A TV drama filmed in Tsukuba to be aired tonight
I know this is short notice (The Tsukuba Film Commission didn’t announce this until today!), but the TV drama that was filmed in Tsukuba, or to be specific, at Takezono Nishi Park, Takezono 3-Chome neighborhood, a Chinese restaurant in Akatsuka area, Shimo Hirooka area, and Namiki 3-Chome, will be aired tonight from 9pm.
The name of the drama is "自販機男(Jihanki Otoko or the Vending Machine Guy)" which is a part of “世にも奇妙な物語 (Yonimo Kimyou-na Monogatari) Fall Special Version.” Yonimo Kimyou-na Monogatari is a very popular omnibus series which started in 1990. It usually gives the viewers the bizarre (奇妙な) short stories that are just way too weird to be true, but still make you think, “hey, wait a minute, it could happen for real!” Yonimo Kimyou-na Monogatari is like the omnibus of urban legends, in a sense.
It looks like that “Jihanki Otoko” will be the 3rd story in tonight’s “Yonimo….”
世にも奇妙な物語 (Yonimo Kimyou-na Monogatari) Fall Special Version
October 2, Tuesday from 9:00pm to 11:24pm
Fuji TV (or Channel 8)
Tsukuba Film Commission’s announcement
(Japanese, but you can see the pictures)
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A TV show filmed in Tsukuba to be aired on Tuesday
開運！なんでも鑑定団 (Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan) that was filmed in Tsukuba last month will be aired on July 17, Tueday from 8:54PM on TV Tokyo or Channel 12 here. I went to see the shooting of this program, but I don't want to ruin the fun by writing about it!
Please read Shaney's post "Have Your Treasures Appraised in Tsukuba" or visit the Tsukuba City's website for more information. According to the city's announcement, the cityscape and some research institutions will also be on TV.
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ACCS Improves Payment Options
The following advice is from Xiaoyin.
One of the TV and internet services available in many areas in Tsukuba is provided by ACCS.
Despite its quick internet connection and good customer service, this company’s “credit card only” payment policy has turned away a lot of potential customers. The good news is that ACCS has recently started to offer a couple of other payment options. Now you can also choose to pay your bills at a convenience store or through your bank account. In both cases, a deposit of 10,000 yen (when using either the TV or the internet service) or 20,000 yen (when using both services) will be necessary, but
you can get the money back when terminating the contract. No charge for paying through the banks designated by ACCS (such as Joyo and Kanto banks), but a 105 yen/month transfer fee will be necessary when using non-designated banks. Paying at a convenience store will incur a service fee of 210 yen/month.
Call 029-852-6111 to check out the details.
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English TV Listings
There is some English programming on the regular TV channels, but it can be hard to find. If you are not sure what is available, have a look at the weekly listings on the Metropolis website. With that information and a video recorder (to record the shows that are on during the daytime when you may be at work or at night when you may be out dancing), you should be able to collect enough English programming to keep yourself busy on the nights when you don't go dancing.
Here is the channel guide for Tsukuba.
1 NHK
2 Shopping
3 NHK Educational
4 Nihon Terebi(NTV)
5 Tokyo MX TV
6 TBS Terebi
8 Fuji Terebi
9 Cable (ACCS)
10 Terebi Asahi
11 TV University
12 Terebi Tokyo
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Joso brings back SOIL OF KOSHIEN after disappointing early exit
It's a summer ritual here that I immediately took to. Watching the Koshien (甲子園) High School Baseball Tournament which takes place in sweltering Osaka. In my hometown New York, I had always closely followed The Boys of Summer, and by that I mean Major League Baseball. Since my first summer in Japan, however, more than watching the professionals, I have joined the millions of Japanese who, with beer or barley tea in one hand and a hand-held fan in the other, spend the dog days of August cheering on the Bozu of Summer (bozu, 坊主, is a term used to refer to a young boy), the high school baseball players who have made it into the Koshien Finals. There are 49 teams (representing each prefecture, with 2 teams from both Tokyo and Hokkaido) in all who battle it out in single elimination. If you are not a baseball fan, now is probably the time to become one, because no matter what, if you turn on the TV during the next couple of weeks that is about all you are going to see. In fact, I have a game on in front of me right now, and it's so exciting that I can hardly type!
Koshien is a perfect way to show hometown spirit, and many of your friends who live in Tsukuba now are probably rooting for their home prefecture team. Native Ibarakians and others who have grown to love the Land of Hitachi (Hitachi no Kuni) have always had a lot to cheer about since this prefecture has often fielded very strong teams. The most famous of these is Joso High School which is located just near Tsukuba City. Once again (for the 3rd straight year) their manager Yukio Kiuchi, who is now 77 years old, has taken them to Osaka for the finals after an incredible extra-inning win in Mito on July 27th. This is a very impressive feat considering the hundreds of schools in the prefecture. Maybe attribute this success to what has been dubbed KIUCHI MAGIC.
Holy cow! This game that I'm watching! The Tokushima team has just come from behind to win! Incredible! Pandemonium! Unbridled joy! Tears (looks more like sobbing) of defeat! Slouching, bent over players. Dirty, sweaty uniforms. Wait! This is the part I love best. The winning team belting out their school song, singing with their bodies and souls making it known to the world that they are making an effort!! They go into their victory sprint. And now, the losing team is scooping up some soil from the infield, a memento of their fleeting moment on the Big Stage. Certainly the game will be replayed in their heads over and over again, probably for their whole lives, with thoughts of how it would have been if things had gone the other way.
Sorry for the digression. Let me get back to my main point. High school baseball fans in Ibaraki have been looking forward to watching Joso play and maybe even win the tournament and some people I know even went down to watch today's game. Unfortunately, things did not go as expected and our local boys were blown away in their first game, by a Tokyo team (even more frustrating). Thus, Kiuchi's bozu, as with all losing teams, could be seen after the game, scooping up the Sacred Soil of Koshien. So much for Kiuchi Magic. But... wait till next year!
Don't be surprised then if you see more than the usual depressed, sulking Ibarakians this week. They were hoping to see their team do better.
And of course there are other ways of looking at this High School baseball madness. I, myself often cringe when I hear about the boys' PURE SPIRIT. Like everyone else they are in it for the glory (and the girls?).
Another aspect to think about is the PROFESSIONALIZATION of the game in a similar way to what has happened in college sports in the US. Thus many teams, including Joso recruit players using certain incentives. Many students DO NOT get the high school education they should be getting, and will be stuck after graduation. So the coaches, administration, etc., come out ahead, but what happens to the boys who have spent their school years playing ball and not preparing for exams?
Anyway, they sure WANT to play, and they do it well! That's what makes it so much fun to watch.
For Koshien games just turn on your TV and flick through the channels.
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