Season 12

Over a century ago, residents of a port district in southeastern Japan established a cooperative that hires fishers as employees, offering stable jobs that pay a salary. The system has helped preserve a local tradition, in which teams of fishers work together to haul in their catch. New workers are recruited from throughout Japan. But faced with the harsh realities of life on the water, many soon leave. What must this cooperative do to survive?

The Nebuta Festival, which features illuminated floats, is a tradition in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. But it wasn't held for 3 years during covid. Kitamura Shunichi creates nebuta floats, just like his father and uncle. Shunichi has taken a different path: while floats have traditionally featured male characters, his now include women as well. Providing inspiration is his wife, Toshie, who works along with him. We look behind the scenes as the couple struggles to complete their creations on time.

Yambaru in the north of Okinawa Island was registered as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site in July 2021. Its forests are home to numerous indigenous species such as the Okinawa rail, a flightless bird, and the Okinawa Ishikawa's frog, arguably the most beautiful frog in Japan. Since ancient times, the forest has supported people's lives and they've protected the forest in return. Now that the forest has natural heritage site status, tourist numbers are likely to rise. We'll find out how Yambaru's forest with its rare ecosystem and vast diversity can be preserved and passed down to future generations.

A small community in Niigata Prefecture is surrounded by beautiful, abundant rice fields, but its population is shrinking as younger people leave in search of opportunity. To reverse this trend, a local NPO decided to launch a women's soccer team to attract new residents. It pays team members, who are also farm workers, to play soccer. In its seventh year, the team has become a source of community pride and passion. And older residents are among its most enthusiastic fans.

In spring 2021, Shinji High School in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, set up the first class in the prefecture solely for students with foreign roots. As well as regular subjects, they get special support in an extra one titled "Understanding Japanese." The area's foreign population has surged in recent years. While elementary and junior high schools offer language support, there is hardly any at high schools, so several students have had to give up on studying or pursuing their ambitions. We follow four Japanese Brazilian students at the school as they take a step toward their dreams.

An aerospace project in Kyushu has brought together more than 20 local factories. Their grand plan is to launch 36 satellites. It is the first foray into space for the team at the small factory in Kurume City tasked with assembling the satellites, who are engaging in a process of trial and error despite misgivings by some of the members. But the long-awaited launch unexpectedly failed. What will happen to people in the local community and their passion for space?

Yabusame is a traditional Japanese form of archery in which archers shoot arrows at targets while galloping on horseback. In northern Japan, 20-year-old Fuse Aoi is creating a buzz as one of Japan's top horseback archers. She has been riding her beloved horse, Spade, since she was 8 years old, and has clinched 5 high-level back-to-back victories at a large-scale local event which takes place in spring. Smilingly, Aoi says there is no better man than Spade. We follow this skilled and dashing young woman as she prepares for an autumn competition along with her beloved horse.

A workshop in Iwate Prefecture has been making traditional Nambu ironware kettles for decades. After taking over the business from his master-craftsman father, Tayama Takahiro decided to rethink the work environment. To attract younger applicants, he replaced grueling schedules and long apprenticeships with 5-day workweeks and paid time off. And he designed a simple kettle that can be produced by less-experienced artisans. But there are bumps along the way and Takahiro must learn to adapt.

Omori Town in western Japan is located at the foot of the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, a UN World Heritage Site. It was once losing its population, but the number of children is now growing thanks to the town's initiatives focused on a tranquil lifestyle and interpersonal connections. More and more young families are moving there hoping to raise their children in a beautiful natural setting, and helping to nurture the community in the process.

Across Japan, climate change is causing torrential rains and flooding. In response, the government is pursuing sweeping measures to protect communities and save lives, including a large flood-control reservoir in rural Kumamoto Prefecture. But the proposed location is currently occupied by the riverside village of Okaki, home to 58 households that would be displaced. As the reservoir project moves forward, a divide begins to form in a community faced with tough decisions about its future.

In a small community at the foot of the famous Mt. Gassan in the northern prefecture of Yamagata, four women in their 80s work together in a popular soba-noodle restaurant. Many people come a long way to enjoy the grannies' soba. Each has her own role - making dough, cutting it into strips, frying tempura, and making side dishes using seasonal vegetables. They enjoy working, chatting, and laughing together, and they have developed a special bond. We follow the women, from the beautiful season of buckwheat flowers blooming to the deep snows of winter.

The waters off Sadamisaki Peninsula, at the westernmost tip of Shikoku, are rich with large abalone and sea urchins. Amashi, or freediving fishers, descend 20 meters or more to harvest them. The tradition dates back hundreds of years, but today only about 30 amashi remain. A young man left his job as a civil servant to enter this community. At first, he faced a series of hurdles, but is being gradually drawn into this fascinating world. Will the amashi come to accept him as one of their own?

Mariia, 12, fled the devastation of the war in Ukraine and now lives in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, with her mother and younger brother. She used to be positive and popular, but now in Japan she struggles to deal with the language barrier and to settle into her class. Mariia's classmates are doing their best to support her. Mikoto and Hanna especially want to become her friends. The three girls are finally able to overcome their language differences and build a deep relationship.

An ice bridge rises up from Lake Suwa, connecting its opposite shores. Local people have documented this omiwatari or "the God's Crossing," for hundreds of years. But changing weather patterns have taken their toll. The chief priest and parishioners from Yatsurugi Shrine came to the lake in winter to pray for its appearance and to add to a centuries-old record. This film focuses on the people who are struggling to carry on a 580-year-old ritual and others who are learning from their knowledge.

In the woods of northeastern Japan stands the "Drifting Mailbox." This unique mailbox receives letters from family members to loved ones who died in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Its custodian, Akagawa Yuji, recently started thinking about closing the mailbox. But some bereaved relatives still continue to send letters. Yuji decided to meet with some of them to explain his thinking. Twelve years on, Yuji and the bereaved family members share their thoughts for the first time.

Kintsugi is a technique used to repair objects using lacquer and gold. In the mountain village of Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, a kintsugi workshop is inundated with repair requests from all over the country. The items include a teacup bought on a honeymoon and a mug used for 40 years. All are imbued with special meaning. For some clients, the golden tracings on the objects hold memories of lost loved ones. We look at the emotional bonds that kintsugi can help to create.

Each year, aspiring barbers and beauticians from all over Japan display their skills in a national competition. Students from a reputable hairdressing school in Kochi have often won the top prize. The school's strength lies in its unique method of having students teach each other. The students are often reluctant to reveal their secrets. But as the big day nears, they become more willing to share what they know. We follow the students as they grow while helping others to grow as well.

"The Car of Hope" is a volunteer project that helps terminally ill patients visit one last place that is special to them in their final days. A terminal cancer patient in his 70s wants to take his wife to a flower garden once more. A husband wants to take his severely ill wife to an aquarium, so she can forget her illness for a while. A nurse who accompanies them on the trip says it's a journey of hope that allows patients to live out their life as they used to do. We follow them on their final journey.

Nishiokada Haruki (82) and his wife Setsuko (75) live in the mountains of Tokushima Prefecture where they've farmed a steeply sloped plot of land for more than 50 years, doing all the work by hand. The elderly couple work together to harvest their buckwheat crop and make their special buckwheat rice, finding joy in the small details. Meanwhile, their community is shrinking as their aging neighbors pass away. The film tells the story of a couple's ups and downs on a sloping farm.

Eleven years after the 2011 nuclear disaster, Honda Toru, a doctor, moved to Iitate village, a disaster-hit area in Fukushima, determined to live out his life there. After the accident, villagers had been forced to evacuate, but 6 years ago, the order was lifted for much of the village. Since 2022, Toru has been taking care of the residents who have come back to their homes hoping to reclaim their lives and a sense of purpose that the disaster snatched from them. Amid a doctor shortage in the area, Toru is working hard to help villagers live as they want to.

The residents of Tomioka had to evacuate after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident. As people gradually return and rebuild, the elementary school asked composer Otomo Yoshihide to write a new school song. Students and alumni were invited to write the lyrics. But Otomo learned that the two groups had very different ideas about what made the place special. How could they create a piece that would offer a positive vision for a place that had undergone such drastic change?

The people of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, had to flee their homes after their town was destroyed in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Only about 10% of them have returned, including Suzuki Daisuke, the fifth-generation owner of a local sake brewery. He now makes sake using local water and rice, and hopes to win a gold medal in a national competition. We follow his quest to reestablish his business and bring a sense of pride to his community as well.

Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Awa washi paper was sent to Ukraine from Tokushima, western Japan, to help repair historical documents at the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv. Ukraine was struggling to obtain suitable paper, which hampered repair work at the Archives. The makers of Awa washi offered support, hoping the paper, with its centuries of tradition, would help preserve Ukrainian culture. The program depicts the warm bonds that developed between the Japanese artisans and the staff at the Archives through their mutual appreciation of the paper.

Avian flu and the rising cost of feed have created problems for the egg industry. At a farm in Aichi Prefecture, a father and son clash over methods. The father wants to continue raising chickens in cages, but the son wants to raise birds cage free, which is a costlier approach. Through this film, the son hopes to spark a dialogue between them. What feelings have they not been able to express to each other? This is a story of a family divided over eggs. Can they reach a resolution?

Fourteen years ago, Motoyama Saho left the big city and bought an abandoned farm. She built a house using scrap wood and has been trying to become self-sufficient. Fate brought her and her husband Kiyoshi together and they now have three children. Together, they harvest wild vegetables in the morning dew and eat fresh eggs from their chickens. They even make their own slippers using wool from their sheep. We follow this family in early spring as they seek joy in everyday tasks.

There's an unattended vegetable stand in the middle of Tokyo that draws more than 100 customers a day, supporting young people who want to save money. On the wall of the stand, there is a message from the owner to young customers saying, "Tomo is here for you, so don't worry about your future." She grows vegetables and brings them there herself. She says she opened the stand because of her own experience as a teenager moving to Tokyo from the countryside. We follow the story behind this unusual stand and find out why it is so heart-warming.

Ten years ago, a young student offered to help a man with limited vision ride the bus. Other youngsters have continued the tradition. Now, a book inspired by these acts is gaining fans across Japan.

On the Noto Peninsula in the Sea of Japan, winter winds buffet a tiny community protected by bamboo fences. We meet a woman in her 80s who embraces the bounty of earth and sea with her bare hands.

Ise katagami is the art of crafting stencils for kimono patterns. Now, the artisans practicing it are aging and their numbers shrinking. We look at the people devoted to preserving this tradition.