So, as I stated previously, Mito Kōmon is coming to its end…

And (as I stated previously, II), I am not the only one it bothers.

  The city and the prefecture of Kyōto sent a request to five national television channels to prevent the disparition of all serial jidaigekis (historical dramas in costume) : with the cancellation of the NHK’s Saturday evening jidaigeki this spring and Mito Kōmon’s one next month, the only serial jidaigeki left on Japanese television will be NHK’s taiga drama on Sunday evening (considering the ratings, it is unlikely this one will be cancelled any time soon).

  A lot of jidaigekis are filmed in Kyōto : that’s where is located the Toei’s “Uzumasa Film Village” and the film studio of Matsutake Kyōto, where about 400 jidaigeki serials were filmed during the 60’s and 70’s.

  Now, Mito Kōmon is the only serial filmed there.

  More than an economical threat (with only one serial, it is evident the golden age of those studios is over), Kyōto fears the loss of a cultural knowledge of costumes and hair dressing that jidaigekis keep alive.

  Come on TV channels ! Produce more jidaigekis ! I swear I will watch !

[It’s not directly related, but Nogaremono Orin will return for a second season next year. 11 episode and a 2-hour special. That’s a victory.]

                                          ＊＊＊

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  And I’m glad I’m not the only one who think it’s nonsense.

  A few weeks ago, it was a real shock when TBS announced they’ll cancel the long running drama Mito Kōmon at the end of the year. It’s older than me ! It’s been on T.V. every Monday evening since 1969 ! Cancelling it would be like cancelling Sazae-san… Moreover, NHK already cancelled their Saturday-evening period drama on March and it would let us only with the taiga drama to have our fix of period dramas…

  I was revolted. And so was the Association of Appreciation of Mito Kōmon, who decided to launch a national petition for the drama to continue, and to send it to TBS and the main sponsors of the show.

  Their web site is here. You can print the petition here. And send it here :

〒310-0905
茨城県水戸市石川1-4045-3
水戸黄門愛好会 事務所

  Let’s not let Mito Kōmon disappear !

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  That’s easy, 90,000 Japanese households did so.

  Analog broadcasting came to an end in July and by the end of August, the NHK had received 90,000 files for contract cancellation.

  Owning a television receptor in Japan equals having a contract with the NHK, meaning you have to pay a fee of about 15,000 yens a year.

  On July, every analog T.V. set in japan became useless and it seems that, instead of buying a new digital T.V. set, 90,000 households jumped on the occasion to graduate from television. (It may not be such a voluntary act : many people may just not have the money to buy a new T.V. set)

  Let’s free ourselves from the media dictature ! Wait… Would it mean no more dorama ? Pass !

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  And again, I deal with a major piece of news even if I had decided not to…

  It seems that a member of the government let slip out that Kan Naoto would resign at the begining of next week. But… who cares ?

  SHIMADA SHINSUKE IS RETIRING ! (would I not be a grammar nerd, I would have put several exclamation marks at the end of this sentence)

  Shimada Shinsuke, one of the pilars of Japanese television, announced yesterday at 4:00 p.m. during a press conference that he was retiring from entertainment. Not at the begining of next week. At once.

  Did he suddenly feel the weight of years ? He’s only 55. No… Of course, if all Japan is talking about this, it is because :

1- this is Shimada Shinsuke. He’s got 6 T.V. programmes a week on 5 different channels.

2- he’s resigning because of a scandal that exposed the links he has with several yakuza organizations.

Yakuzas !

  To be honest, it seems that the “scandal” exposes no more than the fact he is close friend with a few members of yakuza organizations. He, himself, does not seem to have done anything illegal. He just phoned, e-mailed and ate with yakuzas.

  ＊I＊ do think this is sad. A man can have the friends he wants, it does not bother me. But I do not pity him. I mean : he’s Japanese, he knows the rules. He’s a public figure, he knew what such friendship would cost him if ever revealed.

  He played, he lost. But so suddenly, wow ! The channels won’t have a lot of fun in the next week, having to replace his programmes. I wonder if they will broadcast the ones that have already been filmed or if yesterday’s press conference really was the last time we were to see Shimada Shinsuke.