“Home Sweet Tokyo”, which debuted last year on NHK, returns to the small screen in December for its second season. Written by and starring Englishman BJ Fox, it tells the story of Bryan Jenkins who, after the death of his Japanese mother-in-law, moves to Tokyo to set up home with his wife, daughter and cantankerous father-in-law. Jenkins then assumes the role of house husband while navigating the mysterious world of domestic Japan and its myriad of customs and rules. Funny, empathetic and often surprising, “Home Sweet Tokyo” debuted on the screen last year to mixed reviews. Facing substantial criticism from long-term expats in Japan for stereotyping foreigners in Japan, Jennings points out that Japanese viewers and many viewers home (in Japan) and abroad loved it, leading the series to being signed up for a second outing, starting December 1 on NHK World-Japan.

Fox, a successful stand-up comedian and former Rockstar Games and Visa Japan employee, found himself writing the show after spending time in Japan and using his time as a comedian to extrapolate the comedy inherent in foreigners living and working in Japan. Although he wrote the series, he still had to audition for the part of Bryan Jenkins and he still finds it difficult to give the script over to directors who sometimes have something different in mind for the plot and characters.

Season 2 includes storylines about calligraphy, strange Valentine’s Day customs and even a Japanese ghosts special episode. It’ll be interesting to see what Jenkins and his adorable family get up to in this second season, which promises to expand on last year’s themes.

Home Sweet Tokyo

NHK World-Japan　

Episode 1: Saturday December 1

Episode 2: Saturday December 8

Episode 3: Saturday December 15

Episode 4: Saturday December 22

4 broadcasts/day (08:10; 14:10; 19:10; 02:10 (following day))

All times are JST; local times to be adjusted for time difference.