Want to watch Japanese shows outside of Japan but don’t know how? Here are some ways to get you started on your Japanese media journey!
I grew up watching Japanese shows and TV. Everything from anime to dramas to variety shows. I was lucky to grow up in a part of the US that had this accessible. We had a public TV channel that was Japanese as well as a variety of Japanese video rental shops that would import shows, movies, and music from Japan (similar to renting movies from Blockbuster). As I got older and the internet became a thing, I was able to turn to the internet to find things to watch.
Aside from pirating, due to regional licensing, it can sort of be a pain to figure out how to watch Japanese shows outside of Japan – especially kids shows. Below you will find some ideas and options for accessing Japanese shows outside of Japan. This list is also more specific to the United States as that is all I have tried on my own, but you can try using some of these tips in your country as well.
I will also list which platforms we watch specific children’s shows down below as well. This list is related to my Best Japanese Shows for Babies and Toddlers blog post, so be sure to take a look at that blog post if you want to learn more about the shows.
1. Use a VPN and watch on Japanese Netflix (or other streaming platforms)
This is the hack we have grown to love and use the most in our household. Japanese Netflix has a plethora of shows and movies of all different types, including Japanese children’s shows and movies. We mostly use this (for the adults) to watch anime, dramas, and movies. And while we do watch some kids shows and movies, some of our/Rei’s favorites are not on Netflix. You can watch this via web or on the Netflix app.
The VPN we use is NordVPN. You can use a VPN to access Japanese versions of other streaming platforms as well. I haven’t tried this yet, but I want to see if I can download NHK+/NHK One (which is NHKs streaming service in Japan) from the Japanese app store and use a VPN to see if I can access the platform in the US. To note, you will need a Japanese NHK account in order to use their streaming service.
2. JMe Streaming Service
In the US and Canada, NHK (Japan’s public broadcasting company) has a streaming service available called JMe. Obviously, this service is only NHK content. This has livestreaming “TV” of various types as well as on-demand content. This is the only service where you are able to watch Sumo simulcasted! Some of our favorite kids shows are on-demand on this service: Anpanman and Inai Inai Baa (only certain seasons). We also use the livestreaming Kids channel in the mornings before preschool to watch Okaasan to Issho and Inai Inai Baa. You can watch this via web or on the JMe app.
3. YouTube
No quite a hack as we already watch a ton of things on YouTube but we use this very often for Japanese shows and creators. Especially for kids shows, we watch many on YouTube. I recommend searching in Japanese for the best results.
4. Crunchyroll
If you want to watch anime specifically, Crunchyroll shows all types of anime. While I use this often for myself, they don’t have the most popular anime shows for babies or kids so we don’t use this service for Rei yet.
5. Various Japanese TV Streaming Services
There are a handful of companies who stream Japanese TV channels to the US, but I want to warn that these are not quite legal so I will not be linking them. I have used some in the past but the services are pricey and sometimes certain networks/channels will get taken down so you wont be able to watch what you want to watch.
Where our favorite baby and toddler shows are streaming:
Please see my Best Japanese Shows for Babies and Toddlers blog post for more info about each show that is listed below.
- Okaasan to Issho (おかあさんといっしょ) – JMe (kids channel – livestream)
- Inai Inai Baa! (いないいないばあっ!) – JMe (kids channel for current livestreaming & on-demand for older seasons)
- Synapusyu (シナぷしゅ) – YouTube
- Soreike! Anpanman (それいけ！アンパンマン) – JMe (on-demand)
- Bom Bom Academy (ボンボンアカデミー) – YouTube
- UtaSTAR (うたスタ) – YouTube
- Go! Go! Norimono Town (ゴーゴー！のりものタウン) – YouTube
- Shimajiro (しまじろ) – Netflix (US or Japan)
- Miitsuketa! (みいつけた！) – JMe (kids channel – livestream)
- Genki Genki Nontan (げんきげんきノンタン) – Netflix Japan (use a VPN)
- Kikansha Thomas (きかんしゃトーマス) – YouTube
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (ミッキーマウスクラブハウス) – Disney+ (US – change the language to Japanese)
- Osaru no Jooji (おさるのジョージ): YouTube
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