Nick News Explores the World of American Kids - Living, Learning, Changing and Growing - in Japan

Nick News Explores the World of American Kids - Living, Learning, Changing and Growing - in Japan

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Strangers in a Strange Land Airs Sunday, March 19, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon

NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Currently millions of Americans call a foreign country "home," and many of these Americans are kids. In the latest installment of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Strangers in a Strange Land, airing Sunday, March 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, Nick News explores the challenges and rewards of being an American kid living abroad.

"These kids share with us what it's like to be a stranger in a strange land, in this case one where even the alphabet is different," commented Linda Ellerbee. "We see how they have managed to thrive, and what they've discovered about themselves in their new world."

The show offers a glimpse into the lives of three American kids who currently live in Japan. Through their eyes, we see the modern Western influences juxtaposed against the more traditional Japanese past. We experience the futuristic city of Tokyo, as well as the Imperial Palace, Buddhist Temples, and Shinto Shrines, which speak to Japan's ancient customs. We learn that one is never too young to be an explorer; that you can travel without going too far from home; and that to venture on a quest is nothing more than to become an asker of questions.

Evan moved to Tokyo in 2005 when his father was relocated there for business reasons. Evan still feels like an outsider. It was difficult for him to get used to not being able even to read the signs on streets and in stores. But Evan is trying to fit in. Nick News follows him and gives a look at what his life is like in this new uber-modern city -- from the busy Tokyo streets, to the subways, through the modern arcades, a tour of the Tokyo Tower, and a try at singing Karaoke with friends.

Twins Yazmine and Katherine live with their family at the Zama Army base about an hour and a half outside of Tokyo. They go to school and work on their own teen TV show at the base, but have managed to find ways to work another country's culture into their own. Nick News captures the twins as they experiment with Japanese culture, having sushi, Japanese friends, or at the Ameyoko Market, a colorful old-world Bazaar outside of Tokyo. Yazmine and Katherine do things their way -- and the Army way.

Hannah Lemmer is a teen-aged American girl willing to trade all that is familiar for the chance of living a truly foreign adventure. Hannah is an exchange student from Colorado currently living with a Japanese family. She goes to a Japanese school and is fully immersed in Japanese culture. Hannah loves Japan, and says school is easier now that she speaks the language better, but it's still very different.

Living abroad can present some issues for kids, from finding their way in an unfamiliar culture, to making friends when there is a language barrier, to missing home. But even though it can sometimes be difficult, kids seem to find a way to thrive in strange surroundings and find rewarding experiences -- just as Evan, Yazmine, Katherine and Hannah do in this episode of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee.

Nick News, which is in its 14th year-the longest-running kids' news show in U.S. television history-has built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. The program has covered the tough topics, including the Sept. 11 attacks, the Columbine tragedy, divorce, bullying, learning disorders, all the presidential elections since 1992, the Balkan war, the Iraq War, the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and AIDS. In 1992, Ellerbee's special, "A Conversation with Magic," which featured Magic Johnson, set the standard for talking with kids about AIDS. In 1994, the entire series, Nick News, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 1998, "What Are You Staring At?" a program about kids with physical disabilities, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2002, "Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan," won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2004, two Nick News Specials, "The Courage to Live: Kids, South Africa and AIDS" and "There's No Place Like Home," a special about homeless kids in America, were both nominated for the Outstanding Children's Programming Emmy. In fact, Nick News has received more than 20 Emmy nominations. Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is also the recipient of two Peabody Awards, including a personal one given to Ellerbee for her coverage of the President Clinton investigation; a Columbia duPont Award; and more than a dozen Parents' Choice Awards.

Nickelodeon, in its 26th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 89 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more than ten consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326, or Thamar Romero,
+1-212-846-7491, both of Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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