There's me, the Assistant English Teacher, along with the English Teacher, standing in front of the class.

"What were you doing at 9 pm last night?" The English teacher asks me.

"I was watching television." I say in a loud, slow voice.

"What show were you watching?" He asks me.

"I was watching Terminator," I say, leaving out the Sara Connor Chronicles part.

"Was it interesting?" He asks me.

"Yes, it was." I say. He continue to translate for the class.

This lesson/conversation happened a few weeks ago. Which is why I was happy to see this ad in a subterranean Tokyo train station.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is coming to Japan. Just in time for Terminator 4, aka Salvation. This time, I'm ahead of the curve. What is new for the Japanese, is old season for me. Just look at John Connor's long hair. Japan is only just starting season one!

While we're on the subject of Japanese TV, let me mention Dora the Explorer.
The cartoon which lets kids have fun while learning Spanish. And who could forget the numerous Dora the Explorer jokes that could only be made during Joe the Plumber's fifteen minutes of fame?

It's finally made its way to Japan. This time, its dubbed in Japanese. But its also been tweaked. In America, Dora taught Spanish. In Japan, she teaches English.

I've had the opportunity to ask several classes about Dora. When I ask the question "Have you seen Dora?" every class has a few students who have. "Do you like it?" Here the answers become interesting, because consistantly--one hundred percent of the time--the answer is no. I asked one boy if he liked the show, and he really went off. I'm talking a full on diatribe of dislike. I couldn't understand his words, but the hatred was clear. The teacher, in that circumstance, translated a part of what he said for me. "I hate Dora! I'll hate
Dora so much--until she hates me!"

Needless to say, I don't expect Dora to be very popular here, or to stay on the air much longer.