Yuki, a recent arrival in the quiet mountain village of Kurata, drew glances wherever she went, a consequence of her constant motion. She had come with a fervent purpose: to breathe new life into the fading community. Young and brimming wit…

Minami Shintaro possesses an uncommon ability to draw people to him. He operates a guest house in Seto City, a place celebrated throughout Japan for its ceramics. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought a steep drop in visitors, and the town…

In Hokkaido Prefecture, Yamazaki Takashi directs Bethesda, a support center for those facing hardship. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified a troubling trend: an increasing number of white-collar workers are finding themselves in desperate c…

In the heart of Japan, two seventeen-year-old high school students, Nagano Haruki and Okuda Sho, have exchanged letters roughly every two weeks since 2017. Their correspondence began when Haruki was diagnosed with a persistent eye ailment r…

What becomes of a town's memories when its people depart? On the coast of Okuma Town, a poignant story unfolds. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, scarred by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, forced a mass evacuation. Though some r…

In western Japan, Yasui Hiroyuki serves as both a junior-high school teacher and the rugby coach. Guided by the principle of "One Team," he inspires his students to find strength in unity during the coronavirus pandemic. The day after the e…

Deguchi Haruaki’s extensive career in business, culminating in his current role as head of a Japanese university, has been marked by its share of difficulties. These experiences have fostered in him a distinctive approach to navigating hard…

In northern Japan, Hirosaki Park stands as a premier destination for viewing cherry blossoms. Here, the trees bloom with a fullness and proximity unmatched anywhere else. This profusion of striking pink flowers is achieved through the regio…

In Saga Prefecture, the Galapagos serves as a haven, offering after-school support for children with special needs. It extends a welcome to those with challenging behaviors who have elsewhere found themselves unwelcome. Founder Koyanagi Yuk…

Ostomates are individuals who, due to medical conditions or disabilities, require a pouch connected to their abdomen to collect waste. Approximately 210,000 people in Japan currently live with this need, yet awareness of their existence rem…

For a quarter of a century, Murabayashi Shingo has been a fixture in the kitchen of a high school cooking class – a legend, really. An exceptional teacher, demanding yet deeply supportive, he has guided countless young cooks toward the skil…

No matter one's age, a new hairstyle can rekindle a sense of inner vitality. In Toyama Prefecture, a dedicated team of stylists brings their services to those elderly individuals who find it difficult to reach a salon. They craft the styles…

In the summer of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world, the thousand-year-old Gion Festival, traditionally held around Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto Prefecture, faced the prospect of cancellation. But Kitamura Norio, a dedicated worship…

For generations, the indigenous Ainu people thrived in a delicate balance with the natural world, maintaining a distinct and vibrant culture. However, the arrival of Japanese settlers in their ancestral lands—now Hokkaido—imposed a shift. T…

For generations, the Ainu people thrived in balance with the natural world, maintaining a distinct and vibrant culture. However, the arrival of Japanese settlers in their ancestral lands – now Hokkaido – brought a profound shift. Faced with…

In Kanazawa, a city in central Japan, Morita Kazuo remains a sought-after sushi chef at the age of eighty-nine. With seven decades of experience, his movements are assured with a knife, and his hand precise in shaping each grain of rice. Hi…

In Japan, a team of engineering students faced a demanding task: to construct a robot designed to evoke joy for a highly competitive national event. The COVID-19 pandemic presented formidable hurdles, imposing strict deadlines and restricti…

In southwestern Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture, a unique phenomenon exists: two baseball teams dedicated to children with developmental disorders. These children often struggle with impulse control and intense emotions, facing challenges in soc…

This program explores the lives of two remarkable people, charting their daily challenges and moments of victory. Kumehara Keitaro, a champion of the traditional Japanese card game Karuta, has achieved unparalleled success through a uniquel…

The Kuzuryu River, a defining feature of Fukui Prefecture in central Japan, is known locally as "the raging river" for its frequent floods. Yet, its inhabitants also cherish the abundance it provides. We documented a five-kilometer section …

Those facing significant mental and physical disabilities frequently exist apart from the wider world, confined to homes or medical institutions. In Fukuoka City, a distinctive living arrangement seeks to alter this reality. Four residents …

Fujiya Ami identifies as LGBT+, rejecting categorization as either male or female and lacking romantic inclinations toward others. Having worked in Tokyo presenting as a woman, Ami found the pretense untenable and relocated to a small commu…

Even before the catastrophe of 2020, the population of Kuma Village had been steadily dwindling. Unrelenting rains and subsequent floods rendered the settlement uninhabitable, compelling its residents to evacuate. Now, as the community stri…

Toyosu Market is a cornerstone of Japan's vibrant culinary traditions. Each day, it receives enormous shipments of fish and seafood, a portion of which finds its way to the city's most celebrated restaurants. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has …

Matsuzaki Atsuko, a culinary specialist of some renown in southwestern Japan, is a woman of ninety-four years, formerly a professor of culinary science. She is celebrated for her pressed mackerel sushi and other dishes designed for sharing …

With the final journey in March of 2021, the Akita Rinkai Railway Line vanished from the landscape of Akita Prefecture, a familiar presence lost to time. The narrow freight track, a mere five point four kilometers in length, had maintained …

Kuroi Akio had harbored a lifelong resentment toward his father. Keijiro possessed considerable physical strength, yet seemed diminished, reliant on assistance for even the simplest of tasks. At twenty, Keijiro was consumed by the brutal re…

In the heart of Japan, within a modest workshop in Minokamo City, a steady stream of requests arrives from all corners of the country: garments in need of repair. Here, the ancient art of *kaketsugi*, or invisible mending, is practiced, bre…