NHK Broadcasting Studios
NHK is one of Japan's leading television
broadcasters. Established in 1925, it reaches more than 35 million
households, and is a premium service, meaning people must pay to watch
the programming. The NHK Studio Park shows visitors the inner workings
of a television studio. The first stop on the tour is the 150-inch
display that greets visitors with a larger-than-life-size image in high
definition. The photo to the left shows our group in front of the
display. After a brief introduction, visitors are ushered into the
Hi-Vision News Theater, where one of the group puts on an in-house news program. While the rest of us sat in the audience,
Durjay was "miked up" and gave us the news. Preparation includes
reviewing and editing the script, as well as sound checks. The photo to
the upper right shows Durjay reviewing his script prior to the big moment.
The presentation 
is done in front of an audience of 
your
friends--brutal. The photo at the bottom left shows the enthusiastic
support that we lent Durjay during the broadcast, while the photo at
the bottom right shows the sound check prior to going on-air.
The
next stop on the tour is the Samurai Drama studio; NHK produces their
own in-house drama productions. Visitors are encouraged to dress up in
period costumes and pose for pictures on the set. The photo to the left
shows Dhika and Sandra in full costume. From the Samurai Studio
visitors proceed to some hands-on broadcasting activities, including
dubbing animations, and using blue screen techniques to put yourself in
a video. From there the tour proceeds to the History Studio, which
showcases developments in broadcasting, as well as highlights from
NHK's most successful programs. Next, visitors are taken to the Open
Studio exhibit, where they can watch a live broadcast. The next stop is
perhaps the most spectacular, the Media Studio, where you can enjoy
three dimensional high definition television, without the use of those
goofy glasses. The tour ends with a group shot in front of a mock-up
news studio (complete with cardboard cut-outs of the anchors), shown in
the photo to the right.