Whenever I’m back in the U.S. I’m amazed at the huge number of channels available to cable TV viewers. While I guess it’s cool to have 140 channels of content available 24 hours a day, in practice only a few of them are worth my time, especially as there’s usually something more interesting happening on the Internet. TV in Japan is a simpler affair, with five main “civilian” (privately operated) networks plus NHK, Japan’s clone of the BBC, along with a scattering of local broadcasters in larger cities and a few more options for people with BS (“broadcast satellite”) dishes. Cable TV is a lot less popular in Japan than in the U.S., with only a small percent of 60 million households that get cable in the States. One downside to having fewer channels is less opportunity for saihoso, or re-runs of older shows. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I watched dozens of old shows in syndication, from the original Star Trek to Flipper to I Love Lucy, and it was cool to have a shared link with my parents’ generation through classic TV. Unfortunately, re-runs of old television are comparatively rarer in Japan, so there’s less chance for kids to experience the same shows their parents loved.
I wonder what Ranma and Akane are watching.
