Japan Hour is an hour long television program that is aired on Channel News Asia every Sunday at 1pm. It chronicles the journey of a particular guest on the show, usually to a hotel in a particular province of Japan, where the emphasis is on the food served during the person’s stay at the hotel.
Nonverbal communication plays a huge part in this show, even without looking at the subtitles, television viewers are often able to tell what the person on television thinks of his hotel room, hot spring, or meal.
Not much verbal communication takes place during eating scenes because the television guest hosts are usually preoccupied with slurping up their noodles or soup, or gasping and squealing in pure delight as they watch waiters bring in their food. Females on the show often clap their hands in excitement and anticipation just before they begin to eat, while the men choose to express their impatience to start eating with a grunt, or an “Aaahhhhh” to show their appreciation for the food.
The word ‘sugoi’ (great or wonderful in Japanese) is used in every episode, without fail. It is used so much, that even viewers who do not speak Japanese are able to come to a conclusion that the word is associated with something positive.
During scenes where by the guests are enjoying a relaxing soak in the hot springs, silence plays an essential role in expressing their feelings of peace and serenity. Contented sighs as they gaze onto the setting sun sinking below the horizon allow the viewers at home to imagine and understand how the people on television feel.
This program is an excellent example of the effectiveness of nonverbal communication, and how it can be used to put across ideas and emotions just as well as, if not better than, verbal communication.
