Japan

In addition to experiencing the many great attractions, cultural activities, restaurants, bars and all the rest as an expat in Japan, you’ll also want some downtime. What better way to relax than a few hours in the evening in front of the TV? Whether you’re looking for your favourite English-language channels you enjoyed back home or would like to see what Japanese TV has to offer, here’s a brief rundown of TV in Japan and what channels you can find. TV in Japan TV is very popular in Japan and most households own a set. Japanese TV broadcasting began back in 1939, with digital replacing analogue in 2011. There are now many options to watch TV in the country, with both digital cable and satellite TV available, and both national and regional networks showing hundreds of programs. However, you will need to buy a license from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK). This costs around 14,000 yen a year for terrestrial channels, or around 24,000 yen a year if you also have satellite TV. Terrestrial TV in Japan There are eight terrestrial TV channels in Japan. NHK, the national public broadcaster, runs two channels. NHK General, or NHK-G (channel 1) shows…