15 Minutes Season 5, Episode 6: Centuries-old Japanese Businesses: Finding New Within the Old

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Centuries-old Japanese Businesses: Crisis Averted by Techniques

There are more than 1,300 companies in Japan that have been in business for over 200 years. How have these companies, which have survived challenges such as wars, natural disasters and economic crises, continued to operate for so long? This episode features a construction company founded in 578. What difficulties has this company overcome during its long history? What has it worked to preserve for over 1,400 years? Learn the secrets of its longevity.

15 min

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Through the Kitchen Window: First Bites, Big Smiles

Babies are about 6 months old when they gradually stop drinking breast milk or formula and start eating solids. It's a precious stage of our lives, but many mothers struggle to find the time to cook weaning food. It needs to be soft, and if it's not tasty, their little ones won't eat it. Tagami Maki is on hand to help. Her delicious recipes always bring big smiles to babies and mothers alike.

15 min

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A Treasured Creation: Resonance for Charcoal

Hara Masaaki makes white charcoal called Kishu Binchotan in the deep forests of Wakayama Prefecture. He thinks of himself as a guardian of the ancient woods. His charcoal provides the country's top chefs with a stable, high heat source with no odor and little smoke -- an essential fuel for grilling. But now, some kilns lie abandoned. All that remains is the metallic sound of Binchotan reverberating from oak trees. Through the haze of smoke, we look at the memories of those families who've passed down their craft in the mountains.

15 min

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A Treasured Creation: Paper from the Wild

Three generations of the Tomi family have been producing a unique kind of handmade washi paper that is blackish-brown instead of the customary white. This is achieved by something that otherwise had just gone to waste. Tomi Kazuyuki states, "My grandpa felt bad watching cedar bark being thrown out at timber mills so he devised a new method to utilize it." The family tradition incorporating all of the wilderness into their papercraft lives on in the Noto Peninsula. We take a look at this source of creation.

15 min

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Centuries-old Japanese Businesses: Timeless Crisis Management

There are more than 1,300 companies in Japan that have been in business for over 200 years. How have these companies, which have survived challenges such as wars, natural disasters and economic crises, continued to operate for so long? This episode features a fan company founded in 1590. How did the firm survive repeated fires and disasters? Learn the secrets of its longevity.

15 min

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Centuries-old Japanese Businesses: Finding New Within the Old

There are more than 1,300 companies in Japan that have been in business for over 200 years. How have these companies, which have survived challenges such as wars, natural disasters and economic crises, continued to operate for so long? This episode features a long-standing sake brewery founded in 1675. What did the presidents of this sake brewery do to keep the business running for so long? Learn the secrets of its longevity.

15 min

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Ground Detective Simon Wallis: File #4 "The Case of the Sake"

Best known for its beef, the city of Kobe is also a long-standing powerhouse in the world of sake. There's one small corner of the city that's provided the distinctively mineral-rich water used in sake brewing here for centuries. In this episode, the Ground Detective's challenge is to investigate and explain the local geologic, atmospheric and historical factors that helped make the Nada area sake famous.

15 min

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Analogue Nostalgia: Cassette Tapes

Analogue items once considered obsolete are being embraced by young people as new finds and making a comeback. Using a drama format, we examine the appeal and history of these items from the perspective of 3 generations: a person who experienced its original popularity, a 30-something who vaguely remembers them, and a 20-something to whom they are a new discovery. The story takes place in a quaint coffee shop tucked away on a small side street. Its owner, Harry, has taken over the business from his grandfather. One day, Harry comes across a cassette tape in the back room. He shows it to Ei, a university student studying Japanese culture, and Greg, a café regular. Each from a different generation, they discuss their memories and thoughts on cassette tapes. What new values will they uncover in nostalgic analogue items?

15 min

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A Treasured Creation: The Master Weavers of Amami

One of Japan's most prized textiles comes from a subtropical island where the makers still hew to the methods of 1,300 years ago. Using indigenous plants and ponds of iron-rich mud, the artisans of Amami-Oshima create luxurious silk pongee, threading the island's long history of poverty and oppression into their craft.

15 min

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A Treasured Creation: Satsuma White Ware

The Chin kiln of Kagoshima has been turning out intricate pottery for more than 400 years. The signature openwork and fine detailing was a sensation at the Paris Exposition of 1900. Now the current, 15th-generation head of the family is on a mission to develop new clay from local volcanic earth to bring out an ultimate whiteness in their Satsuma ware.

15 min

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NINJA TRUTH Episode 17: Iga, Home of the Ninja

While the ninja moved unseen throughout Japan, Iga, in present-day Mie Prefecture, has been called the birthplace of the ninja arts. Join Chris Glenn and Professor Yuji Yamada as they explore Iga and trace the Iga people's journey from armed farmers who absorbed Shugendo teachings to their emergence as ninja. In the latter half, they visit sites related to the Tensho Iga War -- an event that won the Iga ninja nationwide acclaim -- and explore the shadow tactics used by the ninja to strike terror into the numerically superior Oda army.

15 min

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NINJA TRUTH Episode 18: The Ninja Art of Escape

The ninja art of escape, or Tonsojutsu, frequently took advantage of the human psyche. We examine some ninja tactics and get a psychologist's perspective on them. In the latter half, we recreate a Torinoko, a ninja tool that frequently appears in pop culture. Using the sparse information available, we experiment with varying blend ratios to smoke out the ninja truth.

15 min

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Analogue Nostalgia: Disposable Cameras

Harry runs an old-fashioned coffee shop that he took over from his grandfather. During a year-end cleaning, he finds a disposable camera with a few shots remaining. He shows it to Ei, a university student studying Japanese culture, and Sheila, a café regular and kimono researcher. This sparks a discussion about disposable cameras and the experiences they capture. Using a drama format, we examine its history and renewed popularity in this digital age. We also look at the instant camera, its popularity across generations, and the new value that analogue culture presents.

15 min

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Fishing Crazy: Pursuing the Never-ending Path

In Japanese, "do" means "the way." Though often used for martial arts, for some anglers, there is also the "way of fishing," particularly embodied in the art of catching white crucian carp. Though it's easily accessible to beginners, practitioners of the way of fishing pursue this path for their whole lives, from those who aim to catch crucian carp elegantly during national tournaments to veterans who wish to be one with nature. Join us into the world of this special breed of fishing crazy.

15 min

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A Treasured Creation: Nature-Made Amber Vinegar

Rows of black ceramic pots sit in the sun as rice and koji malt ferment inside. For more than a year, the enzymes will turn the mash into prized amber vinegar with only the gentlest interventions from the brewers. "Every pot turns out different faces," says vinegar artisan Sakamoto Hiroaki. "We try to listen to what the magical fungi are saying." We explore the centuries-old methods behind the making of Kurozu vinegar.

15 min

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NINJA TRUTH Episode 19: The Bansenshukai

The Bansenshukai is a compilation of ninja techniques from 49 Iga and Koka ninja schools. It covers everything from ninja principles to various ninja techniques and tools. However, the ninja passed it on from master to apprentice with the utmost secrecy. So how did it come to see the light of day? It turns out that it was due to an unfortunate event involving ninja during the Edo period. We examine this event and also get television's first look at scrolls said to be the oldest extant copy of the Bansenshukai.

15 min

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NINJA TRUTH Episode 20: Ninja Tools of Clay and Stone

Ninja tools of clay and stone were unearthed at sixteenth-century archaeological sites. They were clay Makibishi and stone Tsubute. However, iron-working techniques were already well established by this time. So why did the ninja use these materials? Iwata Akihiro from Saitama Prefectural Ranzan Historical Museum believes the ninja used them as a last resort. In this episode, we explore how these ninja tools came about and recreate clay Makibishi to see if they'll stand up to the test.

15 min

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Fishing Crazy: Play Ball with Love and Deception

On this episode, we visit scenic Ise Shima in Mie Prefecture to meet an angler who loves to catch the beautiful blackhead seabream. He employs a strategy that begins with bait shaped into a ball of paste in which he hides hooked live bait. This draws in small fish that nibble the ball and thus muddy the water, which then attracts the curious blackhead seabream who can't help but bite when the ball finally breaks and releases its live bait. Will this elaborate deception succeed? Join us to find out!

15 min

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Ground Detective Simon Wallis: File #5 "The Case of the Wasabi"

Sushi has gone global. So people around the world know familiar light green wasabi as a condiment with a kick that's indispensable to the sushi and sashimi experience. The Izu Peninsula is one of the leading wasabi farming areas in Japan. But why? And what does the local geology have to do with this indigenous Japanese plant? In this episode, the Ground Detective travels the Izu Peninsula looking for clues to solve the case of the wasabi.

15 min

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Through the Kitchen Window: The Wasabi Brothers - Finding the Spice of Life

If you duck under tree branches, wade up a stream and climb over rocks, you will find a secret place of wasabi patches, tended by the Tsunoi brothers. Farmers have long cultivated wasabi over Okutama's stone terraces―stacked one rock at a time―in a place where spring water constantly flows. But super-aging has hit the farming community. The Tsunoi brothers have stepped in by not only growing wasabi, but also creating recipes using it to keep the tradition going.

15 min

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On the Wings: #01 New Ishigaki Airport

For everyone wishing they could travel overseas but just isn't able, we invite you on a very special journey through the air. Take a virtual excursion via passenger jet from Tokyo Haneda to regional airports all over Japan. Beyond spectacular views from the airplane window, get a rare glimpse at the skill of the experienced pilots who keep us all flying smoothly. Our destination this time, New Ishigaki Airport; views of coral reef islands in an emerald sea from over 40,000ft in the sky.

15 min

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NINJA TRUTH Episode 21: The Koka Ninja - Their Light and Shadow

Along with Iga, the Koka region is synonymous with ninja. The Koka Ninja are often depicted in anime and movies as the arch rivals of the Iga Ninja or as villains. But what were they really like? In this episode, we explore the Koka region with Professor Yuji Yamada of Mie University, learning about the turbulent history of the Koka Ninja, from their stunning success at the battle of "Magari-no-Jin" to the disaster that culminated in the "Koka Yure." Their democratic practices and deep bonds to each other as well as their homeland reveal a rather different side, and bring us ever closer to the ninja truth.

15 min

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NINJA TRUTH Episode 22: Flying Ninja

Ninja have often been depicted flying on large kites in manga and anime. Was such a feat really possible? With the help of an expert in fluid dynamics as well as a traditional Japanese kite maker, we'll put this legend to the test scientifically using a miniature kite. We'll also delve into the mystery of the ninja's little-known technique of using kites to carry firebombs that could set the enemy's buildings ablaze.

15 min

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Through the Kitchen Window: Live Eat Cook Simple

Anda Yuko, owner-chef of a Tokyo restaurant, has a singular philosophy. On first glance her food looks like unfussy, prosaic home cooking. But fans become hooked on the way she extracts the maximum flavors of her ingredients through minimal cooking and seasoning. Recently she started growing her own vegetables. What doesn't go into a recipe she will dry or pickle, leaving zero-waste. Her lifestyle choices have been influenced by Japan's 2011 earthquake and volunteer work in Peru. We peek into her kitchen to explore her imaginative cooking.

15 min

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Fishing Crazy: Treasure Hunters in Tokyo Bay

Fishing for common octopi in Tokyo Bay is booming among anglers. The delicious taste of the octopus that dwells there has earned it the nickname of Jewel of the Bay, and it's been a prized delicacy throughout history. Like prospectors in a gold rush, anglers flock to the area and use flashy and colorful lures, sometimes even attaching two or three at a time to their rig, to catch the slimy tentacled jewels they so eagerly seek. Join us to watch the treasure hunters of Tokyo Bay in action!

15 min

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Through the Kitchen Window: Finding Happiness in Hayama

Ito Chimomo leads a wonderfully rustic life in the picturesque town of Hayama, close to the sea and surrounded by nature. Her garden is filled with all sorts of herbs and fruit, which she harvests all year round. Good food is central to her world, and she's happiest when sharing home-cooked meals with her children and grandchildren. Time with family is made even more precious because she knows the true depths of loneliness, having been orphaned as a child and often left to fend for herself.

15 min

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On the Wings: #02 New Chitose Airport

Fly over northern Japan in autumn! Hop onboard and see the beautiful mountains in full autumnal foliage. Flying from Haneda Airport to New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido Prefecture, we're treated to special takeoff and landing footage from the cockpit, and get a special glimpse of cabin attendants' duties. In just 20 minutes, they check every corner of the cabin. We also introduce their techniques for dealing with various passengers like sumo wrestlers. Also, local delicacies from Hokkaido households!

15 min

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Ground Detective Simon Wallis: File #6 “The Case of the Oyster”

Professor Simon Wallis, AKA "The Ground Detective," unravels the mysteries behind Japan's fascinating food culture from the ground up. This time, he heads for Minamisanriku after learning from a French chef about the tasty oysters in Sanriku. The oyster farmer he meets reveals that the secret to delicious oysters lies in the forest. But how is the forest linked to tasty oysters grown in the sea? Find out as the Ground Detective discovers the answer deep in the forest.

15 min

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Tiny Houses, Cozy Homes: The Hilltop Challenge

The Tokyo area is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Very small properties have long been a feature of the urban landscape, but many modern "kyosho jutaku" showcase the expertise with which architects satisfy the requests of future owners. We join architect Koshima Yusuke as he visits these tiny houses, and sees for himself the clever ideas that are used to create a cozy living space. This time, a house shaped a bit like a barrel, created by an innovative architect.

15 min

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Tiny Houses, Cozy Homes: A Space of Visual Diversity

The Tokyo area is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Very small properties have long been a feature of the urban landscape, but many modern "kyosho jutaku" showcase the expertise with which architects satisfy the requests of future owners. We join architect Koshima Yusuke as he visits these tiny houses, and sees for himself the clever ideas that are used to create a cozy living space. This time, a house less than four meters wide, plus creative contributions by the owners.

15 min