Lunch On!

I know, I know.  I haven't finished the 300 plus episodes of Begin Japanology and Japanology Plus but thought I might look at NHK's "Lunch ON!" series, which is meant to offer insights into working people of all kinds by looking at their lunches.  Would only the Japanese thing of that?

I started with "Lunch at the Kyoto Woodblock Studio" (Season 2 Episode 4) where the staff (about 15) take turns cooking lunch and have to stay within a 2,000 yen budget (plus any leftovers in the fridge).  Fernando says he prefers the Japanology programs -- maybe he misses the narrator Peter Barakan.  But they have one on "40 Years of Lunch Together at the Balloon Factory" and who could resist that?

As I was looking over the NHK schedule of English language programs, a few more caught my eye: Kawaii International (on Japanese Pop culture), Cool Japan (in which foreigners look into something Japanese, like Beans) and Dining with the Chef, which they offer on our local PBS Create TV channel.  Looking for the Bean episode on YouTube I stumbled across another NHK series:  Your Japanese Kitchen, the most popular episode evidently being "shabu shabu" -- the Japanese version of hotpot.  Yes, we are really immersing ourselves in Japanese culture...  Now, if only I could find some of that slimy natto.

Oh oh.  I ran across another NHK series: Core Kyoto.

Chromecasting Japanology

A couple of days ago, Fernando asked me why I wasn't "chromecasting" my Japanology programs to the TV.  A lot of extra work, if you asked me.  But after seeing the greatly improved picture quality on the TV, I was a complete convert.  I had assumed the picture quality would be the same -- isn't it coming over the same wire?  But the full-screen YouTube video on my MacBook Air is really pixelated and indistinct.  When it is transmitted to the TV, it is perfect.  Thus I won't be watching any more episodes on my laptop.  Poor Fernando.  Now not only does he have to watch Rick Steves and Lidia Bastianich, but he's got a couple of Japanologies a day to contend with as well.

Naturally I've been choosing episodes he might like:  the Abacus, Sento (Japanese Bathhouses), A Trip through Akihabara (the electronics section of Tokyo), Sumo, Mt. Fuji, Making and Cooking Rice (he fell asleep a quarter through that one).  I'm really having trouble remembering which ones I've seen so it is good that I'm writing them down, although I'm not quite sure what is the best way to keep track of them.  They have two versions of Sento and rice, a Begin Japanology one and a Japanology Plus one.  In any case, I'm making good headway.