Because I like Japanese and Asian culture, we started to watch this show, Terrace House, which initially looks like it's a Japanese Big Brother. Couldn't stop except for nightly sleep until we finished the season (or what Netflix has yet made available for Canada) the next day.
After all, several people in the same house being filmed sounds a lot like Big Brother, right? Except here, the people in the house aren't confined to it: they still have their outside life activities, can go to restaurants, set dates and go outside for them. This means that you not only get to know some more of modern Japanese culture by how the Terrace House occupants interact, but also get to see some iconic places in the city. This season is set in Tokyo, but previous ones were set in another city. The show isn't scripted.
There's a panel in the studio, consisting of a few personalities, and this is a great part of the show as each panel member recaps or give their own comments on what's happening in the show. Now, there's one guy whose nickname is 'Yama-Chan' and he is absolute comedy gold. Every single intervention by him ends up being hilarious.
If you watch it, the 'Cost(o)co' episode will be memorable.
Read more at Wired: I Saw the Future of Netflix in a Japanese Reality Show
