Fishing
People of all ages have long been drawn to Japan's seas, rivers, and lakes to enjoy fishing. Over the centuries, the Japanese have used great ingenuity to develop unique tackle such as lacquer-coated bamboo fishing rods, handmade fishing hooks, and silk fishing lines. Some people set out to catch the smallest fish they can. Catching tiny fish requires an equally small rod. And small hooks are sharpened to make them even smaller. Lure fishing is increasingly popular in Japan. Exquisite fish-shaped lures with beautiful patterns and meticulously carved scales and gills look just like the real thing. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, we look at fishing and what it reveals about Japan's pursuit of pleasure and perfection.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
The Floor
The Floor is a physical quiz show that sees 81 contestants face off in quiz duels on a giant LED floor divided into a 9×9 grid of squares, each representing its own field of knowledge.
The first challenger, selected at random, must choose one of his or her neighboring opponents to go head-to-head in an epic quiz duel in the opponent's category. The winner takes over the loser's square, gaining valuable ground as they expand their territory, while the loser exits the game. The winner must then choose – do they continue on and attempt to secure another square? Or do they let The Floor choose a new challenger? The last contestant standing who gains full control over The Floor takes home a life-changing $250,000 cash prize.
QI
Sandi Toksvig, Alan Davies and a host of comedy stars swap funny facts on every subject under the sun. It doesn't matter if they're right, as long as they're quite interesting.
Home Town
Erin and Ben Napier love their small Home Town of Laurel, Mississippi, especially the old historical houses. Using found materials and old textiles; they're keeping the character of these classic homes, but giving them modern and affordable updates. From Erin's imaginative hand sketches to Ben's custom handiwork, this couple is bringing Laurel's homes back to life, and making sure their small town's future is as bright as its past.
Cops
COPS follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and various police activities by embedding camera crews with their units. The show's formula adheres to a classic cinéma vérité ethos. With no narration or scripted dialog, it depends entirely on the commentary of the officers and on the actions of the people with whom they come into contact.
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC presents in-depth coverage of news stories. Rather than just reading news reports, as most news shows do, the reporters for this show research their subjects and interview the people closely involved to create an informative work of investigative journalism.