Season 8 (2019)

Finding Happiness in Bathhouses
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January 6, 2019

Honami Enya was an ambitious go-getter at a famous architectural firm -- that is, until she overworked herself and fell ill. It wa...Read more

Yuka and Her New Classmates
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January 20, 2019

How can Japanese schools cope with increasing numbers of children of foreign workers? And how can these children overcome the barr...Read more

From Handsome to Beautiful
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February 3, 2019

Imari Inoue is a makeup artist who specializes in a niche group of customers - men who want to try dressing as women. The 28-year-...Read more

"Super Volunteer": Driven to Help in Disasters
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February 10, 2019

Haruo Obata, 78, gained nationwide fame in summer 2018 when he found a missing 2-year-old boy during a search operation in southwe...Read more

Drawing to Find a New Me
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February 17, 2019

Using an extra fine point pen, the Japanese artist Aju creates stunning drawings of Tokyo landscapes and other big cities. The sce...Read more

For the Love of Lettering
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March 3, 2019

Kichiya Tachibana is a calligrapher specializing in "yose moji," a type of lettering with roots dating back around 150 years. The ...Read more

Sharing Their Stories
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March 10, 2019

Young survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan have been opening up about their experiences. They're spe...Read more

Fukushima Ramen: Bowlful of Spirit
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March 17, 2019

In Fukushima Prefecture, a simple dish is giving people the power to rebuild from the 2011 disaster. One woman found not just a ca...Read more

Stories of Fukushima: Giving Their All
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March 24, 2019

A young man from Fukushima Prefecture took his love of baseball to Nicaragua, where he helped create the country's first female ba...Read more

The Revival of "Mikan Valley"
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April 6, 2019

In July 2018, torrential rains in western Japan devastated decades-old mikan groves. Particularly hard hit was a remote hamlet. No...Read more

A Geisha in Nara: Bridging Past and Future
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April 20, 2019

Kikuno has devoted herself to the life of a geisha since the age of 15. She lives in Nara Prefecture's entertainment district, onc...Read more

Yuko Kuroda's Legacy of Care
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May 4, 2019

Yuko Kuroda dedicated herself to helping disaster victims live healthy, independent lives. She worked hard to understand their ind...Read more

A Community in the Sky
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May 18, 2019

High in the mountains of Tokushima Prefecture on Japan's Shikoku Island are small communities known as "sora." The residents enjoy...Read more

Praying for Flowers, Praying for Life
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June 8, 2019

Videographer Koichi Hozan has terminal cancer, yet he continues filming the landscape of Nara Prefecture in Japan. His collection ...Read more

Serving Up Memories
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June 22, 2019

A Japanese New Year's dish someone's mother used to make. Stewed meat and potatoes, full of a grandma's love. Miyuki Munekawa is a...Read more

A 26-Year-Old's Breast Cancer Diary
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July 13, 2019

Miki Yakata, a former member of an all-girl Japanese idol group, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 26, and underwent surgery...Read more

Two Worlds, One Dream: Vying for Powerlifting Glory
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July 20, 2019

Pia Laophakdee is a young para powerlifter who is determined to change perceptions of disabled people in his home country, Laos. C...Read more

Where Are My Roots? - One Orphan's Search
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August 3, 2019

During World War II, over 120,000 children in Japan were orphaned. Many of them never knew their parents' names or what they looke...Read more

A Late Dreamer
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August 17, 2019

Ayako spent more than 2 decades in a psychiatric hospital after being diagnosed with schizophrenia in her mid-20's. At the age of ...Read more

Why We Dance - Children's Kagura Troupe
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September 14, 2019

Devastating rains hit western Japan in July 2018, nearly wiping out a community's cherished tradition - a children's troupe perfor...Read more

Fukushima's Grandpa Troop: Restoring a Deserted Town
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September 21, 2019

Spring 2019 saw the return of some of the former residents of Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture who had evacuated due to high radia...Read more

Home for Good - Health Care at the End of Life
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October 5, 2019

In a remote Japanese village, elderly residents have a common dream: to end their last days in their hometown, surrounded by famil...Read more

Welcome to Maru-chan's Café
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October 19, 2019

There is a café in a residential area of Nagoya City that attracts people of all ages and backgrounds, from children to the elderl...Read more

A Will to Survive
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November 2, 2019

For more than 4 decades, Fumie Murakami has suffered from a mysterious illness that was finally diagnosed as Minamata disease. Cau...Read more

Soap That Gives Hope
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November 16, 2019

Colorful fruit-shaped soap, handmade near Tokyo by people with disabilities, has become a big seller. The workers vary in their de...Read more

Paddling Our Hometown Lake
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December 7, 2019

At a small elementary school on Lake Biwa, kayaking is part of the curriculum. The culmination of the students' training comes in ...Read more

The Bounty of the Mountains
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December 21, 2019

The Tateyama mountain range in north-eastern Japan is known for its vibrant mountain scenery, drawing nearly a million tourists a ...Read more