Haha, this is exactly the same problem I have.  I try to stomach an hour or two a night but it can be difficult sometimes.  Travel and nature shows are somewhat interesting, but most TV is just horrible.

johnzep wrote:

There's a reason when a Japanese person watches an American drama like Lost or 24 for the first time, they inevitably say "omg...it's like a movie!".

That's very true.  Which is, of course, why I consider my Japanese dubs of Lost and 24 to be Japanese TV.

I just wish they'd hurry up and dub season 4 of Lost.  I gotta catch'em all, you know.

Personally, I love Japanese entertainment.  If you ever have the opportunity to study the other East Asian languages, (Chinese and Vietnamese in particular), you'll be in a world of suffering.  Vietnamese is clearly the worst, between the government's censoring of anything interesting, to foreign films completely dubbed over by a solo voice-actor, with the original sound track still playing in the background.  I have never watched a Viet film from beginning to end.  Vietnamese literary works are at about the same level, not to mention that books at the store are not organized in any way.  You literally have to look at every single book at the store to find the one you're looking for, (if it's there). 

For me, Japanese entertainment is a breath of fresh air.  The films and television shows are generally interesting, with a wide range of subjects to choose from.  Japanese literature is also quite diverse and interesting.  I don't see much to complain about Japanese entertainment, imagine learning a language like Mongolian, where the vast majority of their entertainment is Buddhist scripts, or Hindi where 90% of their films are Bollywood.  Not to say it wouldn't be fun to learn Mongolian or Hindi, or that that's all they have to offer.  Every culture has its charms, but in my opinion it is easy to stay focused when there's more media available to study, and Japan has a lot.

Yeah... before we pick the splinter out of Japanese TV's eye, let's not ignore the log in our own... American TV is about 97% rubbish as well. Most TV is rubbish, no matter the country. The trick is finding the 3% that doesn't make you ill.

Between "Baby's daddy" shows on afternoon TV, to idiotic "reality" shows that make me want to beat my head against a wall until it's bloody, American TV is still a vast wasteland. (Only 557 channels and nothing's on.) And network TV news here is so overproduced now that it's totally insipid and doesn't cover half of what it should. Better not report the really depressing news-- people might not want to watch us!

Japanese TV is pretty bad, too, but I happen to like some of the doramas. Yes, the production values are low, but I'm entertained because I have no expectations going into it. Some of the American TV shows (like Lost and 24) take themselves waaay too seriously for what they are. I prefer the over-the-topness of JP TV in that regard. That, and no cliffhangers. At the end of the season, the series wraps up. I love that.

But the whole "reaction shot" thing mystifies me, too. Who cares what B-listers think about a movie preview?

It's all rubbish. You just have to sift through it to find the good bits, I suppose.

ya, American TV is generally crappy too.

For example, I dislike a lot of morning news programs that are too soft and squishy with an overload of human interest stories about brave cats that overcome the odds.

But what contrast can we make with Japanese TV?  Probably even the worst morning show on American TV is consistently in focus (as in not blurry).    Not so for the Japanese morning show my ladyfriend watches.   They do a section on "Today's Papers".  More often than not, when they zoom in on the newspaper for a close-up, the camera goes out of focus for a second!

Oh yeah, I know what you mean, Johnzep. I'd love to go over there and smack some producers and camera operators around over there. And I haaate the jump-cuts they use when showing sound bites, too. It's very unprofessional to just jump cut a sound bite. Ugh.

Oh, and no, probably wasn't a telephoto lens that the camera op used with the mayor who was assassinated. You can't zoom in a telephoto handheld and still shoot it steady. Even with a steadicam rig, it's difficult. And no, news outlets don't use steadicam rigs for shooting stuff like that. The cameraman most likely did get in the guy's face.

If you want a steady picture when shooting video, it's best to be pulled most of the way out-- that is, at a wide angle, not zoomed in. (But not too wide, because that distorts the image.) Try it sometime and you'll see the difference. Hand-hold a camera and shoot something zoomed out and close up, then zoom in and walks 10 feet away. You'll see the camera shake in the video. You'll also see a difference in the geometry of what you shot.

But I digress.

All that said, you should still watch some JP TV. Even if you don't understand it, you can get a feel for the cadence of the language. And after a certain point, you just have to accept that most of it is bad, and just move on and try to find something you like. It's work, but worth it, I think. (In spite of my bashing.)

I don't like Japanese dramas, personally.  I know I should be watching them, but they all remind me of Neighbours and Home and Away, and not in a good way.  And the newscasters who use cardboard props, ridiculous.  I suspect in this day and age making a cardboard prop would be more expensive and difficult to do than use computer graphics.  They perhaps have their computer graphics designers working overtime on totally covering the screen in variety shows with needless text.

I think that's the beauty of this forum. We each give each other what can be the cream of the crop of any subject: Kanji - RTK; Sentences - KO2001, UBJG, JFE; Dramas - Tiger and Dragon, Odoru Daisousasen, Kat's Eye, (ok, whatever watashimo listed);

I'll be honest, most of my "library" is taken from AJATT's cue. I found some of my own stuff and things recommended by this board. Come to think of it, there was a thread about recommended dramas.

So yes, Japanese TV is not all bad. It is Japanese after all, so it's a part of the culture you'll want to learn. Just look for that 3% you'll want to invest a heavy part of your time looking at. The rest just leave in the background for filler.

When I first turned on the TV here it didnt take long to figure out that 50% of J TV follows this format:

1. Guy and Model walk into ramen shop
2. They each hesitantly take a bite of the noodles
[short pause while they chew]
3. OMG OMG おいしい！うまい！ *Trumpets play*

Next they usually have commentary from people back in the studio about the ramen. 

Maybe having a J TV sitting next to me all day would be a great immersion tool, but i seriously just cant keep that thing on.  Too mind numbing.  However, I think there are plenty of great shows, movies, etc that Japan has to offer so I just continue to view them the way I did in the US: Streaming on the internet.  Honestly, that's how I watch House or Lost or whatever American shows I watched back home also.

Japanese TVs are the best. Where do you think those Sony 42" LCD come from?

I personaly dislike Lost and 24hs. They are probably nice if you are american but the story of an american saving the world from the terrorists is as old as the guy and the girl in the ramen shop saying oishii.

I love some american shows, like "2 and a half guy". Actually I think it of it as the best show ever.

But Japanese TV has some nice stuff.
You forgot to point out Densha Otoko and Liar Game.

And I know some people dislike anime, but for me they are the best of japan TV. One Piece rulez!