Newspapers
There are five national newspapers (Yomiuri, Asahi, Mainichi, Sankei and Nihon Keizai), along with local newspapers, and English-language newspapers such as The Japan Times, The Japan News, the Asahi Shimbun.
You can find any of these on the Internet. Daily newspapers are sold at train-station newsstands and convenience stores. Home delivery is also available. If you would like to subscribe to a newspaper published in your native country, contact the Overseas Courier Service Co., Ltd. (OCS).
Moreover, there is a local newspaper, the Kahoku Shimpo, which covers Miyagi and other areas in Tohoku, published in Sendai. Unfortunately, the Kahoku Shimpo is not available in English, but if you can read Japanese and are interested in what is happening in the region, it is a good newspaper to read.
Television
There are six TV broadcasters (the public NHK General and NHK Educational, as well as four private stations), that can be received in Miyagi prefecture. There are some programs in which you can switch the language to English, such as the NHK News programs. Households with a television set must pay a viewer’s fee to NHK (the Japan Broadcasting Corporation) every 2 months.
You will receive a discount for advance payments of 6 months or 12 months. NHK offers four payment options, as follows:
- Automatic withdrawal from the designated banking account.
- Payment by credit card
- Payment with an invoice slip from NHK at a bank, post office or convenience store.
- Direct payment to NHK’s bill collector.
Satellite Broadcasts
By purchasing and installing a compact parabolic antenna, you can receive broadcast satellite (BS) television on your set. Subscription fees are charged. The following channels are available: NHK BS-1 and NHK BS Premium, plus a range of other options. Also for a fee, communications satellite (CS) broadcasters provide TV news programs, music, and movies.
CATV (Community Antenna Television)
By subscribing to CATV, you can receive television broadcasts, satellite broadcasts, CS broadcasts, FM broadcasts, public service broadcasts and CNN News services. You must first make a contract and request installation to receive these services. The CATV service is currently only available in a limited area, but the service will be available throughout Sendai City in the near future.
For further information, contact:
- Miyagi Cable TV (only in Japanese)
- Sendai CATV (only in Japanese)
- J:COM (only in Japanese)
Radio
There are several AM and FM broadcasting stations in the Sendai area.
NHK Radio broadcasts news in multiple languages.
