Massage Chairs

In Japan, stress is a part of life. Giving and receiving massages, particularly shoulder massages, is a Japanese institution. And over the last several decades, the massage chair has become an equally important part of Japanese life. The world's first massage chair was invented in Osaka in 1950. Its creator was an amateur inventor who wanted his frail daughter to be able to have a shoulder massage, even when he wasn't around. Since then, massage chair technology has come a long way. The latest models can massage the whole body, and they use technologies like computers, optic sensors, and pneumatic pumps. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is massage chairs. We look at their state-of-the-art Japanese engineering and their little-known history.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows

Survivor
Eighteen to twenty castaways will compete against each other on Survivor. All castaways will compete to outwit, outplay, outlast and ultimately be crowned Sole Survivor.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, John Oliver presents a satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events.

Lioness
Lioness, inspired by an actual U.S. Military program, follows the life of Joe while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA's spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade and Donald Westfield, enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA's efforts to thwart the next 9/11.

Dark Matter
Hailed as one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade, Dark Matter is a story about the road not taken. The series follows Jason Dessen, a physicist, professor, and family man who – one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago – is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the multiverse of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of mind-bending realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself.
