2017
(2017)
Cast
Episodes
Lines and Lives at Airport Immigration 0.0
January 13, 2017
In the days leading up to Christmas, the immigration inspection area at Narita Airport heaves with tens of thousands of…
A Cafe Awaits in Omiya 0.0
January 20, 2017
Omiya, a city where the largest train terminal in Saitama Prefecture links between the Tokyo metropolitan area and the …
The Melodies of a Street Piano in Miyazaki 0.0
January 27, 2017
In Miyazaki Prefecture, a brightly colored piano stands in a street side plaza. This "street piano" can be played freel…
Beppu: A Century of Hot Springs 0.0
February 10, 2017
Beppu, the hot spring paradise. The stage is a 138-year-old traditional hot spring, known as the face of the city. The …
At a park in Yokosuka with a view of warships 0.0
February 17, 2017
The setting is a park in Yokosuka with a close-up view of huge warships. Passersby include local residents taking a str…
Cheap Underwear: Searching for Warmth 0.0
February 24, 2017
Tokyo's Kita Ward. A three-day look at a cheap underwear store in a traditional shopping district that attracts 1,000 c…
Wishing Upon Golden Kushikatsu 0.0
March 3, 2017
Chiyobo Inari (commonly known as Ochobo-san) is the god of commerce in Gifu Prefecture. There is a kushikatsu restauran…
A Walking Path Where You Can See Giraffes 0.0
March 10, 2017
Since the Kumamoto earthquake in April last year, the zoo has been closed. During the suspension of animal exhibitions,…
Welcome to Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong 0.0
March 17, 2017
Hong Kong, a city of the near future. Located on the city's main street is the somewhat suspicious giant building known…
Tokyo's Crossroads of Life 0.0
April 7, 2017
In a residential area of Tokyo is an unusual intersection where 7 roads meet. Bicycles, vehicles and pedestrians consta…
New Bags, New Beginnings 0.0
April 14, 2017
We spend 3 days in a long-established bag shop in Tokyo's Ameyoko Market Street. Parents and children come to buy schoo…
Small Funerals in a Big City 0.0
April 21, 2017
Small, personal funerals are becoming popular in Japan. At a one-stop funeral facility near Tokyo, a family arranges a …
Mt. Kongo: A Climb to the Webcam 0.0
April 28, 2017
An hour's drive from Osaka, Mt. Kongo is the perfect mountain for a casual hike. Attracting many visitors is a live web…
Yoru no Mori: Sakura Tunnel 0.0
May 12, 2017
The Yoru no Mori area in Fukushima is famous for its cherry blossoms, with old trees lining a 2.4-kilometer stretch. Si…
Fabric and Buttons and Me 0.0
May 19, 2017
From colorful cloth to stylish buttons to costume wigs: a large craft shop in Shinjuku carries over 500,000 types of cr…
I Tried Zen Temple Training 0.0
May 26, 2017
Over 1,000 people a year come to this Zen temple in Kyoto to try training. The secret to its popularity is how easy it …
The Secret Marriage Counseling Room 0.0
June 2, 2017
On one floor of a building in Shinjuku, awkward conversations between men and women can be heard from booths partitione…
The Daily Life of a Tokyo Mosque 0.0
June 9, 2017
One of the largest mosques in Japan, Tokyo Camii is a gathering place for followers of Islam living in Tokyo. People fr…
Jellyfish Wonderland 0.0
June 16, 2017
Facing the Sea of Japan in Yamagata Prefecture is an aquarium with one of the world's largest collections of jellyfish …
Truck Stop: A Break on Life's Journey 0.0
June 30, 2017
Long-haul truckers work and even sleep in their vehicles. A truck stop near a major distribution hub in Kyushu offers d…
Thoughts and Reflections on a Rooftop Ferris Wheel 0.0
July 7, 2017
The rooftop Ferris wheel in Matsuyama, western Japan, is an attraction that every local knows. During the slow 15-minut…
Kitakyushu Kokura ‘100 Yen Bar’ Blues 0.0
July 14, 2017
Kitakyushu City has prospered as a steel town. The bar is located on a slightly retro and slightly shady street off the…
Giant Housing Complex: Hello and Goodbye at a Secondhand Shop 0.0
July 21, 2017
Tama New Town, located in the suburbs of Tokyo, is home to over 200,000 people. The setting for this episode is a giant…
The Elderly Care Facility with a View of the Sea 0.0
July 28, 2017
The elderly care facility is located on a hill overlooking the sea in Kanagawa Prefecture. With an average age of 84, o…
Mountain Restaurant: Creating and Reliving Memories 0.0
August 25, 2017
Is this a restaurant or an amusement park? When the mountains in western Japan are enveloped by the darkness of night, …
Summer Koshien: Another Youth 0.0
September 1, 2017
Summer Koshien. In Fukuoka, where strong teams abound, the prefectural East Chiku High School secured the representativ…
Midsummer Akita: Longing for Baba's Ice Cream 0.0
September 15, 2017
It's the height of summer in Akita. From supermarket parking lots and national highways to tourist spots and even rocky…
When a Man Shines His Shoes 0.0
September 22, 2017
It's said that a man's shoes reflect his pride. This time, we spend 3 days in a street side shoeshine shop, a rare sigh…
The Base Town Adult Rock Festival 0.0
September 29, 2017
Fussa, Tokyo, home to the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base. In this area where American culture has taken root through m…
Born to be Wild: Motorcyclists' Road to Happiness 0.0
October 6, 2017
Riding a motorcycle might be hot in summer and cold in winter, but many riders would never consider any other mode of t…
Life Without a Smartphone 0.0
October 20, 2017
Could you get by if your smartphone stopped working? Our stage this time is a smartphone repair shop in Shibuya, Tokyo.…
Kyoto's Too Quiet Library 0.0
October 27, 2017
Kyoto welcomes the autumn holiday. The setting is a library in a tourist area where talking is strictly prohibited. Peo…
Spain's Canary Islands: Tuna Fishermen's Short Vacation 0.0
November 3, 2017
The Canary Islands are located 10,000 kilometers away from Japan. In September, Japanese-registered tuna fishing boats …
“See You Again at the English Conversation School 0.0
November 10, 2017
An English conversation school in Osaka's Umeda district that prides itself on one-on-one instruction. From the rows of…
Guest House: A 3,000 Yen Per Night Oasis 0.0
November 17, 2017
3,000 yen per night. The setting is a low-cost accommodation facility called a “guest house.” Located in Kawasaki, this…
Muscle Stiffness 0.0
November 24, 2017
Saitama City, a bedroom community with a population of 1.3 million. At a “massage parlor” in a residential area, custom…
Printing Shop: Lives in Print 0.0
December 1, 2017
In this age where the shift toward digitization and going paperless seems irresistible, one business in Tokyo's Ikebuku…
Ogasawara Islands: Weekly Delivery Service 0.0
December 8, 2017
The setting is Chichijima Island in the Ogasawara Islands, a 24-hour boat ride from Tokyo. The approximately 2,000 isla…
Bento Tales from a Northern Fishing Town 0.0
December 15, 2017
When the herring season starts and winter's icy grip tightens on northern Japan, the locals in the fishing town of Nemu…