Japanese news reporting during disaster scenarios is something to behold.
The screen is filled with data and blinking like a Bloomberg Terminal.
The screen is filled with data and blinking like a Bloomberg Terminal.
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.
Only if they are well to do. Most family houses in Japan are crammed full of stuff with very little "design".
My God. Everything , everywhre, no design ( haha ), no exceptions. People were actually living there.
Had a cultural shock.
But the cities themselves are like that. There is zero urban planning, just buildings thrown around in impossible non-Euclidean patterns.
( btw, has anyone noticed in anime there are always frames of street cabling? Like those cylindrical transformes and thick cables. Almost cyberpunk! )
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
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.