The Cable Guy

Here's a quirky little part of Japanese culture you may not yet be aware of: the NHK bill!

Like PBS in the US, the BBC in England or NRK in Norway, NHK is the public television station in Japan. You are required to pay for it by law, but there is no penalty if you don't. I "choose" not to, mainly due to the fact that I have watched TV for about an hour (combined) since I arrived last year. And now - as with many before me - I think I am being stalked by the NHK man...

It all starts with the house calls. I have personally had many-a-visit (at my apt) from the dreaded NHK guy, but I have thus far avoided paying the bill. Trying a new angle, NHK sent me a paper copy of the bill a few weeks ago, this time asking me to back-pay the last 9 months (at about $20/m). But that is also not going to happen. I simply do not watch television in Japan, and do not think it is fair I have to pay for everyone else. The funny thing is that this happens to all the 'newbies' and seems to be a common conversation topic when you first arrive in Japan (with our 'senpai' - the foreign "mentors" who have basically just been here longer - giving tips on how they avoided the bill).

So they say the best way to get away with not paying the NHK bill is to not answer the door, but I am pretty sure 'our guy' is designated to handle the foreigners...and boy he is aggressive. Don't speak Japanese? He now has English pamphlets. One time he knocked and rang my doorbell over-and-over again for over half an hour. Like he has nothing else to do? By the time I decided to answer the door to get him to be quiet (seriously stop harassing me), it had been so long that I felt like I needed an excuse.... so I dunked my head in the bathwater and pretended to come to the door fresh out of the shower, with sopping wet hair.

Well, it worked that time, but the man is back on my tails... as is the case with all the other foreigners in our community. I just got another visit, and I caught myself checking the stairwell in my building to make sure the NHK guy wasn't at my door before heading home the other day. Not to disrespect the rules here by not paying the stupid bill, but I won't be bullied.... I physically have a television, yes, but it hasn't been on for months. I might as well not even have one. Apparently, the charge only applies to people who own a television set, so...

Wish me luck in this little game this week. I guess I've been here for almost a year, so if I can pull it off for another, I'm golden. Now I'm just waiting for the day I see the NHK truck pull up at my workplace. Seriously. They are intense about this stuff!!