2020 (2020)

Back to season list
Giving a Lift to Traditional Festivals: Matsuri Revivalist - Manabu Ohara
0.0

January 22, 2020 • 28m

Year round, Japan plays host to an estimated 300 thousand matsuri. But dwindling rural populations and weakened community bonds no...Read more

Aiming for Accessibility: Barrier-Free App Developer - Yuriko Oda
0.0

February 26, 2020 • 28m

As Japan prepares for the Tokyo 2020's big events, efforts are underway to prepare for the arrival of international athletes and s...Read more

Rescuing Doomed Dishes: Anti-Food Waste Pioneer - Kazuma Kawagoe
0.0

March 11, 2020 • 28m

In Japan, over 6 million tons of food, much of it perfectly edible, go to waste every year. To combat this, Kazuma Kawagoe develop...Read more

Japan's Holy Hotels: Temple Hotel Innovators - Mai Sato & Shunko Umino
0.0

March 25, 2020 • 28m

In Japan, a new kind of hotel is giving visitors from around the world the chance to experience Buddhist culture firsthand. Due to...Read more

Second-Chance Society: Social Entrepreneur - Kawaguchi Kana
0.0

May 13, 2020 • 28m

In Osaka, Japan's second-largest city, one NPO is working with the homeless to help them get back on their feet. Founder Kawaguchi...Read more

Progress through Programming: E-Learning Innovator - Mizuno Yusuke
0.0

July 22, 2020 • 28m

Widespread school closures due to COVID-19 have thrust online learning resources into the spotlight. In Japan, one such service of...Read more

AI - Leveling the Educational Playing Field: E-Learning Innovator - Yunokawa Takahiko
0.0

July 29, 2020 • 28m

In March 2020, to curb the spread of COVID-19, schools across Japan were urged to close, prompting widespread fears that children ...Read more

Showcasing Tokyo's Technical Treasures: Business Matching Innovator - Furukawa Taku
0.0

August 12, 2020 • 28m

Small scale, specialist technical workshops, or "machikoba," have long been a lynchpin of Japanese manufacturing. But without the ...Read more

Hot Springs IoTernal: Agricultural Innovator - Kodama Norihiro
0.0

August 26, 2020 • 28m

With its many volcanoes, Japan has the world's third-highest potential for geothermal energy. In 1984, Hachimantai, Iwate Pref. op...Read more

Food Flow and the Future of Farming: Agricultural Logistics Innovator - Kato Yuriko
0.0

September 16, 2020 • 28m

Japan's food supply chain has long followed a model of mass production for mass consumption, with produce from farmers nationwide ...Read more

Weaving a Textile Network for the New Normal: Textile Industry Innovator - Tani Hideki
0.0

September 30, 2020 • 28m

In spring 2020, with Japan facing a shortage of protective gowns for medical staff battling COVID-19, one 18-employee apparel firm...Read more

Rise of the Kitchen Robots: Catering Robot Pioneer - Sawanobori Tetsuya
0.0

October 21, 2020 • 28m

In recent years, tough working conditions for often-modest pay have brought serious staff shortages for Japan's food service secto...Read more

Fighting Infection by Controlling the Three Cs: Systems Innovator - Kawano Takanobu
0.0

November 18, 2020 • 28m

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan has placed great emphasis on avoiding the Three Cs: closed spaces, crowding and close cont...Read more

Bringing a “Can-Do” Spirit to Specialty Produce: Preserved Food Pioneer - Inoue Kazuma
0.0

December 9, 2020 • 28m

Follow a pioneering Kyoto-based firm that boosts producers across Japan by canning local specialty foods. Under the motto "bringin...Read more

Food Trucking the Blues Away: Mobile Dining Innovator - Ishizawa Masayoshi
0.0

December 23, 2020 • 28m

COVID-19 has hit restaurants hard. Faced with steady running costs despite low sales, some are turning to kitchen cars as a soluti...Read more