GRAND SUMO Highlights
Jul 10 – 24 16:30/ 22:30/ Next Day 4:30/ 8:30 (UTC) <23 min.>
Sumo, Japan’s national sport, is coming to NHK World TV. Six grand sumo tournaments are held each year, and with wrestlers coming from around the globe, the interest of overseas fans is growing. During the 15 days of the July tournament, NHK World TV programming will feature bouts involving high-ranking wrestlers. Mongolian Yokozuna Hakuho, the winner of the previous tournament, is the centre of attention. To make the highlights even more enjoyable, the weekend coverage will have “Sumopedia,” information of the sports, including its history and customs.
Other highlights from the July schedule include:
Amazing Bug’s Technology
Jul 15 Fri 23:10/ Sat 5:10/ 10:10/ 17:10 (UTC) < 48 min.>
For millions of years, insects have come out ahead in the struggle for survival. The programme reveals some of the mechanisms hidden in their bodies and shows how human-made technology is being inspired by those evolutionary traits. 4K high-speed cameras and digital microscopes provide an extraordinary view of the world of bugs, from painless mosquito stings to high-performance dragonfly wings.
Bunraku in Paris-Oiran: Experts in the Art of Love
Jul 23 Sat 23:10/ Sun 5:10/ 10:10/ 17:10 (UTC) < 49 min.>
Designing shoes for Lady Gaga garnered a lot of attention for contemporary artist Noritaka Tatehana. Now he’s turning his talents to staging Japan’s traditional puppet theatre in Paris. Collaborating with Bunraku master Kanjuro Kiritake, Tatehana serves as art director for a story steeped in Japanese aesthetics. The master himself is giving the grand role of the courtesan Akoya its premiere outside of Japan, bringing the soul of the character to the present. The programme documents the two men’s efforts to discover new dimensions of Bunraku.
(Source: NHK World TV press release)