Lately I've been watching a lot of japanese variety shows. They basically range from game shows to interviews, and they probably aren't probably regarded as a very high-class form of entertainment, but damn if you don't learn a lot of phrases and natural conversation through them. They also have a habit of subtitling much of what people say in the program with kanji, which really helps in learning new and familiar phrases in kanji form.
I've been really into AKBingo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzRTVxf6djc&feature=channel_pageThis clip is a perfect example of a simple idea which is fun to observe if you understand enough of Japanese through hearing. In this clip they are given the first part of a word and then they have to use that to dictate an animal's name, a body part and a scary thing. Things like this really help to learn new words, especially when they're written out in kanji and hiragana subtitles. Plus damn if these girls aren't cute.
I've also been watching SMAPxSMAP because they have a lot of famous guests and are usually pretty funny.
Do you guys have any variety programs or game shows to recommend?
