Document 72 Hours

The Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival was held in the middle of Tokyo. The moment when people living in different parts of the metropolis stop moving for a moment and look up at the same fireworks. What thoughts go through their minds? This film looks at the 72 hours between the preparation for the event and the start of normal life again.

The “Yamatani” area, once known as the “workers' town,” is now about to be transformed into a hub for foreign travelers. Word of mouth has spread about the inexpensive 2,500 yen per night simple lodging, and now there are even lodgings where 90% of the guests are foreign nationals. French people are crazy about Japanese youth fashion. An Englishman says Akihabara is his mecca. Accompanying foreign tourists who tour Tokyo while sleeping and waking in a room of only 2 tatami mats, we will explore the charms and wonders of Japan that Japanese people do not see.

Express buses connect Tokyo and regional cities at the lowest fares. The Yaesu South Exit of Tokyo Station is the largest express bus terminal in Japan, with more than 70 routes from Aomori in the north to Shimonoseki in the south. The purpose of the passengers varies. Wives and children who have come to see their husbands who have moved away from home. An elderly couple traveling around Japan for the last time in their lives. Couples who are reluctant to part from a long-distance relationship.... The camera is set up at an express bus terminal over a three-day weekend, and the film explores each passenger's earnest "reason for traveling.

Many people purchase “year-end jumbo lottery tickets” in hopes of winning a fortune. One of the most famous ticket offices is located in Nishi-Ginza. The five jumbo lotteries held there in 2006 produced 16 millionaires. For the year-end jumbo lottery, which attracts the largest number of buyers every year, there is a long line of more than 1,000 people. What kind of dreams do people place on 300 million yen? We pick up the dramas of each of the buyers who visited the site during the three days from the first day of the sale.

A batting center that is popular and pressed by game centers and manga cafes. However, there are regulars who swing the bat every day with the aim of becoming the "home run king" there. At the batting center in Osaka's Shinsaibashi, 24 and 70 have competed for the top spot. Why do they keep hitting for the sake of "honor" that can be said to be self-satisfied? Follow the human condition of the batting center at the end of the year for seventy-two hours.

An indispensable cake for the Christmas family. Convenience stores are rapidly increasing their sales. A convenience store that has spread all over Japan with convenience that can be prepared for everything from food to daily necessities. It is now possible to support family events once a year. What does the change reflect? It is a major chain that closely follows convenience stores in Ibaraki and Kasama City, which boasts the largest sales of Christmas cakes in the Kanto region, and approaches the lives of visitors.

Over a year after the disaster, we closely follow the Adatara service area, the gateway to Tohoku. Volunteers, travelers, weekend racers, and families returning home for the first time in decades. What are the thoughts of the people who happen to pass by? And where are they headed?

The film is set in Shin-Okubo, a sacred place for the Korean Wave. Surrounded by handsome cafes and other stores, there is a fruit and vegetable store that is used 24 hours a day by people who have immigrated from abroad. People from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and everywhere in between. They all have different dreams for the future, important family members, and various other concerns. There is a human touch to the downtown area that Japanese people have almost forgotten.

The stage is an onigiri restaurant in Sapporo Susukino, the most downtown area in Hokkaido. People who come around for twenty-four hours in search of a taste of fresh rice and warmth. In the midst of the recession that still covers the countryside, salaried workers who have been cut bonuses and young people in the water business who are thinking about the future discuss the truth and regain their smiles.

The setting is a 24-hour flower store in Shinjuku Kabukicho, Tokyo. Who comes to buy flowers late at night and under what circumstances? An unfulfilled wish for a one-sided love. A thank-you note to a mentor approaching retirement. A surprise for his wife who is expecting a new baby. The graduation ceremony of a mother who has been studying on her own, or the parting of friends who have worked hard together to achieve their dreams. People live their lives today by entrusting flowers with feelings that cannot be conveyed in words alone.

Shibuya Station in Tokyo is used by 3 million people every day. Overnight, the platform of the Toyoko Line, a private railway line, was moved from the second floor above ground to the fifth floor below ground. The platform, which has a history of 85 years, holds many memories. People watched the last train leave the station with cheers. It is a tribute to a time that will never return.

A small, standing kushikatsu store that is attached to the wall of an underground passageway in Osaka's Umeda Station, it is always packed, sometimes with a long line of customers. The restaurant is always packed, and sometimes there is even a line of people waiting to get in. The customers, who are not related to each other, rub shoulders with each other at the counter, and soon become friends. They discuss their work problems, their families, and their hopes and fears for tomorrow. As their moods change, they are strangely empowered to face the challenges of tomorrow.

As the recession continues to hit Hokkaido, Japan, a small pro wrestling group fights an uphill battle to energize the prefecture. The group was started about 10 years ago by a pro wrestling-loving salesman who became saddened at the plight of his home prefecture. Since then, the wrestlers have toured Hokkaido to conduct morale-boosting events, even as they have struggled to make a profit. It is now December, and the group is preparing for its 3-day winter event. They will tour Yubari where the local government has gone bankrupt and 2 other cities. This program captures the wrestling group as it travels from town to town, raising the spirits of a local population that actively supports each other so that they can all get by.

In 2013, one of Japan's largest "sharehouse" or shared-living apartment houses, opened in Tokyo. It can accommodate 260 people. Open to men, women and couples, it instantly reached full occupancy. There are aspiring artists, foreigners on short-term stays for work or study...people with all sorts of ambitions. In the evenings, in the common spaces, strangers lend each other a sympathetic ear. Parallel lives, intersecting lives: we encounter a variety in the course of 3 days spent getting to know the denizens of this remarkable establishment.

An “Entrepreneur Contest” was held last year under the auspices of a global IT company to discover talents who can give shape to innovative ideas more quickly. The duration of the contest was three days and two nights. Participants were divided into teams and worked frantically to come up with new ideas, and then worked tirelessly to brush up their ideas for a presentation on the final day of the contest. The contest not only tests the participants' ability to come up with ideas, but also their ability to coordinate and execute their teams. If they win the competition, they will advance to the world competition and can expect to receive funding from sponsors. This is a coming-of-age story of young people struggling to achieve success.

3,400 babies per year. In Kumamoto Prefecture, well known for Kumamon, there is an obstetrics and gynecology clinic that boasts the highest number of births in Japan. Mothers fight day and night against labor pains and give birth to a new life with all their might. The program set up a camera in the waiting room of such a hospital to listen to the voices of families anxiously awaiting the birth of their newborns. A young father weeps in the hallway, nervous and moved. A little brother is bewildered by the arrival of his new family. The story of each family member who can only watch over their mother, but pray hard for the birth. 　

At the end of last year, the long-established bowling alley “Milano Bowl” in front of the Shinjuku Koma Theater closed its 47-year history. It had gained popularity for its all-night hours of operation until 6:00 a.m., but its closure was decided due to a decline in the bowling population that could not be halted. People gather to lament the last days of the bowling alley. Young people drop by to say goodbye after a night of drinking. Elderly men come first thing in the morning. Some are in tears when they learn for the first time that the restaurant is closing.... And those who met by chance at the bowling alley played the "last game.

At Christmastime in Sakae, a busy district of Nagoya, people are rushing to an unexpected place: the lost and found office, where items left on buses and subways are collected. Each year more than 100,000 articles are turned in, ranging from the usual umbrellas and gloves to the amazing, like dentures and wooden grave tablets. The office's storage is awash with items forgotten by Christmas shoppers and year-end partygoers. Who will retrieve them? Hear some of the stories behind the lost articles.

The stage is set at a 24-hour tonkatsu restaurant in Yokohama's entertainment district. From early morning to late at night, people from all walks of life come to scarf down the meat. A man is on his way to the neon district to get himself in shape. A cabaret girl who has come to finish off her drink. There are also men taking a break at dawn after working all night. The year 2015 was filled with flashy news, such as soaring prices of condominiums and increased profits of major corporations. How are people celebrating the end of the year? We spent three days at a tonkatsu restaurant in a nightless city, looking at the human condition of people in all their sorrows and joys. 　

Kappabashi Street in Tokyo is a place like no other in the world, with 170 shops that stock everything from cooking utensils to tableware. Here professional chefs inspect knife blades with discriminating eyes, and a young man stocks up on supplies for the noodle restaurant he's about to open. Others shop for pots, bowls and knives as they mark life's turning points with new homes, new families and new lives. We spent 3 days watching shoppers come and go in Japan's kitchen equipment capital.

As Christmas approaches, people flock to Sapporo's terminal for expressway buses that connect this major city with destinations across the vast prefecture of Hokkaido. From early morning until late at night, passengers travel on buses that offer attractive fares for those on a budget. Among them, a young man who traveled for 5 hours to spend Christmas time with his girlfriend; a woman who regularly makes a journey of several hundred kilometers to go and take care of her elderly mother; and a time-strapped businessman using an overnight bus as he departs on a business trip. For 3 midwinter days, we listened to the tales of the people starting or finishing journeys at this bus terminal.

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.

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?

Hanazono Shrine is located near Kabukicho in Shinjuku. In late November, just before the end of the year, the shrine grounds are bustling with activity. This is the “Tori no Ichi” festival, which attracts 600,000 visitors every year. People purchase rakes symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. As their businesses expand, companies continue to buy larger rakes each year. A self-made businessman says, “It's for peace of mind.” Families entrust their modest dreams to small rakes. Over three days, we listen to the wishes of merchants at this Shinjuku shrine, which has weathered the economic storms.

In a residential area in Koto Ward, Tokyo, is a bakery open 24 hours a day. Their Danish Bread, rich with butter and fresh cream, sells over 1,000 loaves each day. Many people come to buy this bread not only for themselves, but as gifts for others as well. From people sending it as a casual present to friends and family, to businessmen buying it as a thank-you gift, we spend 3 days looking at who buys this sweet, delicious bread.

It's midwinter at Tsugaru Strait, where a huge ferry connects the 120 kilometers between Aomori Prefecture and Hakodate, Hokkaido. With showers, a game center and even suite rooms with beds, the spacious ferry can carry 600 passengers. At the end of each year, crowds of people head back to their hometowns on this boat. From a father living away from his family for work, to a couple excited about their new life together, everyone has a different reason for crossing the strait. We spend 3 days traveling between Aomori and Hakodate, and take a look at the stories of the people we meet.

The setting is a 24-hour music studio in Shinjuku. Not only amateur musicians, but people of all ages and occupations come here. Office workers gather after work to prepare for a colleague's wedding reception. A group of housewives who used to be in a “girls' band.” Young people who are shy around others but love to sing. Who are they, what are their motivations, and what songs do they play? We spend three days immersed in the loud studio.

In this episode, the scene takes place at a so-called table-sharing lounge in Sendai City, where men and women of all ages and backgrounds come in the hope of finding someone special while they are matched with random strangers. The customers we encounter include a group of young women who say that there's a lack of men in their town, a hairstylist trying to get over a difficult breakup, and a 23-year-old farmer who wants to get married. The spread of social media has made it simple to contact someone in an instant, but many people we spoke to say they hardly meet anyone new in person. Who are they hoping to meet at this lounge? For 3 days around Christmas 2018, we follow the men and women trying to give Cupid a helping hand.

Since opening in 2015, Narita Airport's Terminal 3 for low-cost carriers has attracted more passengers each year as travelers swoop on the cheap airfares these airlines offer. Even though it lies about 600 meters from the nearest train station -- a bit of a challenge for people carrying bulky luggage -- around 20,000 people use this terminal every day. For 3 days in late December 2018, we spoke to people at this airport, including its 24-hour departure lobby and adjoining food court. As the year draws to a close, where will travelers fly off to?

A liquor store in Ginza, Tokyo, boasts a selection of over 3,000 types of mainly wine and whiskey from around the world, including a bottle that costs over 18,000 US dollars. Their tastings attract many drink lovers: customers can choose from over 1,000 bottles, with each sample glass costing just a few dollars. There, we meet a man who has a collection of over 100 types of whiskey at home and a proprietress of a bar who has survived 40 years of fierce competition. A Chinese company president-cum-sake sommelier who exports sake shares a nugget of wisdom: if you like it, it's a good drink, regardless of the price. For 3 days, we asked liquor store customers about their drink of choice.

In December, in the Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori, there is a unique entertainment district in the center of Mutsu City. With over 200 snack bars and restaurants, “Shinto Shrine Alley” has been beloved by locals for years. An elderly woman runs a small drinking spot, a fisherman's son serves freshly caught fish at a pub, and a young person who moved from the city opened a stylish bar. This entertainment district is home to diverse shop owners. As the harsh winter approaches, this is the story of people living resiliently in a small town.

A store in Akihabara, Japan's biggest electronics town, sells over 100,000 electronics parts, including resistors, capacitors and circuit boards. Around 1,000 people come to the store every day, from professional engineers to people who like to build their own electronics for fun. Among the people we meet are a musician who makes his own effects units; a graduate student who makes drones to take a break from job hunting; and a man whose hobby of fixing car audio systems has turned into a job. For 3 days, we peeked inside the store to find out what it is people come to buy and what they hope to create with it.

On a cold winter day in Japan, a piping-hot sweet potato baked so a natural sweet syrup oozes from its skin is hard to beat. An old-fashioned, no-frills shop in Ibaraki Prefecture sells these potatoes that warm the body and heart. Customers there include a woman sending potatoes as a gift; a mother buying a treat for her young daughter; and newlyweds sharing a potato and enjoying the simple things in life. For 3 days at the end of a year in which life was turned upside-down, we ask people about why they crave this simple, warming snack.

Tanga Market, a century-old market of 120 shops in western Japan, is known as the "kitchen of Kitakyushu." Although the market will soon be redeveloped, its old-fashioned charm keeps pulling in shoppers. Among the customers there were a man who feels at home at the market, even if he does not buy anything; an elderly woman grumbling about having to cook her son's meals; and a young couple bewitched by the variety of foods sold there. For 3 days in late December, we explored why this market remains so popular.

The Umihotaru parking area in the heart of Tokyo Bay offers 360-degree views of the surrounding area. Among the visitors we met over 3 days at the end of 2020 were a married couple who dropped plans to visit their distant hometowns over the New Year; a man who listens to pilots flying overhead communicating with air traffic controllers; and a couple who have been dating for less than a week braving the gale. At the end of a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, we asked visitors what is on their minds as they take in the ocean scenery.

The 200 students at a nursing college in Nara Prefecture, Japan, range from new high school graduates to people seeking a change in career. Among the students were a woman inspired by nurses who treated her in hospital; a woman who felt nursing would be more rewarding than her sales job; and first-year students preparing for a test they must pass before starting clinical training. For 3 days, we asked why nursing appealed to them as a career, especially while the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect society.

As 2021 draws to a close, workers in Tokyo's Shimbashi business district flock to a long-established western-style sweets shop famous for its cream puffs and other tasty delights. Among the customers were a boss buying treats for his hard-working subordinates; a construction worker treating himself after an exhausting day on the job; and a father buying a gift of appreciation for his family. For 3 days, we asked customers seeking a sweet treat if 2021 had been bitter or sweet for them.

In the fall of 2022, Musashino Art University in Tokyo welcomed the public to its annual art festival for the first time in three years to see paintings, sculptures and other artworks created by its students. The exhibitors included a group building a huge sculpture of a mythical creature; a puppet show club with a declining membership; and students feeling anxious about their future. For three days ahead of the festival, we watched the students putting the finishing touches on their creations.

Three old apartment buildings lined up near the Port of Osaka. Built in 1965, when the shipbuilding industry was thriving, about 70 households still live in these buildings. The apartments have a hangout where residents gather, and some even drink alcohol in the morning. An elderly woman who lost her husband and moved here a few years ago. A man chooses to live here alone so that his son and his family will not be troubled. There are couples who have lived here for more than 30 years because they feel comfortable here. In the midst of the changing times, we will spend three days looking at the days in the apartment, which continues to remain unchanged.

A small shop selling okonomiyaki savory pancakes and obanyaki cakes has become a staple for locals in a part of Kobe devastated by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. Among the customers fond of these dishes are friends who stop by while on a walk; a boy buying lunch and snacks for his family; and people who simply enjoy chatting with the staff. The shop was razed in the disaster, but the owner did his best to reopen as soon as possible. For three days, we talked to the customers and got a glimpse of the area's long road to recovery.

The setting is a “rental room” inn in Beppu, a hot spring resort. Accommodation is inexpensive. There is no formal service. But its mysterious charm attracts people. The inn began by renting out rooms to hot-spring cure guests, but now it attracts a wide variety of visitors, including a person who has been staying in a room for three years, two women who came for a trip before giving birth, and a man who continues to travel alone. There was also a couple who came for a hot-spring cure for an illness. For three days, we listened to the voices of visitors and wondered what they were thinking when they stayed in the rental rooms.

On the east side of Lake Biwa there's something simply known as "the bench." What goes on in the minds of visitors as they take a seat? We spent 3 days by this lakeside bench.

A community garden in Okayama City is a popular spot for people from all walks of life to try their hand at farming. For three days, we watched the produce and relationships they grew here.

Bananas called mackerel, tilapia, mutton, frogs and hot spices. The stage is a multinational food shop in Kinshicho, Tokyo. It is lined with ingredients from more than twenty countries, mainly in Asia, and people from various countries living in Japan visit. A man from Bangladesh who has been in Japan for forty years, but sometimes wants to eat his native food. A Vietnamese woman in her 20s who started working at a Japanese hotel last year. What do you eat in a foreign country in Japan and how do you live?

Many customers at a drive-through restaurant in Niigata Prefecture order "Italian" - fried noodles topped with meat sauce. For three days, we asked them why this comfort food always hits the spot.

The first series of hospitals!　A cake shop in a hospital that is rare in Japan. Nagasaki University Hospital has more than 870 beds. The shop is lined with strawberry and peach cakes, and visitors visit the clinic, including outpatients and hospitalized patients, accompanying families, and working doctors and nurses. A woman who has been in the hospital for many years and returns home every time she buys a cake for her family. After the surgery, parents and children buy to celebrate. A doctor who buys for his colleagues. Christmas at the hospital. What is everyone looking for for a cake?