Season 5

An hour's train ride from Ehime Prefecture's capital, you'll find Shimonada Station. This tiny, unmanned rail stop on the Seto Inland Sea coast is a serene but popular destination. With its charming bench facing the vast ocean, visitors of all ages flock to take in the picturesque scenery. An ailing man visits 2 days in a row just to get a picture of the sunset. Another man stops by whenever he has trouble at work. For 3 days we listen to visitors' stories at this placid little stop.

A golf driving range in Tokyo's Adachi Ward is one of the largest in the city and is open around the clock throughout the year. Golf has a reputation for being a "rich man's sport" in Japan, but 1,000 people visit this driving range each day and come for a myriad of reasons. A mother comes to practice late at night after her children go to sleep, a group of elderly men regularly meets up early in the morning, and one man even silently tees off because he feels uncomfortable being at home with his family. What are they thinking about each time they hit a golf ball into the distance?

There's a huge art supply store in Tokyo with Japan's largest selection. From 50-cent pencils to necessities for painting and sculptures, its 5 floors are filled with everything an artist could want, and 4,000 of them visit every day. Over these 3 days we meet shoppers from overseas looking for sketchbooks and calligraphy pens, a manga artist who just got published, and a painter who can't stop despite his family's protests. Peek inside their minds and discover why they love to create.

When the autumn leaves are at their finest, a huge tent village pops up in a valley in the Northern Alps in Nagano Prefecture. At night, lights inside these seemingly countless tents give off a colorful glow. Among the campers is a group of coworkers who usually hit bars in the city but traveled all the way for a drinking-party with a difference, and a man who dreamed of sleeping in a tent with his young daughter. Each tent pitched on the rocky ground at an altitude of 2,300 meters is there for a unique reason. For 3 days, we spoke to the people seeking something "a little different" under the starry sky.

Nakasu in Fukuoka Prefecture is one of Japan's largest nightlife districts. Tucked away among the 2,600 dining and entertainment establishments, here is a daycare center open from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. the next morning. During the day, workers at the nearby office district drop off their children, while in the evening a steady stream of parents who work in Nakasu leave their kids in its care. The center has a busy period around midnight as parents pick up their children. They include an elegant restaurant manager wearing a kimono, and single parents working hard to earn enough to raise their children. For 3 days, we listened to the parents and children whose lives are supported by this daycare center.

In October 2016, an unusual mayor election was held for Iitate Village in Fukushima Prefecture. A ballot box was taken on a journey to reach the villagers, who had evacuated to scattered locations after the 2011 nuclear disaster. One candidate argued for a return to the village, while the other argued it was still too dangerous. Voters wanting to return did not want the village to end with their generation, while those opposed to returning were still concerned about the radiation. In the end, what hopes did the 5,200 voters place in the traveling ballot box?

At the end of October, 20,000 people of all ages and nationalities descend on the main intersection of Tokyo's Roppongi district to join in the Halloween festivities. Their costumes run the full gamut, from U.S. presidents to iconic Japanese anime characters. The revelers include young men who wear masks to pluck up the courage to chat up women, and a barber who grew his hair for a year as part of his costume. These Halloween activities grew naturally over a decade ago in Roppongi, an area popular also with expats. We spent 3 days uncovering the stories of the people behind the masks.

In the streets of Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, the air is filled with a dozen foreign languages as people dance the samba and hula in the "Worldwide Uchinanchu (Okinawan) Festival". Around 7,300 Okinawan descendants have returned home from around the world to participate. They are those who went abroad for various reasons, some to find work and some driven from their homes after WWII. Others are 2nd and 3rd generations of Okinawans, and have come to learn more about their ancestral roots. We pay a visit to Kokusai Street, the heart of the festival, to listen to their voices.

In the days leading up to Christmas, the immigration inspection area at Narita Airport heaves with tens of thousands of tourists. Among the visitors having their passport checked are an Indian man coming to hold a wedding with his Japanese wife, and siblings here to see their mother for the first time in 10 years. Some visitors are denied entry and must leave without stepping foot in Japan. Measures to prevent smuggling and acts of terrorism are stepped up as the crowd peaks for the holiday season. For 3 days, we spoke to the visitors passing through this major hub and heard stories reflecting the current state of the world.

Omiya, a city where the largest train terminal in Saitama Prefecture links between the Tokyo metropolitan area and the suburbs. A step away from its bustling downtown streets is a slightly curious café. The interior is crowded with bizarre antiques, and all 300 menu choices come in massive portions. Open 24 hours a day, the café is visited by fans of its famous pasta; a local businessman with incredible love for Saitama; and even bar workers on their way home in the morning. We spent 3 days in this offbeat café, where people from the suburbs make a stop before going into the city and those coming from the city spend some time to relax.

Facing the Sea of Japan in Yamagata Prefecture is an aquarium with one of the world's largest collections of jellyfish on display. The most popular attraction is a 5-meter-wide tank in which 5,000 moon jellyfish serenely drift around. Aquarium visitors include a high school student who dreams of becoming a rocket engineer as he gazes at jellyfish resembling stars in space, and a woman who watches baby jellyfish for 30 minutes. In the evening, others participate in an overnight event and sleep at the aquarium. For 3 days, we asked why people feel so deeply about these mysterious creatures.

In Miyazaki Prefecture, a brightly colored piano stands in a street side plaza. This "street piano" can be played freely by anyone at any time. Players range from an elderly woman playing a children's song, to young students performing a TV drama theme song. One man even taught himself to play by visiting the piano every day, and his performance is now applauded by those who gather to listen. The piano was placed in the plaza 4 years ago to liven up the city, and has quietly become a popular spot. What thoughts do people weave into the melodies they play on this street piano?

In a residential area of Tokyo is an unusual intersection where 7 roads meet. Bicycles, vehicles and pedestrians constantly weave along these roads. Though there are no traffic lights because of the intersection's complex layout, remarkably few accidents occur, apparently because people automatically and considerately let others go through first. The 7 corners are filled with a variety of shops including a greengrocer's and a small pub, and many people pass through this busy junction from early morning until late at night. For 3 days, we spoke to the many people whose lives meet at this intersection.

We spend 3 days in a long-established bag shop in Tokyo's Ameyoko Market Street. Parents and children come to buy school bags, their hearts filled with hope. A man picks out a large bag to carry equipment for playing airsoft games. Meanwhile, a woman stops by the store searching for a purse to use as she prepares for the final phase of her life. In the season of new beginnings, we catch a glimpse of the lives people lead from the bags they choose to carry.

Small, personal funerals are becoming popular in Japan. At a one-stop funeral facility near Tokyo, a family arranges a simple ceremony in accordance with a deceased relative's wish to spare the family from organizing a large funeral. Another family spends their last night with the deceased in a private room and fondly recalls their happy memories from years gone by. Before cremation, relatives repeatedly come and see their loved one's body as they gradually accept the reality. For 3 days, we spoke to people spending their final moments with someone dear who had passed away.

From colorful cloth to stylish buttons to costume wigs: a large craft shop in Shinjuku carries over 500,000 types of craft materials and accessories. A man comes to buy Gobelin tapestry fabric for a cherry blossom picnic, while a woman spends hours looking for "simple white cloth". A couple has even come from London in search of materials to make doll clothes. We spend 3 days talking to people as they find inspiration amidst the fabric and buttons.

The rooftop Ferris wheel in Matsuyama, western Japan, is an attraction that every local knows. During the slow 15-minute ride, people enjoy the view of the entire city and ponder over joy and sorrow. High school students say that it's a routine to hop on the Ferris wheel before their exams to refresh their minds. An old widow always takes a ride after shopping and reflects on her life. Why are people drawn to these enclosed capsules that simply go up and come back down? For 3 days, we spoke to the people as they take this 15-minute journey up to the sky.

An hour's drive from Osaka, Mt. Kongo is the perfect mountain for a casual hike. Attracting many visitors is a live webcam located at the mountain top. The webcam captures a photo once an hour, and the image is posted on Mt. Kongo's website. Some people have made it a daily routine to be punctually photographed at their preferred hour. There's even a family that uses the camera as a way to indirectly communicate with their son who has become distant. Others meet for the first time in front of the camera, and become friends. We spent 3 days with people coming and going on the mountain top as they preserve a single moment of their lives on camera.

Long-haul truckers work and even sleep in their vehicles. A truck stop near a major distribution hub in Kyushu offers drivers a meal, bath and place to relax during grueling journeys across Japan. Truckers taking a break here include a female driver who has decorated her vehicle into what she calls "her home", and 3 work buddies who meet every Friday to go drinking. A former businessman who says that the truck driving job was meant for him, drops in before setting off on a 1,200-kilometer journey. Driving is lonely at times, but at others it offers total freedom. For 3 days, we spoke to the drivers about their passion for the job and their trucks.

One of the largest mosques in Japan, Tokyo Camii is a gathering place for followers of Islam living in Tokyo. People from over 50 countries come here to pray: a Pakistani who married a Japanese woman, a Japanese who became a Muslim, and an Indonesian student who came to Japan to pursue his dream. People interested in Islamic culture also visit the mosque. They include those who come with a guidebook in hand and those who are interested in taking an Arabic calligraphy class. We spent 3 days filming the daily life of this mosque.