I get TV-Japan over Dish Network. It's not bad. It's NHK, so it's not necessarily the most riveting television out there, but it's a good mix of news, variety, and education. There's always a Taiga drama going on, too, and a mix of other dramas, if you like those.
Depending on your level, you might want to check out Kodomo News on the weekends, if only for the props. I try to leave it on in the background as much as possible, just to keep the Japanese noise level up.
There are some pretty cool shows, though, like the Kaitai Shin Show, which is a 30-minute show they have (randomly) on Friday Nights at 8:30 ET, which is about neat discoveries about the human body, usually presented by entertainers. (Which makes it more interesting.)
There's another show-- I forget its name in Japanese, but on the Dish it's called "Time for a Hobby"-- which is about the *cough* interesting Japanese men and their VERY specific hobbies... and their wives who have more patience than saints. It's still pretty cool, sometimes, and sometimes it's just a bit creepy.
Hobbies and Leisure airs M-Th from 1:35P-2PM, and that's a neat show. They'll cover a hobby/craft and do a series of lessons, and try to sell you the accompanying NHK book. They just did Sumi-E and Digital Photography. Now it's Shikoku Pilgrimages for Dummies.
Furusato Ichiban (Live From Your Hometown!) airs M-TH from 12:35P-1P, and it's cheesy, but not bad. They go to some tiny little town way back of beyond, and show off its 名物. So you get to see just *how* the famous dried konnyaku is made! It can be hit-and-miss, but sometimes it's pretty cool.
There are also a lot of news programs as well, which are worth watching to get an idea of what Planet Japan is obsessing about.
One of my favorite programs is Health and Safety Information for Overseas Travelers, or as I call it, the "OMG, Foreigners are Scary!" show. I love the little cartoons they draw to show what those wacky foreigners are up to. Kidding aside, it's good to know what some of the latest con artists are up to. They'll also warn you which countries are moving up on the kidnapping/crimes against tourists charts.
Then there's Cool Japan, where foreigners are sought for their opinions on Japanese culture. If you really suck at understanding Japanese, it's a good show to watch if only because half of it is in English. XD
If you're into anime... you're out of luck. They don't show much, if any.
The drama lineup varies, but there's usually one or two good ones every season. They just finished Gokusen 3, and they also did Hataraki Man, Hotaru no Hikari, and Atsuhime. So yeah, there's good stuff there. It IS pricey, tho.
