The fascinating world of Japanese drama

I’d like to take the time out to describe the world of Japanese drama. It’s a horrible generalisation but I think a lot of British drama is boring, but Japanese drama offers quite a refreshing change! I think there’s a lot more creativity in terms of the story lines and themes which are present in Japanese drama. Right now on Japanese TV there is a drama about a young scriptwriter and an old company executive challenging each other to win the affection of the same woman, and another drama about a robot designed to be the perfect boyfriend and lastly there’s another drama about a simple down-to-earth teacher who somehow finds himself becoming the Prime Minister of Japan. The latter is Change, a Fuji TV drama which has received quite a lot of success (it features one of my favourite actors, Abe Hiroshi). To be fair I’ve noticed a lot of Japanese dramas can be a bit too whimsical and goody-goody, and in some of the dramas the comedy is a bit too silly, but whichever way you look at it there will probably be something about the drama which you’ll find entertaining! It’s also worth mentioning that whilst western drama tends to be long-term in format, Japanese drama is quite short in comparison, a lot of drama here in Japan only lasts for around 12 episodes! Unfortunately I haven’t seen much in terms of Japanese drama but here are my recommendations:

Change

Change is definitely not award-winning material but it’s still worth checking out anyway. I’ve been watching it on Fuji TV obviously without English subtitles so I only had my limited Japanese knowledge to rely on but I think I’m managing to understand what is going on lol. The series is quite light-hearted and Abe Hiroshi does a fantastic job of keeping the comedy going.

At Home Dad

At Home Dad is quite simply brilliant, really, it is! The storyline revolves around a successful commercial director played by Abe Hiroshi. Unfortunately things start to turn sour very quickly as Kazayuki, Abe’s character, is transferred to another division of the company, but that division goes bust and he’s not able to get back his original job!! Kazayuki is an old fashioned guy who thinks that the man should provide for the family whilst the mother is placed in charge of taking care of the household chores and looking after the children, but unfortunately he has to give in and, unable to find another job, he decides to become a stay at home dad until he can get another job, whilst his wife starts working to bring in the money. Kazayuki soon starts getting support from Yusuke, his neighbour who happens to be a stay at home dad also! As you would expect there’s a lot of good comedy and a lot of light-hearted moments in this series, Abe Hiroshi does a brilliant job of playing the typical salaryman who actually has no practical experience of doing things such as the household chores, but the rest of the actors also deserve a lot of credit!

Kekkon Dekinai Otoko

This is another entertaining drama with Abe Hiroshi playing the lead. The title means the man who can’t get married, roughly translated. The following is a summary from drama wikipedia:

Shinsuke Kuwano, a successful architect at 40, enjoys living by himself. He doesn’t like people but somehow is able to design wonderful houses for them.

He has a routine of making himself a delicious dinner and then relaxing to classical music in his easy chair while pretending he is the conductor. One night, he plays the music loud enough to make his next door neighbor, Michiru Tamara knock on his door to complain. When Kuwano answers the door, he suffers a terrible stomach pain and collapses to the floor. Lucky for him, Michiru is nice enough to accompany him to the hospital, where he is treated by Dr. Natsumi Hayasake. He is really rude to Natsumi, but she is still determined to treat him.

Afterwards, Michiru and Natsumi become part of Kuwano’s life. They make friends with Kuwano’s colleagues Eiji and Maya Sawazaki. They all enjoy talking about how strange and eccentric Kuwano is. Is it possible that someone would ever want to marry him?

Unfortunately I haven’t seen all of the series, and again I was watching it on actual Japanese TV so it was tough understanding the language at times. Nonetheless it’s a very good drama and worth checking out!

Last Friends

Last Friends is hands-down THE best drama on Japanese TV today. The last episode is going to air on TV next week, and I can’t wait! The story addresses issues which exist in modern society – Michiru is a young woman who starts getting bullied at work, but unfortunately after she decides to move into her boyfriend’s apartment she also becomes the victim of domestic violence. Ruka is Michiru’s friend since high school, but Ruka starts to become worried about her parents finding out about the truth of her sexuality as feelings for Michiru grow stronger. Takeru is also a friend of Ruka’s, however he also has stronger feelings for her but he has a phobia of sex as a result of a past trauma. The 3 eventually end up living together but how will their friendships end up? What I like about Last Friends is that it is a really good change from the silly dramas that are shown on Japanese TV, hopefully Last Friends will help to increase awareness about such issues and the actual people who might have problems similar to those in the drama might be able to get better support. Anyway, if you can, be sure to check it out for yourself!

Ah, those were the days! Keio University!

If you’d like to reminisce about your joyful days at university whilst taking a leisurely stroll then I suggest visiting the Keio University campus in Mita. The campus has a very ‘western’ feel to it but I guess that should come as no surprise as it was actually originally established as a school for Western Studies in Tokyo. The university is one of the most prestigious in Japan and alumni include possibly Japan’s most famous Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi. Funnily enough Koizumi majored in Economics, which was the degree I dropped out of 😛 I’m sure I’ll have a MUCH better time studying Japanese at university hehe….

Odaiba – the most popular place for dating in Tokyo?

Well here it is guys, the special post I was promising is finally here! I didn’t actually realise that there is so much to do in Odaiba. It’s really worth getting there early and spending the whole day in Odaiba. Mainly the area is full of shopping malls, however luckily there is a bit of a variety. Not only are there many clothes shops but there are also many interesting restaurants and cafes, a cinema which is open all-night on Saturdays, and also 2 big theme parks (Sega’s very own Joypolis and a ‘muscle’ theme park). I really enjoyed checking out Sony’s showroom in one of the malls- over there you can check out all the latest products on offer. I really liked a camera I tried out but unfortunately was a bit put off by the price (70,000 Yen, about £335) There is also even a replica statue of liberty in Odaiba! Lastly you can find Fuji TV’s impressive headquarters over here which I have heard is earthquake-proof. I checked out the Fuji TV giftshop and whilst there were not any outstanding pieces of merchandise on offer I thought it was much better compared with the TBS store, there was a lot more in terms of variety in the Fuji TV store. During the week you can even take part in a studio tour at Fuji TV and there is also an observation deck for an impressive view of Tokyo. I recommend staying in Odaiba until the evening and then you can see the sun set on the awesome Tokyo bay skyline.

Unfortunately my pictures didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped but below are some of the better ones, enjoy! If you’d like to go to Odaiba then I recommend taking the Yurikamome line from Shimbashi station, the view on the train itself is quite impressive!

Living legends of underground rock – Eastern Youth

The time has come for me to introduce one of the biggest bands from the underground music scene on the website. Eastern Youth have been rocking out since 1989 and they have developed a huge underground following since their humble early days. They are pretty much one of the most acclaimed indie bands here in Japan and if you listen to their music it’s easy to see (or rather hear) why – their music is emotional, atmospheric and kind of raw, and that’s why I like it! Unfortunately I haven’t been able to see these guys yet, even though they are very dedicated to touring and regularly play shows in Tokyo. It’s a fecking genuine pain in the ass but their next show in Tokyo is actually happening while I will be staying in Osaka! The band have also been receiving some coverage in America, because they have also been the support band for one of my favourite American bands, Jimmy Eat World. Check them out for yourself!

Boiling Point 36℃

Kakato Naru

Natsunohi no Gogo

Chilling out in Shinjuku Park

Shinjuku is easily one of the busiest areas of Tokyo – not only is it one of the biggest entertainment districts here but it is also an important place for many big businesses and is a vital transport hub for people travelling around and out of Tokyo. But there is actually a place where you can relax and enjoy tranquil scenery when you want to escape from the manic pace of life in Shinjuku. That place is Shinjuku Gyoen (Shinjuku Park) and it’s one of the best places where you can chill out here in Tokyo (I prefer it over Hibiya Park and Ueno Park). The park is split up into different areas, including traditional Japanese style garden and French style, and it also has 2 traditional tea houses. When I went it was the cherry blossom season, however Shinjuku Gyoen itself is not very famous for cherry blossom. The park does however boast many seasonal flowers and it’s actually recommended to visit during each season to see a different side of nature each time.

Spending an afternoon on the grounds of the Imperial Palace

A good way to spend a sunny afternoon in central Tokyo is to head to the Imperial Palace. Unfortunately a lot of the buildings were damaged during the second world war and most of the palace is actually off-limits to the general public but there are still some interesting things to see. The following are some spots of interest. The palace is huge, believe me, so it’ll take a while to walk across the grounds!

Statue of Masashige Kusunoki

Nijubashi Bridge

Outer gardens

The Eastern outer-gardens of the Palace are open to the public. Of particular interest, a few of the original buildings still stand to this day, but to be fair they aren’t very interesting (they are guard houses used by samurai during the days of the shogunate). A lot of restoration work has been carried out in the outer gardens and you can find information in English on how the grounds have been preserved.

I assume this rather fancy lamp-post was added during the time of the Meiji Restoration. Anyway, if you’d like to visit the grounds of the Imperial Palace you’ll be happy to know that they are just a short walk away from Tokyo Station!

Taking a step back in time in Akasaka – Hikawa Shrine

I mentioned this place in my last post about my visit to Akasaka. The Hikawa Shrine doesn’t have a particularly unique name (there are over 200 different shrines sharing the same name I believe) but what is special about the one in Akasaka is that most of the shrine survived the bombing of the second world war. Unfortunately many buildings outside of Kyoto have suffered a terrible fate and have ‘passed away’ so as to speak (many due to fires, earthquakes or the afore mentioned bombings). Many of the buildings that you see today are reconstructions. I was surprised to see the Hikawa Shrine intact because central Tokyo was bombed so heavily during the war. Anyway, I really recommend visiting the shrine if you’re in Tokyo and if you like historical monuments. The place is very atmospheric and unfortunately my photos just don’t do the shrine justice. For those interested, the shrine was built in 1730 under the command of Tokugawa Yoshimune.

Enjoy the weather and scenery with a pleasant boat ride

If you just want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life then you might be interested in checking out Inokashira Park in Kichijoji. I was actually a bit disappointed with the scenery in the park myself but I guess one of the main reasons to go is to have a nice relaxing boat ride in the lake. Anime fans might already know that the Ghibli Museum can be accessed from here also, I’ve heard that a 20 minute walk through the park will get you there! I didn’t find it myself though because I didn’t have much time on my hands but I might eventually go there sometime (you actually have to get the tickets for the museum in advance though).

Checking out TBS in Akasaka

Over the weekend I decided to check out the latest major architectural development in Tokyo. Only just opened in March of this year, TBS has opened a new shopping district and apartment complex which is quite obviously a strategic move for fighting its competition (which is mainly TV Asahi in Roppongi Hills I’m assuming). Well how does the new shopping site fair against Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown you maybe asking… It’s alright I guess… but nothing special. TBS are definitely cashing in with the presence of their own giftshop selling a whole load of over-priced useless shit (only thing which caught my eye were groovy ultra-man biscuits). Apart from that a lot of the area is actually just home to a lot of fancy cafes, restaurants and some posh confectionery shops. Lastly there is also a Tsutaya and some convenience stores. The place overall just seems to be very similar to Tokyo Midtown. Anyway, after checking out the TBS site I decided to head over to the nearby Hie Shrine, which just happens to have a major festival coming up (you may have heard of it, it’s the Sanno Matsuri). Unfortunately I’m quite busy with work during the festival period so I probably won’t be able to get much coverage of it for the blog. Anyway, to finish off the afternoon in the Akasaka area I decided to find and check out the Hikawa Shrine which really did not disappoint, it’s now one of my favourite areas in Tokyo. But I’ll post more info about it later, so stay tuned 😉