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The Best Episodes of Document 72 Hours Season 6

Every episode of Document 72 Hours Season 6 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Document 72 Hours Season 6!

An unusual documentary series that delves into human dramas through chance encounters with ordinary people at selected spots. Filmed over 72 hours in a single location, the show captures glimpses into people's lives as they

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  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 1 - Birth Rush! Japan's Best Obstetrics and Gynecology
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    #1 - Birth Rush! Japan's Best Obstetrics and Gynecology

    S6:E1

    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. 　

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 2 - Farewell! Bowling Alley in the Center of Tokyo
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    #2 - Farewell! Bowling Alley in the Center of Tokyo

    S6:E2

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 3 - Lost and Found in Nagoya: Left Behind on a Holy Night
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    #3 - Lost and Found in Nagoya: Left Behind on a Holy Night

    S6:E3

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 4 - Student Dormitories in the Northern Land
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    #4 - Student Dormitories in the Northern Land

    S6:E4

    Awake, my lost dream, wake up." The residents of the student dormitory at Hokkaido University, which has a history of more than 100 years and is home to 400 students, are one of the few self-governing dormitories in the country that are run entirely by the students themselves. Rent is about 10,000 yen per month. Some stay up late at night drinking with their friends, others devote themselves to their studies, and so on. Recently, many students enter the dormitory for financial reasons, but some gradually fall in love with it and end up staying. This is a coming-of-age story of the “bunkaras” who still live and breathe in the northern lands of Japan.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 5 - A Discounted Ticket to Happiness
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    #5 - A Discounted Ticket to Happiness

    S6:E5

    Since Japan's bubble economy burst in the early 1990's, saving money has become an established part of life for many people. Shops selling discount coupons and cheap tickets are a magnet for people seeking to stretch every last yen. One such shop in Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo measures only a few square meters, but more than 400 customers go there daily. A temp worker buys subway coupon tickets to save 10 yen; a woman buys vouchers that save her 36 yen so she can enjoy a meal at a nice restaurant; whilst another woman sells vouchers she does not need for a tidy sum of cash. What dreams and happiness are people seeking as they save a few yen here and there? This program looks at people and money, as seen from the counter of a tiny shop.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 6 - Handyman, Running in the City
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    #6 - Handyman, Running in the City

    S6:E6

    Slugs in the bathroom.“ ”Assemble the plastic model by tomorrow!" Calls for help ring out throughout the night from a Tokyo handyman, who receives 300 requests a day, many of which are small matters that he could have asked his family or friends for in the past. Many of the 300 requests a day are for small things that one could have asked family or friends for in the past, such as “just a little companionship,” or "buy a cake from the store I remember. The number of one-person households is on the rise, and neighborhoods are becoming less friendly. What are the real wishes of modern Japanese people hidden under the seemingly trivial advice?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 7 - A Standing Oden Bar in Tokyo
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    #7 - A Standing Oden Bar in Tokyo

    S6:E7

    The Akabane region of Tokyo is a "sacred ground" for drinking, with inexpensive bars and pubs lining the streets. On one corner stands a small shop that serves oden, a winter stew that's a Japanese soul food. From security guards finishing their night shifts, to mothers buying dinner to take home for their families, to office workers enjoying a night on the town - these are the stories of the people who line up at the counter and washes down oden with sake for warmth from the winter chill.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 8 - Kobe, January, See you at Pai-Yama
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    #8 - Kobe, January, See you at Pai-Yama

    S6:E8

    Pai-yama," as it is commonly known, is located in front of Sannomiya Station in the heart of Kobe. An object resembling a boob in the center of the square has become a landmark for people waiting to meet. In January of this year, 20 years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the atmosphere of the plaza changed drastically. Countless people headed for the memorial service even in the dim light of day. Young people began to talk about their own experiences of the disaster in front of the cameras.... What are people thinking as they live their lives in this city that has recovered?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 9 - A Taste of Home: A Soba & Udon Vending Machine
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    #9 - A Taste of Home: A Soba & Udon Vending Machine

    S6:E9

    For 40 years, a vending machine has stood in a quiet corner of Akita Port, in northern Japan. Even when a winter snowstorm batters the area in mid-January, a constant trickle of customers is drawn to this time-worn machine that sells plain soba and udon noodles in a steaming-hot soup. A father and son out in the blizzard; a designated driver on his way home from work; and a cancer patient reminiscing about the past. Even though the machine has become prone to breakdowns that have weakened the flavor of its soup, customers come around the clock for a warming bowl of noodles. Why is it so popular? This program reveals why many customers keep coming back.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 10 - A Driving School: The Start of Many Journeys
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    #10 - A Driving School: The Start of Many Journeys

    S6:E10

    There's a driving school in a suburb east of Tokyo that prepares learners for all kinds of vehicle licenses, from cars, trucks and buses to construction equipment. Each spring the school is packed with people of all ages; a high school student getting her driver's license, a former hairstylist starting a new career as a truck driver, a care worker from the Philippines. These are the stories of people who seek to gain new skills in order to grasp new opportunities in work and in life.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 11 - Tanning Salon: The Reason for the Wheat Color
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    #11 - Tanning Salon: The Reason for the Wheat Color

    S6:E11

    Men lying naked in the blue light.... A cold wind blows in February in Ikebukuro. In a tanning salon inside a multi-tenant building, men in wheat-colored tanning suits are sweating, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a tropical country. The men close their eyes and say, "Tanning is vitality. Their minds are filled with thoughts of their failing jobs, their estranged wives, and their uncertain futures. What will people grasp by getting dark skin here?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 12 - Tokyo Capsule Hotel: Encapsulating Life
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    #12 - Tokyo Capsule Hotel: Encapsulating Life

    S6:E12

    Capsule hotels have quite suddenly become a popular choice of accommodation nowadays in Japan. Travelers from around the world have become fascinated with capsule hotels as word gets around about their low prices and the novelty of staying in a small cave-like "room". At one major capsule hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo, languages from every corner of the globe ring out each day. Convenience is not the only reason tourists and locals come to this hotel. Some people stay here while they chase their dreams; others need a place to stay because they cannot go home for certain reasons. For 3 days, we filmed the myriad of people that converge in this remarkable facility, and discovered the diverse life stories that inspired them to stay in its tiny capsule rooms.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 13 - Taxi Honest Conversation - Fukushima Iwaki Version
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    #13 - Taxi Honest Conversation - Fukushima Iwaki Version

    S6:E13

    Four years have passed since “that day” in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. In this episode, we listen to the unpretentious conversations between passengers and drivers that take place in cabs. A person involved in the nuclear power plant goes out for a drink in between hard work. Fishermen gather at a snack bar because they are unable to go fishing due to the disaster. As reconstruction progresses, the number of people moving to Iwaki from the surrounding areas is rapidly increasing. What kind of conversations are going on in the cab cabs driving through the ever-changing city? The tweets inside the cabs reveal the real daily life of the people. 　

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 14 - A Building Exclusively for Cosplay: Their Dream Castle
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    #14 - A Building Exclusively for Cosplay: Their Dream Castle

    S6:E14

    A study, a ritual room, a school infirmary.... People dressed in anime and game cosplay pose and shutter each other in various settings. The cosplay building in Koto-ku has 80,000 members, and more than 20 studios are visited daily by women who come to take pictures of themselves in a completely different way than usual. Some of the women say, “I want to erase myself to become a character,” or "I'm cosplaying in memory of my deceased lover. What are the thoughts of these women in their gorgeous costumes?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 15 - A Used Car, A New Life
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    #15 - A Used Car, A New Life

    S6:E15

    It's spring, a time for new beginnings. And what better way to start a new stage in life than with a new set of wheels. This is Auto District Avenue, a mile-long stretch of a national highway where people can compare new and used cars at 30 different dealers. Here we look at used car dealers where we meet fathers helping children start new jobs, a young man who buys a sports car with a loan, and families saying goodbye to special memories. Behind each car is a story about life and dreams.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 16 - Following the Cherry Blossoms Upstream: A Three-Day Trip Along the Tama River
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    #16 - Following the Cherry Blossoms Upstream: A Three-Day Trip Along the Tama River

    S6:E16

    In April, Kanto was intoxicated by a blizzard of flowers. One of the most “famous places for secret cherry blossom viewing” is the Tama River, which runs 138 kilometers from Haneda to Okutama. In this program, the participants loaded their bicycles with cameras and rode along the riverbanks in search of cherry blossoms admired by the locals. Fishermen in Haneda look up at the cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms in Setagaya, where he has fond memories of his children. The young men we met late at night along the 2-kilometer-long row of cherry trees in Fussa. This is a three-day flower journey in search of cherry blossoms that are not well known to everyone, but are important to each of us.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 17 - Yakushima: Island of the Mystical Tree
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    #17 - Yakushima: Island of the Mystical Tree

    S6:E17

    Thousands of years old giant trees tower in the forests of Yakushima, a World Heritage Site. Many people from all over Japan are now visiting the island to see the “Jomon cedars,” which can only be seen by climbing a half-day mountain trail 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo. A young man says he visits whenever he feels lost in life. Fathers travel with their sons who are on the verge of adulthood. The 30-meter-high giant tree sometimes glistens in the drizzle, sometimes glows red in the morning sun, and changes its appearance from moment to moment. What do people think when they see the awe-inspiring Jomon cedars? 　

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 18 - Candy Store: Children's Small Universe
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    #18 - Candy Store: Children's Small Universe

    S6:E18

    “I won gum!” How was your class change?" The lively voices of children echo in a candy shop in Hyogo Ward, downtown Kobe, where a girl, clutching a 10-yen coin, ponders what to buy. A boy spends his time at the store until his working parents return home. At night, young people who used to be regular customers come to the store to soak up the nostalgic atmosphere. They eat candy, fight, make up again, and grow up. The camera is set on the small but profound "world of children.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 19 - A Kebab Restaurant in Roppongi
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    #19 - A Kebab Restaurant in Roppongi

    S6:E19

    A stone's throw from Tokyo Tower and the main Roppongi intersection is a 24-hour Turkish kebab restaurant whose clientele hails from every corner of the globe. Cheap, fast and convenient, the kebabs attract businessmen from foreign-affiliated companies during the day, and in the evening many foreigners who work in Roppongi's nightspots drop in for a meal. The area never sleeps and is at its busiest after the last trains have left. For 3 days, we listened to the innermost thoughts of the foreigners who frequent this restaurant in a Tokyo nightlife district.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 20 - Mt. Takao, Why wander into the mountains of the city?
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    #20 - Mt. Takao, Why wander into the mountains of the city?

    S6:E20

    Three days in Mt. Takao, an “easy mountain” that can be reached in an hour from central Tokyo. During the season of fresh green leaves, the summit is crowded with people who have escaped from the urban hazards. People drinking beer with the city in the distance, children on excursions, people contemplating.... At night, however, the atmosphere changes drastically. Couples aim for the summit in the darkness as flying buzzards fly overhead. A man walks alone along a dark mountain path. We listen to the hearts of city dwellers on Mt. Takao, which is said to have the most climbers in the world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 21 - Container Karaoke in a Seaside Town
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    #21 - Container Karaoke in a Seaside Town

    S6:E21

    In April, a huge container was brought into a small port town in Iwate, where bare land from the tsunami was noticeable. It is an impromptu mobile karaoke box loved by the locals who have few entertainment options. Some mothers bring their children to the box because they cannot speak out loud in their temporary housing. A young craftsman sings Go Nagabuchi songs with his friends. A former fisherman who sings only songs about the sea.... What kind of feelings will people entrust to the songs in the six-room container box?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 22 - Dreams to be drawn at a video rental store on a major holiday weekend
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    #22 - Dreams to be drawn at a video rental store on a major holiday weekend

    S6:E22

    The May holidays were a time of excitement in Japan, with people traveling abroad and returning home. In the residential areas of central Tokyo, where the number of people had decreased, there was one place that was secretly bustling with activity: a 24-hour video rental store. Couples who dare to spend this time of year in the heart of the city, enjoying their free time. Women who stay home to watch horror movies instead of returning to their hometowns. Men who work tirelessly to provide for their wives and children who live far away from home relax with dramas set in foreign countries. Somewhere other than here.... We looked at the people who visit these places in search of the “other world” that fiction invites them to.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 23 - A Drive-In Restaurant in Okinawa: Hometown Flavor, American Style
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    #23 - A Drive-In Restaurant in Okinawa: Hometown Flavor, American Style

    S6:E23

    Oldies playing from the jukebox. An old lady chomping down on steak and an American soldier chomping down on fried rice. This is an old drive-in along Route 58, which runs through the main island of Okinawa. The restaurant, which began serving U.S. soldiers during the occupation, still offers the same nostalgic scene as it did in the U.S. in the 1960s. Some came from Taiwan during the Vietnam War, while others followed their loved ones to the United States. What is the soul food of the Okinawan people who have lived with the swell of the times?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 24 - The Lucky Cat at the Shopping Street
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    #24 - The Lucky Cat at the Shopping Street

    S6:E24

    At a little shop in Ibaraki Prefecture, there's a goofy but adorable cat with thick black "eyebrows". She's called Hachi for her distinctive marks that resemble the Chinese character "8". That's a lucky number, so customers always come to buy lottery tickets and make wishes for anything from big jackpots to good test scores. All the while Hachi pays them no mind, sleeping on a bookshelf or hiding behind the counter. We spent 3 days talking to the many visitors who make wishes on this lucky cat.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Document 72 Hours Season 6 Episode 25 - “Hanacaba” Life Theater
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    #25 - “Hanacaba” Life Theater

    S6:E25

    Along the national highway in Hitachi City, the castle town of a giant corporation, there is a mysterious retro space that seems to have slipped back to the Showa period. It is commonly known as Hanawayama Cabaret, a row of tin taverns and other establishments along a narrow unpaved alley. It has been about 50 years since it was born during the high-growth period of Japan's economic boom. More than a dozen establishments have hung their signs in the area, providing a place for factory employees and local residents to relax. Some are fun and boisterous, some are open to complaints, and some are like a relative's home. This is the story of three days in the life of the customers and mothers who are attracted by the atmosphere of "Hanakaba.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 6 Ratings Summary

"Birth Rush! Japan's Best Obstetrics and Gynecology" is the best rated episode of "Document 72 Hours" season 6. It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/9/2015. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Farewell! Bowling Alley in the Center of Tokyo".