Televisions in Yomiyama still receive a signal, but the loop has warped everything into a distorted mirror of 1987 Japan. Channels are limited, broadcasts repeat, and anomalies creep in the longer you watch. The screen flickers with static at exactly 11:55 p.m., no matter the channel. Locals leave sets on low for "company," but many cover them with cloths at night.
NHK Channel 1 (Educational/General): Endless loop of 1987 programming. Morning exercise shows with smiling instructors, afternoon dramas about family life, evening news anchored by the same cheerful presenter reading December 24 weather ("heavy snow continuing"). Commercials for Calpis, Pocari Sweat, and Kuroda Dairy black cheese play on repeat.
NTV or TBS (Commercial): City-pop music shows (Top 10 countdown frozen on Akina Nakamori’s “Nanpasen”), variety programs with comedians in Santa hats, and reruns of 1987 dorama (family-friendly holiday specials). Ads for Canon cameras, Toyota Corollas, and local Hida beef.
The signal degrades. Static increases, colors bleed, audio warps.
The Frozen News The same female anchor from 1987 NHK news, smiling too wide, reading reports about “continued heavy snow and missing persons.” Her eyes occasionally track something off-camera. The date on screen is always “December 24, 1987.”
Warped Commercials Normal 1987 ads (Pocari Sweat kids running in summer fields) but slowed 20%, voices pitched lower. The Kuroda Dairy black cheese commercial plays most often: happy family pouring black milk on rice, tagline “Rich taste for strong futures” lingering too long.
Static Children Between programs, static resolves into grainy footage of children in school uniforms standing in snow, faces blurred, mouths moving silently. They raise hands as if waving, then vanish when you change channel.
The Backwards Broadcast Once per night, a test pattern appears, followed by reversed audio: a woman counting down from 11:55 in perfect Japanese, or a man screaming “Hizume” played backward.
The Empty Studio A live feed (impossible in 1987) of an empty NHK studio. Lights on, chairs arranged, but no presenter. Camera slowly pans to show a single red ribbon tied to the anchor desk. Snow falls inside the studio, piling on the floor.
Occasionally bleeds into “Kurohaha AM666” whispers or “Happy Bell FM” endless Christmas carols.
Effect on Viewers
Watching too long causes itching under skin, black flecks in coughs, or urge to tie red ribbons. Most locals keep volume low and change channel quickly—“just background noise.”
The television is the village’s nervous system: familiar 1987 comfort laced with slow poison. Turn it on for company; leave it on too long and the screen starts watching back.