In the days before I came to Japan, my earliest exposure to Japanese TV came through the crazy game show Takeshi’s Castle.

Terrace House is available on Netflix Japan.Last year, The Guardian newspaper described Terrace House as: “A show where nothing happens… but it’s still a must-watch.” The commentary offered throughout that first season is as informative as it is amusing. I would recommend beginning with the first season, released in 2015. Just how do people in Japan talk to each other beyond what a textbook can tell you?įor those of you still mastering the basics of the language here, the show is one of the few Japanese originals on Netflix that also has English subtitles. It also gives those of us new to Japan a fascinating insight into what everyday Japanese people are like. Terrace House explores all of these themes and in doing so, it becomes an excellent study tool to those wanting to learn to speak natural, relaxed Japanese outside of the formality of textbooks. What do ordinary Japanese men and women talk about over dinner? How do complete strangers form relationships, even romances, out of nothing? Just how do people in Japan talk to each other beyond what a textbook can tell you?

It’s this “down to Earth” and relatable nature of the personalities on this show that makes it useful for learning Japanese. This lends the show an authenticity and a grounded feeling that so many shows in the reality genre lack. Unlike Big Brother, these people are free to enter and leave the house as they wish to engage in work, relationships or their studies. The premise centers around a group of young Japanese adults - an equal number of men and women - who were (until the show started) complete strangers. Thankfully, Netflix Japan’s first big entry into the “reality TV” genre is a bit more nuanced and features, for the most part, relatively normal, well-adjusted people.

Then again, that’s largely due to being forced to watch the freak show of banality that was Big Brother when I was living in Scotland. OK, I’ll be honest: I am not a big fan of reality shows in general.

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