Comment by sugarpimpdorsey

7 days ago

Japanese news reporting during disaster scenarios is something to behold.

The screen is filled with data and blinking like a Bloomberg Terminal.

To be fair, most of Japanese TV is like that. I always joke that the primary reason they developed HD TV was to be able to cram more text in every corner xD

  • haha, makes a lot of sense!.

    But then again, take a stroll around a shop-laden street in Japan and you'll see the exact same thing. They just like it that way.

    Funny thing is how for interior design they do a full 180 and typically go very minimalistic.

My favorite is the NHK reporters standing in the middle of absolutely nowhere with their NHK helmets. No matter what the event, there is a reporter wearing a helmet.

  • Also, the very first thing they say when the camera cuts to them is that they are standing in designated evacuation zone X that's Y meters above sea level.

    Then the cameraman zooms at the ocean, which is blurry and shaky because they're in the designated evacuation zone Z km away from the coast.

    • That’s probably the responsible thing to do. It is always odd to see American weather disaster reporters, like:

      “We’re here inside the hurricane, let me go outside so you can see that the wind will push me over. Can’t hear anything because my microphone is getting blasted by the wind. Over there you can see the emergency responders, they appear to be fleeing. Tell my wife I love her, but I’ve got to die for some b-roll.”

    • That makes sense, though. To do otherwise would be pretty dumb for a tsunami situation.

      But yeah, the handheld telephoto zoom from a safe location is definitely on the Japanese Disaster TV bingo card. That said, I appreciate that they just keep repeating the same warnings and data, rather than the ridiculous speculation that the US news media engages in when they get bored.

      3 replies →

Also when you visit most japanese websites you can see this phenomenon.

I've read an explanation once that this is because culturally, japanese people perceive a wealth of information and choice as being re-assuring and trustworthy, while most westerners feel more re-assured by seeing less content and choice presented in a more minimalist kind of way.

  • I actually prefer content style of Japanese websites. I get all the relevant info on one screen instead of having to scroll/click thru tens. The western style websites are very inefficient and hide info (feels scammy with lack of info).

  • Can you point to some japanese websites that have an english version and are a good example of this?

Yes, but it does make sense.

Eg. old people without smartphones or someone just turning their TV on, seeing big letter "Tsunami evacuate" with map and other information. You instantly know the most important information and you can act on it.