Japanese media and pop culture in East Asia, especially in Korea Essay

Japanese media and pop culture in East Asia, especially in Korea - Essay Example Japan is one of the few countries that started experimenting with the television in 1920’s (Brown, J., & Brown, J. 2006, 198). Television, however, began dominating Japan’s households in the 1950’s. The NHK General TV and the Nippon Television were the first television programs. In as much as TV programs may vary across stations, News programs dominate the early morning hours. The early evenings comprise anime programs. On the other hand, most movies occur in the night hours. It is crucial to highlight that the typical Japanese television has always entailed dramas, animes, and science fiction movies. Both Korea and Japan strive to satisfy a diversified consumer base that comprises different preferences. For instance, adults prefer serious television programs such as news and political discussions. On the other hand, the younger generation gears towards anime and movies. Pop idols emerged in Japan in the early 1970’s. The society was growing out of conservatism and it entailed a reconnaissance that favored the proliferation of pop idols in Japanese cultural scene. In the Japanese cultural scene, idols are teens and twenty-year old young people who are considered media-attractive. Pop idols may be singers for popular groups, TV personalities, models, and actors. Sylvie Vartan, a Ye-Ye singer, was one of the most significant pop idols that ushered a new cultural scene in Japan (Iwabuchi, K. 2004, 124). By acting in a French film, Cherchez, she attracted instant popularity. Another prominent example regards the case of Momoe Yamaguchi, who became a singer and acted in several television dramas. It is essential to highlight that such pop idols appeared and quickly disappeared from the limelight. In the 1980’s, there would be as many as forty idols that would appear in a year. The popularity of female idols, however, waned in the 1990â€⠄¢s due to rising rock idols such as Kinki Kids and V6 (Craig, T. J. 2000, 89). Unlike their