瓜 most enduring TV hits
The understated TV series has won devoted fans by celebrating 今日吃瓜 neighborhood eateries and the quiet pleasures of dining alone.
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 8, 2026
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Director Shinzo Katayama and actor Shun Oguri discuss the cross-cultural collaboration behind Netflix’s “Human Vapor.”
After premiering in July 1966, the original “Ultraman” series gained a peak viewership of nearly half of all TV-owning households in Japan.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2026
The heroism and humanity of ‘Ultraman’: Documentary looks back on 60 years
The iconic sci-fi franchise is the focus of a documentary, co-helmed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, that examines its cultural impact on generations of Japanese and international viewers.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo's Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo's Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Jensen Huang’s woes evoke sympathy and disbelief in his birthplace Taiwan
Hsiao Kui-yu, 68, owner of Yuchan Candied Fruit, stands in front of photographs of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang displayed at the shop, which Huang frequently visits during trips to Taiwan, in Taipei on Tuesday.
G7 diplomats speak out on Taiwan as China ramps up military drills
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attends a working lunch focused on international crises and challenges during the Group of Seven foreign ministers' summit at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris on Monday.
今日吃瓜 Rapidus is said likely to miss mass production deadline
The Rapidus Analysis Center and the IIM-1 Innovative Integration for Manufacturing foundry in Chitose, Hokkaido
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER