The other night i was watching Discovery, or what i’m now referring to as the “repeat channel”, and i saw the epside from How Do They Do IT on the Worlds Largest HDTV ….. and unbeknown to me, i’ve actually watched it … on 4 seperate occasions infact.
The Worlds Largest HDTV is located at none other than the Tokyo Racetrack. Now me being a mad keen punter i’ve been out to the track the last 2 years for the Japan Dirt Cup and then the Japan Cup, held in November each year, so i’ve seen it without knowing.
The screen employs Mitsubishi’s Aurora Vision LED technology and measures 11.2 meters (37 feet) x 66.4 meters (218 feet), giving it a surface area of 744 square meters (8,000+ square feet), or the equivalent of 3 tennis courts.
Mitsubishi manufactured the screen for the Japan Racing Association (JRA) at its Nagasaki factory in the town of Togitsu, Nagasaki prefecture. The screen was divided into 35 pieces for delivery to the Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo.
Here’s a few pictures i guess i inadvertently took of the Worlds Largest Television.
The first was taken at the Tokyo Dirt Cup on the Saturday in November 2006.
And the 2 below were taken last year at the Tokyo Cup on the Sunday.
Fast becoming my favourite Japanese television celebrity, apart from Hoshino Aki (ほしの あき), is Kojima Yoshio (こじま よしお)
I`m not sure what his claim to fame is but several times a week he appears on Japanese Television doing his trademark `Yoshio`s Bootcamp` which is a piss take from the extremely popular `Billy`s Bootcamp` in Japan.
I warn you there`s not a whole lot of substance to Yoshio`s routine but it is amusing and the reaction of the punters he performs this too is the highlight for me. His main catch phrase is そんなの関係ねえ!”, it means “It’s not related” but it could better be translated as “So what? I don’t care!“
Like i said, don`t expect much … maybe i find it amusing cause i can see a bit of myself in him, a certain perfomance at a wedding last January springs to mind.
Updated 23rd March 2008 - As of now you can watch 4 games per round on World on Demand through the Australian Network Channel for 900 yen per month. It’s a must for any football lover wanting to watch AFL Live in Japan!
Thank heavens for the internet. After a lot of searching and the disappointment of going to places that said they`d have the footy on (up yours The Club House) and then finding a place in the pong that did have it, but was feral, we`re able to watch footy live in the comfort of home.
The website World on Demand offers the finals footy for about $20 bucks a month, along with many other channels this is great value TV.
So far i`ve been able to watch 3 games in the last 2 weeks and i`m set to watch Geelong and Port next Saturday. It`s great being able to see the game rather than just listening to the broadcast through tripple m.
Unfortunately the Brownlow won`t be telecast tommorow night, you can`t have everything i guess.
Explaining to Japanese Friends that i won`t be able to make it to the pub cause i`m watching Aussie Rules Football is difficult so once again i leverage the internet for the visuals aids i`m looking for.
If you haven`t seen The Entourage you`re missing out. It`s a story about 4 guys living the life of champions. I was first told about this program back in Australia but the timing was all up the shit and it was hard to regularly tune in.
Bit Lord to the rescue and i was able to download the first 3 seasons and watch in quick succession and now keep up each Sunday night by downloading the latest episode from season 4.
I had my brother in Japan a few weeks ago and he and a buddy of ours sat down and watched the first 2 seasons back to back. From what he tells me they`ve now sourced seasons 1 through 3 from the local DVD shop and are hooked on the adventures of Vinne, Eric, Turtle and the legendary Johhnie Drama.
If you have 10 minutes on your hands then watch some of Ari Golds finest moments here. Be warned though, the language is colourful and far from politically correct.
Spending my first 10 months in Japan staying in a hotel, with a very poor selection of English television channels, i had to rely heavily on the internet to download programs. It`s amazing what you`ll watch when you have to, and Japanese TV has some merit, but every now and then i needed a fix of western television.
These days the internet is a veritable goldmine for the latest programs that have only just aired i the states being available for download, literally within hours.
I got right into several programs, mainly The Entourage and Prison Break although ther were several others like The Girls Next Door and Amercian Idol …. like i said, sometimes you need to watch western TV and you take what you get!
I write this post while i wait for Prison Break Season 3 Episode 1 to download, about 20 minutes done so far with 10 to go … if you`re not into Prison Break then do yourself a favour and download series 1 and 2 … it`s brillaint and watching at your leaisure is the only way to go.
If you are up to date with Prison Break then here`s the general info on where the stories at.
“Just when they thought they were out, they are pulled back in - for the most dangerous escape ever. Prison Break Season 3 finds Michael Scofield wrongly incarcerated in Sona, a hellish Panamanian prison where there are no rules, no guards and no escape.
As long as...