Velvet Goldmine (1998)

I’ve only watched Terrace House: Opening New Doors but there are several different options taking place in major tourist destinations. There’s Tokyo, Aloha State, and more. I haven’t watched all of the variations so I can’t comment on those directly, but they all follow the same premise as Terrace House: Opening New Doors.

The premise is simple and conventional. Six young people live in a house and we follow their interactions and budding romantic relationships. It’s like The Real World, Japanese edition. The Real World is arguably the first popular reality TV show format. But while Terrace House keeps in tradition by using the same general format, the tone is significantly different.

For starters, Terrace House: Opening New Doors takes place in Karuizawa. It’s in the Nagano prefecture, a bullet train ride away from Tokyo and a short car ride from the ski slopes. Karuizawa has a small-town feel; we see lots of natural scenery, snowboarding, and playing in the front lawn. The pace is slow and the turn of the seasons allows us to see the house year-round.