Try visiting a Japanese TV station: NHK (NHK Studio Park)
If you're visiting Japan or about to visit Japan, you might be a little tired of only hearing about historical tourist spots like temples and shrines and famous shopping areas. If you want to try something a little different (that you don't have to pay for), you can try visiting a Japanese TV station. Even if you aren't familiar with the shows, you'll still find something to do! If you're in the Shibuya/Yoyogi Park area, try visiting NHK's interactive area, NHK Studio Park.
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What is NHK?
NHK (Japanese: 日本放送協会 Hepburn: Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, official English name: Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
You may also be familiar with NHK World, which is NHK's international broadcast that focuses on news from Japan as well as cultural programs.
NHK Studio Park
NHK (日本放送協会, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japan's public television and radio broadcaster. Its headquarters is located in Shibuya, Tokyo, next to Yoyogi Park.
NHK Studio Park is a part of the NHK Broadcasting Center that is open to the public. For a small entrance fee, it gives visitors a chance to look behind the scenes of NHK broadcasting.
At NHK Studio Park, visitors can observe how television programs, such as the historical Taiga Drama and popular morning dramas, are being recorded. On weekdays from 1:27pm, visitors can watch the nationwide live broadcast of the talk program "Studio Park kara konnichiwa" from behind the scenes.
What can I see and do there?
While visiting any TV station in Japan is bound to be a new and interesting experience, NHK Studio Park is one where you are guaranteed to do something hands-on and have some fun. You can try dubbing, pretend you're in a taiga (historical) drama, or be a news reporter, among lots of other things. Here are just a few of the attractions Studio Park has to offer.
Dubbing Studio
This is fun, it’s an interactive demo of how dubbing is done. Arn and I were shown a short film clip of a melodramatic scene, first with audio. Then we had to learn the lines each of the characters spoke and record them as the scene ran on screen. Afterwards the clip will be played back with your voice digitally mixed with the video.
News Recording Studio (you can film and be filmed!)
Be on the set of popular programs
You can also see exhibits about the history of broadcasting as seen through NHK's news programs and also experience a 3D Hi-Vision Theatre. This isn't all, though, so you should definitely check out NHK Studio Park. It's also really cheap - adults cost 210 yen and children cost 110 yen.
And of course, you can also see Domo!
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
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