Ayu Interviews

Granted, I didn't have more than 25 channels when I lived in Tokyo, but I never saw any sort of talk show in the American-familiar format (i.e. 2-4 guests per show, each guest appearing individually, one-on-one with the host, in front of a studio audience). The most popular celebrity-guest shows seemed to be "Waratte Ii To Mo! in the morning, and "Hey! Hey! Hey!" or "Music Station" in the evenings.

Japanese talk shows are very different from American talk shows. Although I'm sure there are Oprah-style shows there, most celebrity-guest talk shows are in the style of Hey! Hey! Hey! or Music Station. There are several guests on the same program, usually appearing at the same time throughout the course of the entire show, participating in discussions and activities together. Although they may give intimate interviews from time to time, they are usually not recorded before a studio audience (more like a Barbara Walters special vs Oprah). Japanese TV is in a much different format and setting than what we are used to here.