Ok brief overview if you didn't already know...
TERRACE HOUSE : A Japanese reality TV show (now on Netflix) based in Tokyo. Six strangers live in an epic house together, all working their various jobs and living their life per-usual, except they are filmed round the clock (think Real World but much much more tame and modest). People can leave the show at any time, thus freeing up space for new people to come in and shake things up. My brother, cousins, aunties, Japanese friends, and American friends all agree that this is a brilliant display of reality TV. This blog post is specifically being written to explain why you NEED to watch this show haha..
1. TOKYO, THE DREAM LAND.
Okay, first and foremost this show takes place in Tokyo, aka one of the greatest cities known to man. If you haven't been to Tokyo, this show will make you want to come ASAP. If you have been to Tokyo, this show will make your heart ache wanting to be back. The show follows the members of the house as they go to work (hairdresser, model, barista), out to dinner (yakiniku, okonomiyaki, shabu shabu), go on dates (kamakura, ebisu, shibuya) etc. The way the show is filmed is so rad; stylish, simple, clean lines, good shots of the city...and does (in my opinion) portray Tokyo as the truly incredible place it is.
2. THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Japanese is a beautiful language, and It takes only a few minutes of watching the show to realize this. It's soft, tender, fluid and encapsulates a few words that are just so epic they can't be properly translated to English i.e otsukaresama, ikemen, shyouganai. For me, this is extra fun because I get to study while being entertained. The people on this show are all in their 20s, so the language used is not only relevant and conversational, it's also just so cool! You might start saying some Japanese phrases after a few episodes...majide? (really?)...gomennasai (i'm sorry)...okaeri (welcome home).
3. THE FOOD
If you feel insecure about your cooking ability, then this show will make you feel worse haha. Just in the first episode, a few members of the house to go the supermarket, come home and effortlessly cook up the most amazing sushi dinner. A lot of the episodes are centered around food, which is very appropriate for Japanese culture, and these 20-somethings whip up some incredible dishes that will give you major #lifegoals.
4. THE JAPANESE WAY
One of the best parts of this show is the insight into the Japanese way. Whether it's the dating style, the designated house cleaning time, the male-female roles, the way conflict is addressed, and even the passive aggressive tension that hangs in the air in a few episodes, is all so distinctly Japanese. It is fascinating watching this all go down, especially for those of us that grew up in America and are used to a quite different approach to relationships and communication. It is a true insight into the Japanese way of life and it will make you ask so many questions and discuss so many things!! (shout out to my cousin Bryce who is possibly making a podcast about this because the cultural topics to discuss are truly endless.)
OKAY PEOPLE...I gave you 4 decent reasons to watch the show. GO GO GO! You seriously won't regret it. I told Russ and Jen (brother and sister-in-law) to watch it ASAP and they approached it with hesitation. So..it's basically Japanese real world? But...only after a few days, the Terrace House magic set in and my brother texted me with a full list of all the members from the first two seasons (THAT'S LIKE 40+ EPISODES!) from order of his "most-liked-member" to "least-liked-member". He got ahead of me in the show and I am now the one catching up. So calling this "the Japanese version of real world" ....NO WAY...TERRACE HOUSE IS MORE. SO. MUCH. MORE.
okay and let me just end with some preview photos of this Sakura season! I have been catching up on Terrace House so I haven't had time to get my photos organized and blog about it...but soon enough :)
OHHHH...side note, one of the members from the show, Uchi (hairdresser) works in Daikanyama which is one of my favorite places in Tokyo. One time last summer I was walking through the small streets of that area to meet a friend and I happened to walk past his hair salon (BLAST) as he walked out and said goodbye to one of his clients. I just about had a panic attack and was completely in shock (he's one of my fav members of the show) and would have 100% asked for a photo if he wasnt with a client! But it got me thinking...how crazy that these people from this epic reality show are just normal, working, 20-somethings in Tokyo...I NEED TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEM!!!!
