Weather and NHK News

As most places on earth are approach 100% accuracy 48 hours out, Shikaoi continues with notoriously inaccurate forecast, an above average example of which I have been presented with today. It has been overcast and snowing lightly since I got up this morning but all yesterday and today the forecast has stated a clear and sunny day. I have included a screen grab from yahoo weather to illustrate my point. Remember that it's snowing at this exact moment! Love it. How's anyone ever support to plan a picnic?

Also in the news today is that the government will pass a law making payment mandatory of the fees to the national TV broadcaster NHK (like Canada's CBC). This is a fun topic for foreigners to discuss, not so much because it's insightful of Japanese culture, but because of the pure absurdity of the issue. The monthly fee has been for decades mandatory, but in since the 90s there has been a steady increase in the number of people who refuse to pay - as in about everyone... One element that is especially unsetting to foreigners it that you are made to pay even if you never watch NHK. Somehow this strikes my Japanese coworkers as logical. To continue, part of the problem lies in the archaic way NKH collects fees. They still send people out door-to-door like they're selling vacuums. It's old school, but they're not doing it to be cool, especially in an age where one can pay bills on the Net. Due to this structure it was revealed in several cases - one of which is very famous with which I am best familiar: It was a case of fraud where someone went around for eleven (11) years and collected over five (5) million dollars in fees from unsuspecting, but honest, people. That was his job. $5, $10 at a time. Year after Year. Door-to-door. Defrauding people. There was a big show and security was tightened but the damage was done. Also in the nineties, continuing really, there are been many high profile cases of either waste at the network or down right theft by the producers, directors, and management. All of this passed with basically no punishment of anyone. If this was a private company it would already be in a hole in the ground under dirt. The population, quite rightly in my opinion, has refused to pay for a service they don't watch nor pay fees only to have their money squandered. Perhaps within the government the issue has been coming to this point for many years. In an odd move, however, they made the announcement from Indonesia, leading some on the Net to suspect they wanted to make Indonesians paid for the service.

Last year when the NHK guy came to my door I put him in such a state of shock he kindly gave me the little NHK sticker to put above my door that means I paid. I am a good Japanese. I will no longer be harassed by NHK and I can watch documentaries on Tofu in peace.