Hometown Stories

The "Matsuage" fire festival in Kyoto was admired by essayist Masako Shirasu. In her travelogue titled "Kakure-zato", she described it as "the most touching festival scene that I've ever observed". In this program, actress Mayu Tsuruta visits the festival and reports very expressively on "the dance of flames" that moved Masako Shirasu so deeply.

This program describes a simple, rustic event called "The Mountain God Piggyback" that has been handed down since time immemorial in a snowy mountain village in Yamagata Prefecture. Carrying the local shrine's object of worship on their shoulders, children make house-to-house visits in the area, so that the local people can offer up their prayers to the deity.

This program shows how ancient religious practices survive on the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita Prefecture, regarded as the home of the Buddha, and long known as a site for ascetic mountain training. Last year, during a "Mineiri" religious austerity being practiced for the first time in a decade, around 20 ascetics dressed in white made a pilgrimage that included crossing ten mountain ridges.

A picturesque town with a slumping economy was torn by the lure of nuclear energy. Should the people accept the construction of a nuclear power plant, in the hope it will help fund their future? Or continue to struggle in bountiful nature, free of the risks of radiation? We get a close look at their 40-year dilemma.

At the end of each summer, for a brief period, part of this mountain becomes a "forest of light" from mysterious lights emitted by mushrooms, fallen leaves, and tree trunks. Last summer, a team of scientists stepped into the forest to uncover its luminous mysteries.

A veteran watchmaker on an island in Hiroshima Prefecture repairs virtually any old watch or clock, even those that no one else can fix. People take their treasured timepieces to the mechanical magician - whether they're anniversary gifts, keepsakes from father, or antiques from ancestors. He resurrects not only clocks, but priceless memories as well.

What can junior high school students do in the face of a tsunami that destroys their home village? Seventeen junior high schoolers from Tanabe address this question by visiting Kamaishi, which was decimated by a tsunami in March 2011. They find that their peers in Kamaishi saved lives by helping elderly people and small children get to high ground. During their 3-day study tour, they wrestle with questions such as how to help the elderly evacuate, and how to rescue people without self-endangerment.

The tiny village of Kanedani lies in the mountains of Shimane Prefecture. With ongoing depopulation, the community has dwindled to just three women in their 70s and 80s. The village boasts 400 cherry trees that were planted 25 years ago in hopes of attracting tourists. People come from all around to view the flowers every spring at the day-long Cherry Blossom Festival. This year, the three remaining residents invite ex-villagers to gather one more time, while they still can. Many memories of village life are depicted beneath blossoming cherry trees.

Facing steady decline through aging and depopulation, one Japanese island community chose to tackle the risk of disappearance by reopening its only school. We follow the progress over the project's first year, and see children return fun and purpose to the lives of the island's elderly residents. Changes in the community as a whole are mirrored by the fortunes of one young family striving to make a success of their move from the mainland and embrace the charms of island living.

Southeast of Osaka Airport runs a river embankment where airplanes swoop less than 100 meters overhead. Sleek, thundering jets that pass with a rush of wind make for a heart-pounding sight. Regulars come every day to this spot: a man fighting cancer; a woman who lost custody of her children as she suffered depression; people with complex troubles. As they look up at the sky together watching the planes, they form a community that gives them the courage to move forward in their lives.

In Hiroshima 70 years after the atomic bomb, many survivors' belongings have been inherited: items they wore the day of the bomb, diaries and more. Some families are coming to terms with this legacy for the first time, and want to pass it on. This year Arei Shirakami, age 41, read the diary of her grandfather, who died 17 years ago, for the first time. It shows a side of him she never knew. Feeling regret that she long ignored his story, she makes an emotional journey into her family's past.

Hashikami Junior High School's class of 2011 graduated just after the devastating 3.11 earthquake and tsunami, in a school gym housing refugees. There should have been 57 students, but 3 fell victim to the disaster. The survivors are now 20 years old, right on the cusp of adulthood. How have they come to terms with the loss of friends and family at the age of just 15? And how has this changed their plans for adulthood? This program reviews 5 years lived in the shadow of the tsunami.

The All Japan High School Cultural Festival is like a national arts championship. We follow the efforts of Osaka's Akutagawa High School taiko team, which includes every junior and senior, to win the top prize in taiko drumming. More drummers add impact, but it's hard to keep everyone in sync. The program spends 2 months with typical Japanese teenagers who sometimes struggle to speak up and address problems openly. We'll watch their personal growth as the competition looms.

Mt. Daisen, a peak in central Japan, is celebrating its 80th anniversary as a national park. 5th and 6th graders at the Daisen Elementary School took recording devices and video cameras into the park to make a music video about the mountain. Leading them is Shinya Kiyokawa, a cutting-edge musician who makes music out of natural sounds. He won a Gold Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. We followed Kiyokawa and the children for 4 months: from initial meeting to the unveiling of the video. Discover the children's thoughts on Daisen and their hometown, their feelings about what they record, and how they choose to share their work.

Every spring, large numbers of tourists come to the Gongendo Park in the city of Satte, Saitama Prefecture to view the 1,000 cherry blossoms, stretching to a length of 1 kilometer. The trees, originally planted in the early 20th century was cut down and used for fuel during and after World War II. Since those times, the cherry trees have been replanted and tended with great care by Satte's residents. One tree in particular, brought from a town in Fukushima Prefecture, has taken on a special meaning for Fukushima natives displaced to Satte after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

At the southern end of the Kujukurihama coastline in Chiba Prefecture is Ichinomiya, one of Japan's top surfing spots, and home to many surf devotees. Here, local teenagers take to the waves each day to hone their skills in the build-up to a competition. A young man who put the stress and strain of life in Tokyo behind him now makes a living as a farmer, close to the waves that drew him to the area. And a surf competition organized by a local restaurant marks its 20th anniversary. In Ichinomiya, we meet people whose lives are shaped by their shared love of the ocean.

Until he retired in 2016, Kentaro Yoshioka was a professional snowboarder and Japan's national champion. Now, he manages a small-scale daycare center in Sapporo, Hokkaido, that looks after children between 0 and 3 years old. Since making this dramatic career change, Yoshioka has been aiming for the top in childcare as well. In the 10 months since the facility opened, he has done whatever he can to make his daycare center the best in Japan. One activity he has organized uses his background as a professional athlete to help the children develop their athletic abilities. However, his tendency to leap straight into action when he gets an idea sometimes causes headaches for other staff members.

At 51, Mayumi Yamada, a single mother with 2 adult children, was diagnosed with early onset dementia. Now, daily tasks such as dressing are getting harder. At first, Mayumi couldn't accept her diagnosis and retreated into solitude. But she learned that if she reached out, people would gladly offer help. With support from her kids and others around her, she has formed new bonds and is helping others with dementia. Her disease is progressing, but Mayumi is living life to the fullest, with a smile.

Kozue Eda runs a company in Oita City in southwestern Japan that specializes in sorting through the possessions of the deceased, but it is more than mementos and personal treasures that she uncovers. The 29-year-old carefully checks every nook and cranny as she searches for cherished items to pass on to the bereaved family. When she was a high school student, Eda had to care for her ill mother, which derailed her efforts to get into a university of her choice and find full-time work. After hopping between several part-time jobs, Eda stumbled on her current career. Sorting through the belongings of people who have passed away has helped Eda come to terms with her own life. In this episode, we follow Eda as she goes through the possessions of a deceased 94-year-old woman and makes some unexpected discoveries.

Honami Enya was an ambitious go-getter at a famous architectural firm -- that is, until she overworked herself and fell ill. It was during her leave of absence that she discovered the world of public bathhouses and was healed by them, body and soul. On a whim, she drew one bathhouse and posted it on social media. Her bathhouse illustrations eventually attracted so much interest online that she now has her own magazine column. Her working style is drastically different from before: she works at a bathhouse twice a week and uses her free time to work on new illustrations. She says that she is happy with her slow-paced and peaceful life -- we follow her to see what it's like.

How can Japanese schools cope with increasing numbers of children of foreign workers? And how can these children overcome the barriers they face? One school, where a fifth of the students have foreign nationalities, has taken proactive steps to help integrate these students. We follow Yuka, a new arrival from Brazil, who knows no Japanese and struggles to break out of her shell so she can join the life of the school.

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-old operates her business from an Osaka Prefecture apartment and provides a wide array of wigs, dresses, and other clothing. Her expert makeup skills complete her customers' transformation, which she then captures on camera. Inoue began wearing makeup as a third-grader and used it to conceal her feelings of insecurity about her appearance. A request by a friend to apply makeup as a joke opened her eyes to a new career. This episode takes a look at Inoue's interactions with the men who come to her as they seek to "free their inner self."

As a teen, Shin-ya Narusawa became a reclusive shut-in for 6 years, until a cosmic event rekindled his interest in astronomy. Now, at an observatory in central Japan, he's a top expert on extraterrestrial intelligence. In addition, he leads stargazing tours for visitors more than 100 times a year. His mission to share the wonders of the universe was inspired by the passion of a late colleague. "Each little dot has a personality," says Shin-ya, whose own life has been guided by the stars. "Each one is different. Each one is good."

Paralyzed in his lower legs and hands, Takeshi Kukizaki, 68, grows azaleas and runs an azalea garden in Kagoshima City, southwest Japan. 19 years ago, while working at a company, he was suddenly struck by a serious neurological disorder. Suffering from severe aftereffects, he even contemplated suicide. It was azaleas, flowers he had long cherished, that restored his will to live. After leaving the hospital, Takeshi opened his garden and now uses his flowers to give hope and courage to others.

On weekends, customers flock to this traditional restaurant in Murayama city in northeast Japan for a unique taste of soba noodles served on a wooden board. But in February 2019, after the 3rd-generation chef of the restaurant fell ill, his son, Kohei, suddenly had to fill his shoes. Through trial and error, he struggles to master the milling of buckwheat seeds, previously his father's job. As the new fresh-soba season draws near, the family strives to preserve a taste that goes back 100 years.

A newcomer to a small mountain hamlet called Kurata turns heads, because nearly everywhere she goes, she runs. Her name is Yuki, and she has come to help revitalize the aging community. Young and energetic, she's full of ideas for doing this. But her plans lack one key element -- getting residents involved. Figuring out how to do this forces Yuki to rethink her approach. As she struggles to find a way, she runs.

Minami Shintaro is a young man with a special knack of attracting people. He runs a guest house in Seto City in central Japan, renowned as a major producer of ceramics. But the Covid-19 pandemic led to a sharp decline in guests. Also, an annual ceramics festival, the town's biggest tourist attraction, was canceled. But he never gives up. He launched a project called "Seto People-Tour" to revitalize the community by connecting people while avoiding close-contact settings. Life during the pandemic calls for distance between people, yet he is trying to connect them. We wanted to know why.

Yamazaki Takashi runs Bethesda, a support center in Hokkaido Prefecture for people in need. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he has noticed a trend -- more people in white-collar jobs are in dire straits. Bethesda's late founder, Manabe Chikako, began the nonprofit in 2009 to save as many lives as possible. Takashi continues that mission, providing a safe haven with 3 free meals a day, so people can make a fresh start. We follow Takashi for 5 months as he works to help residents, and receives shocking news about the founder's son.

Sake from Fukushima Prefecture has swept up gold medals in a nationwide contest for new brews. A researcher who's played a key role in improving the local sake is Suzuki Kenji, known as the "god of sake." He's introduced scientific data to local master brewers, who once relied on experience and intuition. Now, he's developing a new style in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We follow Suzuki as he makes the rounds of local breweries during the frigid Fukushima winter.

Hoboku, a non-profit organization in southwestern Japan, has provided support for homeless people and others in need for over 30 years. Okuda Tomoshi, a pastor, leads the group. Its many efforts to help those left behind by society include running a soup kitchen and visiting people on the streets at night. Working for Hoboku, many of the NPO's employees in their 20s and 30s have found their life's purpose, along with help and guidance from the people they encounter. We look at the deep bonds that have developed between the homeless and these young people.

Sorachi is an energetic three-year-old boy who lives in Hokkaido Prefecture with his father and mother. Sorachi's conversations at home are a little different from those of other families. He communicates through spoken words as well as sign language because both his parents are deaf. However, Sorachi still doesn't understand what it means to be unable to hear. This is the heartwarming story of a loving father and mother who do their best to communicate with their son and build strong bonds together.

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.

There's a Korean restaurant in Northeastern Japan run by a woman from South Korea. She moved to the area over 30 years ago to marry a Japanese man. We follow her as she connects with local people.

A shuttered elementary school reopened for just one family that moved back to their beloved hometown. We look at their joys and struggles, and local efforts to enliven a small fishing settlement.

There is a mosque in western Japan where local Muslims gather to pray and seek help when they are troubled. For them, the mosque is like a second home that provides happiness and emotional support.

Summer 2024 marked the 10th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. Ontake, Japan's worst volcanic disaster since the end of WWII. We follow bereaved family members who joined this year's memorial climb.

Fuga is a professional frame maker who offers clients the chance to display treasured items in custom-made frames. Meet some of the families that are preserving their precious memories.

In a remote Japanese village, people have long used bulls for farming and in a unique form of competition. But as the local population shrinks, the future of this beloved ritual seems uncertain.

In northern Japan, a senior esports team with an average age of 69 is aiming high. Pushed relentlessly by their coach, more than 30 years their junior, they dream of competing in a world championship.

Despite earthquakes and isolation, the people of Akusekijima Island work to uphold local traditions, including the mysterious Boze deities. A new generation is helping to keep those traditions alive.

An energetic mix of brewers strives to enliven the sake scene in Tochigi Prefecture, a place not well known for its breweries. With pride and innovation, they bring new life to an ancient tradition.