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PO1
Joined: 24 May 2010
Posts: 136
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 Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:21 am Post subject: NHK Question |
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| I'm curious about people's experience with the NHK people who come door to door asking for money. I don't watch Japanese TV at all but they have come several different times looking for money. I'm sure most everyone who lives in Japan has had NHK come to their place. How do you deal with them? I wanted opinions because I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:40 am Post subject: |
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I had a visit in my first couple of weeks in my current apartment. I told them the truth:
My Japanese is not fantastic, so I don't really watch Japanese TV. I have a one (okay a slight lie by omission... I have 3) which I use for my videogames but I never watch NHK.
It probably helps that I was actually playing videogames at the time and answered the door with my pad in hand, headset and threatening some gamer friends in the US that I would make full use of friendly fire if they cheated and continued the match whilst I was answering the door 
The guy asked if I lived alone before making a note on his electronic pad. The entire encounter lasted no more than 2 mins after which he thanked me for my time and I have never been bothered by any NHK people since. |
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PO1
Joined: 24 May 2010
Posts: 136
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:33 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the response. I was just curious the way other people have handled it because I really don't know what to do. I don't see the point in paying for a service I don't use unless it is required by law or taken out of my taxes. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:27 am Post subject: |
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I think that unless you can thoroughly convince them that you don't use the TV at all, they will keep coming back. As for a language barrier, they have multilingual pamphlets, so beware. Besides, there is probably more English on NHK channels than any other.
How to deal with them? Well, if you don't want to pay, don't answer the door. Otherwise, the wall by your door has a sticker which says you have a TV, and that is their foot in the door. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 6:56 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| I think that unless you can thoroughly convince them that you don't use the TV at all, they will keep coming back. As for a language barrier, they have multilingual pamphlets, so beware. Besides, there is probably more English on NHK channels than any other. |
Don't know abouth that. I never had any problems convincing the guy. He never offered me any pamphlets and he never tried to give any sales pitch. He never mentioned that there is English programing on NHK.
This is the age technology where you can get watch all your favourite shows online, can proxy your IP so that you can use your mother's UK SKY TV sevice in Japan and you don't have to go down to a DVD store to rent movies any more since most of our games consoles purchase and store games, music content and rentals on their hard drives - no more trips to the store in the rain, no more annoying discs that might get damaged and no DVDs that you pop in only to find they scratched or unreadable resulting in you having to go back out to the store to get a replacement.
Most people in Japan below a certain age are well versed in the fact that for many of us, the main use of our TV is not to watch regular TV.
Right now I'm in the process of watching the entire 2nd series of the 2009 version of V on my largest TV in the living room via an Xbox 360 which is able to access the media stored on my computer in my bedroom using my wireless router network... all of which I can do from the comfort of my sofa using voice commands and/or hand gestures. Now why would I want to be at the whim of NHK's choice of programming and scheduling when I can choose what and when I want to watch something through the wonders of modern technology?
Plus like all owners of modern consoles, I use my TV and games console for communication. The same games console equipment that allows me to control my console via voice and motion also allows me to voice and video chat minus any mics, headsets or wires or controllers of any kind and it's better than Skype because you can party chat (like a conference call) with about 10 people at once whilst your team takes chainsaws to your opponents in a friendly game of king of the hill on GOW.
Perhaps my NHK guy knew his common place modern technology (or has kids) because as I said before, he was very easy to deal with and in the past 6 months, I've never had another NHK guy come.
If the NHK guy had persisted, I would have been quite glad to show him that a) my TVs are all hooked up to games consoles or computers and that b) they are not even hooked up to or even near the TV aerial sockets. |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:04 am Post subject: |
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The license fee is legally mandated and obligatory in Japan.
Any television equipped to receive NHK is subject to it. The only difference between the UK and Japan in his regard is that the law doesn't state punishments for non-payment.
If you lie and say you don't have a TV, you're technically breaking the law. If you have a TV, even one that isn't connected to the antenna, you should pay the license fee.
The guy leaves you alone because he can't be arsed with harassing the gaijin, not because it's legal. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| Mr_Monkey wrote: |
The license fee is legally mandated and obligatory in Japan.
Any television equipped to receive NHK is subject to it. The only difference between the UK and Japan in his regard is that the law doesn't state punishments for non-payment.
If you lie and say you don't have a TV, you're technically breaking the law. If you have a TV, even one that isn't connected to the antenna, you should pay the license fee.
The guy leaves you alone because he can't be arsed with harassing the gaijin, not because it's legal. |
The question was, how do people deal with NHK people? I made not claims about legality. Nor did I suggest that anybody lie or try to avoid the men. The OP doesn't use the service. I was in the same situation so I told him what I did and how it turned out for me.
I told the truth (or in your words, I didn't technically break the law by lying), the guy left me alone, end of.
Legally hotels can't deny people accomodation and yet they will if a foreigner doesn't produce some form of ID. Legally the police can't harrass foreigners and make them give ID unless they are doing something illegal or suspicious. Now unless sitting on a bench reading a book, smoking in a designated smoking area or leaving Japan (that's right, I got waylaid on the departure floor or the North Wing at Narita whilst heading to my check-in desk with ticket and passport in hand) is grounds for suspicion, the Japanese are good at ignoring their own laws when it suits them so I'm not going to lose sleep over not having to pay for a sevice that I don't use, especially since I didn't lie or make use of any loop-holes (like the police do). |
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rich45
Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:21 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah I have had a couple of visits in the last 12 months. First time was easy to negotiate as the guy gave me an English pamphlet and left me alone. Second time was a different story, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. The foreign guy in the next apartment paid, but in the end I played dumb and he went away. My boss later called NHK and they refunded the guy next door as he didn't know what he was doing......since then, no problem. |
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PO1
Joined: 24 May 2010
Posts: 136
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:30 am Post subject: |
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Well, we told the NHK guy that we had a TV but we don't use it for anything else other than playing games. There is no antenna or any connection for us to hook up the TV (that I'm aware of). We even offered for him to come in and look at our TV if he didn't believe us. I'm not sure why if it's legally mandated to pay the fee, they don't just take it out of people's taxes. It is a government sponsored TV station right? Why send people door to door?
There seems to be controversy about this issue as several other people I've talked to, Japanese and non-Japanese, that don't have TVs or don't use NHK have not paid the fee either. So I guess everyone is going to jail. 
In all seriousness though, I think people who actually use NHK should pay the bill. When I had NHK at my old place I paid it without any thought. Or if they are going to legally mandate it, they should find another way of getting money out of people other than going door to door. |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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Seklarwia, it's not about you being right or wrong here.
The OP said:
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| I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. |
I answered the question with what the law says one is supposed to do.
It's clearly one of those laws that are rarely if ever enforced in Japan, but it's a law nonetheless. |
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whispechoes
Joined: 07 Feb 2010
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:33 am Post subject: |
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| If you want to follow the law, pay up when they come to the door. If you don't feel like paying, don't answer the door when they come a-ringing. Depends on what makes you feel better, really. |
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