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If you’ve already got some fundamental Japanese training under your belt, watching Japanese TV can be a great way to supplement your educaton. I’ve selected some programs that use everyday adult-level Japanese and also has a tendency to cover interesting topics. So let’s get started!

Gaki no Tsukai - One of the funniest shows in the world. The show is always evolving so while there might be a few regular bits, you’ll see your fair share of new experimental comedy sketches. The show uses regular conversational Japanese, but a lot it is Kansaiben. Not a bad thing if that’s what you’re into.

Rinkan - The two main guys from Gaki no Tsukai, Matsumoto and Hamada, lead an all-star cast of comedians on a high-budget TBS comedy show. Very consistent in it’s quality. If you don’t learn any Japanese, you’ll at least have a good time.

Gyouretsu no Dekiru Houritsu Soudanjo - A variety show where they talk about various legal issues (divorce, compensation for pain/suffering etc). But don’t let the title fool you. The sometimes foul-mouthed host, Shimada Shinsuke focuses more on his conversation with the celebrity panel and barely touches on the legal issues brought on by the show’s lawyers.

Interested in seeing the show host insult a female celebrity guest by saying her face looks like a urinal? This is the place. The legal terms might be hard to grasp, but regular conversational Japanese is used for the most part.

Hamachan To - A show hosted by the tsukkomi half of Downtown. Various celebrities decide to spend the day with Hamada Masatoshi and they can decide what they want to do for the day. That could include buying furniture, trying out a new food or hobby. Overall, a very laid back show.

You can try to doing a search for these shows on places like YouTube. Due to copyright policy a lot of these show clips are taken down rather quickly. If you want a more consistent experience, try looking for a Japanese video. For a dollar or less, you can rent these shows on either VHS or DVD.

Try to have a dictionary handy, either electronic or online while you’re watching these shows. If you find yourself drowning in a lot hard to understand Japanese, a quick consultation will help make better sense of what’s going on.

So give these shows a try. Japan makes some great, consistently interesting programs. If you’re like me, you might end up preferring these shows over the programming in your own country.

Have any Japanese shows that you’d like to recommend?

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