Hometown Stories Season 7, Episode 14: Sharing Zao's Wonders

From the Slopes to the Playroom

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.

Living Positively with Dementia

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.

Uncovering Precious Life Stories

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.

Old House, New Hope

In July 2017, residents of a community in southwestern Japan were getting ready for a big day – the opening of a café they'd built inside a kominka, or traditional house. But then came torrential rains and a landslide that left everyone fearing for its fate. Miraculously, the old house survived. As they wrestled with uncertainties in their own lives, the residents had to make a choice: Should they give up on the café, or open it to bring people together and give the community a ray of hope?

Finding Poetry in Cancer

The shock of the first diagnosis. Fear of death. Anxiety and concern about friends and family. Cancer patients experience a range of complex emotions. Now, a Japanese hospital is helping them transform their feelings into senryu, a Japanese form of short poetry. A man expresses a lifetime of gratitude toward his wife. A woman uses humor to fight back against a serious illness. In this program, cancer patients find solace in just 17 syllables.

Once Lost, Now Found: A Brother's Journey Home

Ever since that day in March 2011, Yuta Naganuma had tried to distance himself from what happened. His younger brother was among 84 students and teachers who died when a massive tsunami hit Okawa Elementary School in northeastern Japan. All told, 418 residents of the district were killed, and his hometown was destroyed. For a long time, Yuta struggled to accept his brother's death and the loss of his beloved hometown. But, finally, he finds the strength to move on, through a journey of reconciliation and remembrance.

Once Lost, Now Found: Dancing for My Future

In March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake changed the life of Wakana Yokoyama. The tsunami following the disaster took away her grandparents and her hometown. She's tried to block out her sorrow by performing her hometown's traditional dance. However, the dance has gradually prevented her from moving forward and making a fresh start. Now, 7 years later, she's beginning to confront her feelings directly and deal with her loss.

Once Lost, Now Found: Student Actors' Challenge

In 2017, a high-school drama club in a disaster-hit area in Northern Japan chooses the 2011 earthquake and tsunami as the theme for a play to be performed at a national competition. Most of the students in the play didn't experience the tsunami firsthand and have avoided talking about it at school. But they take on the challenge of facing the disaster and learning about the sufferings of survivors. They hope their play will keep alive and spread the memories of what happened in their hometown.

Sharing a Manga Dream

Shohei Kireto is a 26-year-old manga artist with aspirations of making a career in this competitive industry. About 1 year ago, he moved to a village in the mountains of Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Japan to live with 6 fellow artists chasing the same dream. Kireto had lived alone before taking this bold step, hoping to give his career a boost. Despite the generous support of local residents, Kireto has frustratingly been unable to make a breakthrough. When a fellow manga artist makes his professional debut and has his work published as a comic book, Kireto's confidence starts to waver. Is it time for Kireto to give up his dream?

A Truckful of Food and Smiles

Mao Higashi runs a grocery truck service in Mie Prefecture in central Japan, delivering fresh produce, ready-made meals, and some friendly chit-chat to elderly residents in her town. During her university days, she saw a TV program about how hard it can be for older people to buy groceries – an echo of her own grandmother's difficulties. Thinking there may be many others needing easier access to food, Higashi set up her grocery truck business. 5 years later and now 27, Higashi opens up a brick-and-mortar supermarket in order to boost her sales. But shortly after the opening, she receives very worrying news.

Forging On: Master and Apprentice

Yu Kikuchi left an engineering job in the big city to pursue his dream of making things with his own hands. Now 32, he's training to be a blacksmith in Shimanto, a rural town in western Japan. His teacher is 79-year-old Kosaku Matsumura, a master blacksmith who's nearing the end of his career. Turning his apprentice into a full-fledged blacksmith will be his final job. Passing on the traditional skills for crafting hand-forged tools presents challenges – and rewards – for both men.

Learning to Teach

Kasumi Takebayashi is a novice teacher in charge of a classroom full of energetic and mischievous 2nd graders. Yurika Oishi has been teaching for 5 years, and still struggles to find time to get to know her students better. The two have a common source of inspiration – a model teacher portrayed in a classic movie. This documentary follows these two young women as they overcome numerous challenges and strive to become ideal educators in the spirit of their role model.

A Guesthouse's Unexpected Beginning

Misato Kurogawa opened a guesthouse in a small mountain settlement in southwestern Japan. She had quit her job and moved to Imari, where she rolled up her sleeves and renovated the 70-year-old home where her grandmother had lived. She hoped that her stylish guesthouse would attract young women seeking a place to unwind from hectic city life. However, the first guests to arrive are a middle-aged French couple visiting Japan – something Kurogawa had not prepared for or expected. How will she handle this surprising development?

Dancing Beyond Disabilities

Iwami Kagura is a traditional Japanese performing art that features dynamic dancing. A group won praise for its exceptional skills and secured an invite to an art festival in France. The performers were people with intellectual disabilities. Daisuke Oka plays a key role in the climax. He can express himself proudly in Kagura, but in daily life he finds it difficult to communicate with others. He wants to make his first overseas performance a turning point to break out of his shell. We follow his endeavor.

Giving Dreams a Boost

Kana Sugamoto brings dreams to life by helping people raise funds through crowdfunding. In her teens, she had suffered from an eating disorder and recovered with support from her family and friends. It's now her turn to encourage and support others as they try to realize their dreams using crowdfunding. From young fishermen in a remote island to students at an agricultural high school, Sugamoto travels all over the country to help with projects that promote the appeal of rural Japan.

Sweet Taste of Hope

A cake shop run by a couple in Shizuoka Prefecture draws a steady stream of customers with low-carbohydrate cheesecakes. Many people who come have to watch what they eat because of illness. Daisuke Hatayama initially started baking the cakes for his wife Kyoko, a diabetic since she was 23. The recipes contain no flour or sugar, yet are made rich and satisfying with different kinds of cheese. With their cakes, the couple is lifting spirits and helping people rediscover the sweet taste of hope.

Mr. Grandpa in Nursery School

Retired civil servant, grandfather and nursery school teacher: Mitsutoshi Arasawa decided to get involved in childcare in his late 60's. Every day is full of surprises, but dealing with energetic and sometimes mischievous children isn't always easy. 18 months on, "Mr. Grandpa" is still struggling to adapt, but he won't give up. Why did he choose this type of work? And what keeps him motivated? Watch and find out.

A Teacher's Passion

Ayako Masunaga is a passionate teacher, working at an elementary school in Fukuoka Prefecture for a three-year term. She was working up the corporate ladder at a major real estate company before but changed jobs looking for something more. She now burns with ambition, hoping to help her 3rd graders achieve their goals, however new challenges are around every corner. With the school-wide long rope jumping contest coming up, can she keep the children focused and motivated?

The Colors of the Forest

Hakone is a town near Tokyo on the shores of Lake Ashinoko, 723 meters above sea level. The surrounding broadleaf forest turns red and gold in the autumn, a sight reflected in the serene lake -- many people come to gaze upon this beautiful spectacle. Meet a pastel artist with a lakeside studio, a traditional woodworking artisan, and a young fisherman catching wakasagi (Japanese smelt) in the waters of Lake Ashinoko. Join us as we take in the beauties of Hakone in autumn.

Opening Doors to Newcomers

The city of Matsudo used to be an inn town where travelers could stop and rest. Residents developed a welcoming nature and accepted visitors with open arms. It's a tradition that has endured for generations. These days, Matsudo is opening its doors to young artists, encouraging them to set up studios in some of the community's old houses. And at the heart of the city's hospitable atmosphere is the local tourist information center, which connects visitors to Matsudo's places and people.

Remembering Our Railway

In March 2018, a Japan Railway line linking Shimane and Hiroshima Prefectures in western Japan stopped operating, ending its 88-year history. The Sanko Line once thrived as an indispensable means of transportation. But the number of passengers gradually fell as more people started using cars, and the local population declined. As train buffs gather to bid farewell, a group of residents starts exploring ways to turn the parts of the railway into a tourist attraction, and revitalize their hometown.

Soaking Up a Hot Spring Dream

A barbecue near a babbling stream and a relaxing soak in a hot spring – what a blissful way to spend the day. Saki Mizushina and Tao Toyoshima run a hot spring facility offering guests such a getaway in a small settlement deep in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture. Mizushina is a hot spring fanatic-turned-owner, and Toyoshima quit his job to help her operate the place. The couple stylishly renovated a hot spring that closed down and have spent a year making their "ideal hot spring" a reality. While their business has attracted a growing number of visitors, running it by themselves during the busy summer months has been utterly exhausting. Is it time to rethink their strategy?

Grandmas' Goodbye to an Old Market

In the decades since the end of World War Ⅱ, the Noren Central Market has been an essential part of Okinawa Prefecture's main city, Naha. Many women, now senior citizens, have spent much of their lives working here, standing shoulder-to-shoulder through good times and bad. Ever since it opened, the market has reflected Okinawa's post-war appearance and energy. But now it's being demolished and relocated. This program takes a closer look at the women during their final days at this historic market and their new beginnings.

Auntie's Candy Store – Sweets & Life Lessons

Children in snowy Yamagata Prefecture flock to an old-fashioned candy store to get sweets, snacks and something more. The owner, Akiko, has been running the business for 50 years, selling cheap confectionery and treats to kids of all ages. She also offers her young clientele a place to study, play games and even get advice. Her shop is like a second home for the children, whose family situations she knows well. And in her well-intentioned way, Akiko sometimes shares her wisdom with the kids as she sees them grow.

Brewing a Future for Local Tea

Genki Takahashi is a tea farmer in Sera, Hiroshima Prefecture. After university, as he worked at an established tea company from Kyoto, he became interested in making tea himself. He eventually quit his job to learn how to do just that at a tea plantation. A few years later, he decided to grow his own tea in Sera, once a famous tea production area. He now grows, processes and sells tea while helping revive abandoned tea farms, all in an effort to create a uniquely Sera tea.

30 min

Pursuing the Ultimate Awa Indigo

Deep indigo blue is a traditional Japanese color. It's an indigo dye that has been made using time-honored techniques passed down from generation to generation. See how dedicated craftsmen create the raw material for the dye from the fermented leaves of the Awa indigo plant, and how master dyers make deeply textured indigo color without using any chemicals. We follow the year-long process to produce this cherished dye, the culmination of centuries of craftsmanship.

30 min

Sculptures with Soul

After the 2011 tsunami, Yasuhiro Koike, a Buddhist priest in Higashi-Matsushima City in northeastern Japan, helped lay victims to rest. He also began searching for a way to support their families, and to ease their sorrow. He began carving statues of the Buddha and giving them to bereaved survivors. The statues make recipients feel as if the spirits of their loved ones are nearby. Over 7 years, Koike has carved more than 1,000 statues, giving people solace and the strength to go on.

30 min

A Budding Forestry Career

Chihiro Tada is the only woman in a forestry training program in Niyodogawa, but the 25-year-old is firmly resolved to follow in her father's footsteps. Tada's father was the third-generation president of the family's forestry company, but he closed the 80-year-old firm in 2016 because there was no one to succeed him. Driven by the desire to rebuild the family business and one day fell trees together with her father, Tada moved out on her own to start a forestry training program in Kochi Prefecture, southwestern Japan. Can she overcome the challenges awaiting her in this unfamiliar industry?

The 100km Walk: Two Life-Changing Days

People from across Japan have been gathering in central Aichi Prefecture for some 2 decades to test themselves physically and mentally. The "100km Walking Challenge" takes participants an entire day and night to finish. Everyone has their own personal reason for signing up. One woman attends the event with her daughter, hoping to improve their relationship. One man decides to do the walk as a prayer for the safety of his estranged daughters. And an 80-year-old is participating because he wants to test his limits. What will they see beyond the finish line? We follow their two-day journey.

"Crazy Mike" the Artist

Do you have to be a little crazy to be creative? Artist Mitsuhiro Miyazaki, who calls himself "Crazy Mike", thinks so. When he was young he dreamed of becoming a professional artist, but things didn't work out. He ran his own design studio for nearly 20 years until he lost everything following the global financial crisis. But he's back on his feet, living in a small studio and drawing again. Crazy Mike is even hoping to rent gallery space to show his work, convinced that, at age 74, taking risks is the only way to move forward. Watch and find out how he continues to live up to his name.

Making Udon to a Different Beat

Masahiro Ono is a traveling udon noodle chef – instead of having his own shop, he lugs his tools around in his van to make noodles at house parties and events all over the country. The 27-year-old began this unique business after training for 3 years at an udon shop in Tokyo, hoping to create a new style of udon-making that would appeal to his generation. His approach allows customers to see a professional chef making noodles up-close, and business is slowly gathering steam. He has even started making udon to the rhythm of live music performances. With income still unstable, Ono has no permanent address and nests on friends' couches, but he's constantly tackling new challenges with bold, out-of-the-box ideas.

Onikenbai: the Demon Sword Dance

Demon-like figures wearing scary masks swing their swords menacingly. It's an ancient performing art called Onikenbai or "demon sword dance." Practitioners are aging, and new blood is needed to carry on the tradition. A group of high school students in Iwate Prefecture are determined to keep the tradition alive, but teaching it to younger generations proves to be a more difficult challenge than expected.

Tears, Laughter and Motherhood

In the city of Osaka, there is a place where new and expectant mothers can receive support for their physical and emotional wellbeing. Hisako, a former midwife, is the person who takes care of them. With 11 children of her own and one divorce behind her, Hisako knows firsthand the struggles that come with motherhood. By simply listening to their stories - and sometimes shedding tears along with them - she helps young mothers adjust to their new roles, look toward the future, and start smiling once again.

The Maturing Sake Expert

Despite being only 24 years old, Jun Koike is one of just 400 people in Japan who hold the "sakasho" advanced qualification for sake tasters. This sake expert works as an editor for a website specializing in all things related to the drink. He fell in love with sake's subtle flavors while he was a university student, and just one sip is enough for him to come up with at least 10 descriptive expressions. His flair for describing a sake's taste and his precise reviews of various brands have resulted in him being chosen to become the website's next chief editor. This new position would require Koike to handle face-to-face interviews with industry bigwigs, but he actually gets uncomfortable when speaking one-on-one, a weakness that could cost him his promotion. His boss has given him the chance to interview a legendary sake brewer to gauge his readiness to be chief editor – can he rise to the challenge?

Apprentice Geisha: Making Dreams Come True

Gion, in the ancient capital of Kyoto, is Japan's largest traditional entertainment district. Every year, girls fresh out of junior high school come here dreaming of becoming maiko, or apprentice geisha. They leave home at 15 and live under the same roof with older maiko and other trainees. For a year, they receive strict training in dancing and other performing arts, and also take care of household chores. This program follows the journey of three girls hoping to debut in Gion as maiko.

Night School - Learning for Living

An independent night school in Okayama Prefecture, southwestern Japan, offers a place to learn for people who failed to develop necessary academic skills during their school days. Among the students is Takeshi Inoue, who strives hard to improve himself by studying to make his dream come true. Teachers are volunteers from various occupations, from company workers to university students. But the classes face funding shortages, so they are only open twice a month for about 3 hours in the evening. We take a close look at the school's teachers and students as they take on different challenges.