Apart from the Internet, there are several ways to obtain news about Japan in the U.S., and I'm trying deftly to use every means in order to keep up with Japanese news and trends.
First, a cable TV is the most likely simple method to get in San Diego. The program we contracted with the cable company provides approx. 100 channels. Only one channel out of a hundred is an Asian channel, and various Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and of course Japan share the channel. Fortunately, 3 hours of golden time on Sunday night is allocated to Japan, and we can enjoy watching Japanese sitcoms. During the last cycle, for instance, "My wife is having an affair this week" and "Tokyo Tower" were aired.
Also, 7 to 8:00 am in every morning is a time for NHK news. It facilitates us to see what's going on in Japan. But despite the accessibility, I don't visit this channel frequently, for the information is inordinately finite.
Secondly, we own "Location Free" sold by Sony. Once this device is set up at home and a hard disk recorder is located in somewhere, Japan like a house of parents, it enables us to watch and record any TV programs through a PC. Yet, to spend time more efficiently, I try not to use Location Free. In other words, if I started using it, I surely won't be able to tear myself away from the PC screen. Thus, I deliberately haven't learned how to manipulate it.
Third, there are two kinds of Japanese free magazines, which anyone can take from the shelf of Japanese supermarkets. One is called "Yu-Yu" and another is "Lighthouse". Both magazines provide us not only Japan's news but also the useful tips to live in the US. To be more specific, the features of the magazines vary from "Beer garden in San Diego", "How to walk in LA", "Let's go fishing", "watch Major league" to "Kid's education", "about Immigration" and such like. Even though almost all my Japanese friends read these magazines, a bit past information sometimes irks me.
Furthermore, there are, as far as I know, two Japanese DVD rental shops in San Diego. One of them is 5 min. driving from my house and is operated by Korean owner, but they lend Japanese movies and sitcoms at their shop, and their selection is satisfactory and quite new. A DVD rental costs $1 and many of my Japanese friends take advantage of it. Being lazy myself, however, I hate to go return the DVD I rented, and so, I'm not a regular customer of this shop.
To sum up, nothing can defeat the Internet.
Thank to the Internet, it's come to possible for us to get anything we desire. Nothing cannot be retrieved from computer. And moreover, thanks to my partner who admits himself a "nerd" and PS3 which can be connected to Internet and show the image through TV, we are enjoying "華麗なる一族 - Glorious Family??-", without any efforts of downloading. Recent technology and Nikkan(日刊) YouTube enriched our dinner time.
While I thank it, however, I feel at the same time that we had better forget about Japan for a little while, and better enjoy "American" life!!
