2014
(2014)
Cast
Episodes
Wrestlers on the Road 0.0
January 10, 2014
As the recession continues to hit Hokkaido, Japan, a small pro wrestling group fights an uphill battle to energize the …
A 260-Person "Sharehouse" 0.0
January 17, 2014
In 2013, one of Japan's largest "sharehouse" or shared-living apartment houses, opened in Tokyo. It can accommodate 260…
The Fierce Battle! Entrepreneur Contest. 0.0
January 24, 2014
An “Entrepreneur Contest” was held last year under the auspices of a global IT company to discover talents who can give…
Japan's Northernmost Bus Stop 0.0
February 28, 2014
The far north of Hokkaido, with a view of Sakhalin in the distance. At Cape Soya, where a severe snowstorm blows, there…
Okinawa: The Barbershop that Never Sleeps 0.0
March 7, 2014
In downtown Naha City, there is a barbershop that is open 24 hours a day, a rarity in Japan. Customers include children…
Fukushima: From a Super Market in Early Spring 0.0
March 14, 2014
Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. Along the road to the nuclear power plant, there is a supermarket that has seen a sig…
Printing Handheld Memories 0.0
April 4, 2014
With the ubiquity of digital cameras and smart phones, we live in an age of easy photographs. It's easy to print them o…
The Voyage of Life on a Giant Ferry 0.0
April 11, 2014
For people with time, car ferries are an inexpensive mode of travel in Japan, which is surrounded by water. Each year, …
A 24/7 Discount Store 0.0
April 18, 2014
A giant discount store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, has 40,000 items for sale. It pulls in customers around the clock. This epis…
One Tower, Many Lives 0.0
April 25, 2014
The Tokyo SKYTREE opened in 2012 as Japan's tallest structure. Each day 100,000 people flock here to try to take photos…
Youth "HelloWork" - A Job Agency 0.0
May 2, 2014
Over 80% of Japanese college grads landed jobs last spring, the main hiring season. However, in Shibuya, an area of Tok…
Ueno Park, Under the Cherry Trees in Full Bloom 0.0
May 9, 2014
Ueno Park is a huge park representing Tokyo. Surrounded by offices, downtown, and residential areas, people spend their…
An All-Night Eatery 0.0
May 23, 2014
Uguisudani is one of the least-frequented stops on Tokyo's Yamanote mass-transit loop line. But it's well known for its…
Self Storage: Secrets and Memories 0.0
May 30, 2014
Recently, all across Japan, there has been a sharp rise in the number of people turning to self-service storage to keep…
Mt. Osore: Between Life and Death 0.0
June 6, 2014
When people die, they go "to the mountain". So holds the folklore in the Tohoku (northeastern) region of Japan, referri…
On the Road: “Happiness Theory” on Route 16 0.0
June 13, 2014
Yokosuka - Machida - Hachioji - Kasugabe and "National Route16" connects the Kanto suburbs. The townscape where there a…
The 24-Hour Supermarket: Just Another Day 0.0
July 4, 2014
Akune city is located in rural Kagoshima Prefecture. More than 40% of its population is over 65 years old. Its famous 2…
Shonan, Reasons to Gaze at the Sea 0.0
July 18, 2014
In June, the Shonan coast overlooking Enoshima Island. On a clear day, people who cannot wait for summer to arrive come…
At a Gas Station in a Downpour 0.0
July 25, 2014
It's a June weekend, and the rainy season in Japan's central Kanto region is being inaugurated with an apparently endle…
What Dreams I Have at the Fishing Pond Late at Night 0.0
August 1, 2014
Along a national highway in the suburbs of Saitama. There is an indoor fishing pond where men dangle their fishing line…
A 24/7 Animal Hospital: When a Pet Needs a Vet 0.0
August 22, 2014
In Shibuya, Tokyo, there's an animal hospital taking emergency cases 24/7. It was founded 46 years ago. Doting pet owne…
Kabukicho Nail Salon: Behind the Scenes of a Woman's Dressing Room 0.0
August 29, 2014
The glamorous world of women spreads out in a room of a building in Kabukicho. It is a nail salon that stays open all n…
At a Train Station in Fukushima 0.0
September 5, 2014
Within 20km of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant - site of the 2011 nuclear disaster - is the town of Naraha. T…
“On the Shore with a View of the Atomic Bomb Dome 0.0
September 12, 2014
It was August 6 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. While the familiar annual solemn peace ceremony is broad…
General Hospital Store: Where Shopping Meets Healing 0.0
September 19, 2014
In southern Chiba Prefecture, a 24-hour convenience store opened 3 years ago in a huge general hospital. It offers ever…
Haneda Airport: From Summer to Autumn 0.0
October 3, 2014
On the last weekend of summer vacation, Haneda Airport is crowded with travelers and people returning home. I spent thr…
Deep Asakusa, Midnight Coffee Shop 0.0
October 10, 2014
Asakusa is a world-renowned tourist attraction. North of Sensoji Temple, in the deep “back Asakusa” area that does not …
The Ameyoko International Food Market 0.0
October 17, 2014
Underneath the lively Ameyoko Market in Tokyo's central district of Ueno is a far less well known below-ground market f…
What to Hit: Boxing Gym in a Mixed-Use Building 0.0
October 24, 2014
In front of JR Gotanda Station, where offices and bars line the streets. From a room in a small building, you can hear …
Koenji, What to Expect at the Public Baths 0.0
October 31, 2014
Koenji, Tokyo. An old-fashioned wooden building stands in an alley past a pure shopping street. It is a long-establishe…
Dreams Along the Yamanote Line 0.0
November 7, 2014
The Yamanote Line is Japan's most famous loop line. In the blink of an eye, you are whisked to the next station, where …
Kisarazu, Wangan, Big Lunch Box Store Blues 0.0
November 21, 2014
Hey," he said! Hey!“ ”Is this bento ready yet?“ ”A big bowl of rice!" The men shout with authority at a 24-hour bento s…
Wandering Shakebai 0.0
November 28, 2014
Shibetsu Town, Hokkaido, Japan, is a place where the wind blows with a steady breeze. Every autumn, during the salmon f…
Osaka Minami, Midnight Underground Tenement 0.0
December 12, 2014
There is a leisure building in Osaka's Minami district that is familiar to anyone in the Kansai region. The Ajien Build…
Shinjuku Ni-Chome: A Taste of Mother's Home Late at Night 0.0
December 19, 2014
Shinjuku Ni-Chome is one of the deepest spots in Japan. In a corner of the area, there is an unusual teishoku-ya (set m…