Every season of Hometown Stories ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of 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.

Night of the Dancing Fire God

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.

The Mountain God Piggyback

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 Millennium of Prayers

In ancient times, "kagura" was a form of dance dedicated to the gods. But in modern times, as its original meaning weakened and it took on the color of a local performing art, young people found it rustic and lost interest in it. Today, however, many kagura groups are attracting them and seeking to create original dances while preserving traditions. This program investigates the reasons for kagura's current popularity with the young.

Kagura: The Passion for Dance

The aim of the 'eco-paddy fields' project is to grow rice without using agrochemicals and chemical fertilizers in rice fields full of wildlife created by cutting open uncultivated cedar forests and restoring terraced paddy fields. 30 parents and children from 9 families, chosen from viewer applications, participated in the project for a whole year. At last, the rice that has grown all through the summer with the support of various creatures has fully matured. The harvesting and threshing is carried out manually in the traditional way. How do the participants feel when they taste the rice and who do they want to convey their feelings to? The program presents the thoughts of each family to show what the participants gained from the project.

Eco-Paddy: Bio-Wonderland

77-year-old volunteer probation officer Chikako Nakamoto was affectionately known as 'The little old lady of Motomachi' by the juvenile delinquents she took care of for 30 years in the Motomachi district of Hiroshima. She opened up her home to them, served her hand-made cooking, listened to their stories, and helped many of them to reform their ways. Last November, however, Nakamoto reached the year of retirement for volunteer probation officers. She often says, "Support from the local community is essential for the rehabilitation of offenders". The program closely describes her daily life as she strives to entrust her role to the community.

Granny Loves You: The Probation Officer's Tale

Yoronjima in Kagoshima Prefecture is a southern island with a population of 5,600 surrounded by beautiful coral reef and white sand beaches. In the island's unusual ritual called 'Senkotsu', the skeletal remains of family members are dug up from three to five years after burial, cleaned and then returned to their graves. The program introduces the small island's traditional form of family bonding by following members of the Takecrapa family as they carry out the ritual and also includes the history of the island's funerary practices.

Honoring the Dead: The Bone Washing Ritual of Yoronjima

This drama set in a remote elementary school centers around the efforts made by a young female teacher called Hikari to help Aya, an uncommunicative exchange student who has problems with her mother.

Mother, I Want To See You

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.

Questioning Nuclear Power

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.

The Luminous Forest

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.

A Watchmaker's Tale

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.

Learning to Survive: Three Days in Kamaishi

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.

Letter from Cherry Blossom Village

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.

School of Hope: Ogijima, Seto Inland Sea

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.

The Sky We Share - Friendship at the End of an Osaka Runway

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.

A Hiroshima Family's Prayer

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.

For the Sake of the Classmates We Lost

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.

Young Thunder: School Taiko Team

Nestled in Ise-Shima, a scenic coastal area of central Japan, is Toba, a city famous for its cultured pearls. Here on the 30th of each month a ceremony called a "pearl wedding" is held. Inspired by the parallel between a marriage and a pearl - an object of beauty built up painstakingly, layer by layer, over many years - the pearl wedding ceremony draws husbands and wives from all around Japan to mark their 30th wedding anniversaries. As locals help them celebrate the special day, participating couples walk up the aisle of a wedding chapel to renew their vows of lifelong partnership. This is the story of 2 couples looking to open a new chapter in their marriages by taking part in Ise-Shima's pearl wedding.

Pearl Wedding: 30 Years' Worth of Thanks

Recently in Japan, more and more young people who were raised in the city are choosing to go back to the land as they relocate to the rural areas their grandparents call home. In early 2015, Chiemi, a nurse from Osaka, moved to Tokushima Prefecture, where her grandmother was living alone. With the guidance of her elderly relative, she gradually absorbs the rural wisdom of farming and cooking, and, due to the family connection to the area, is warmly accepted by locals. But there are struggles too: the generation gap means Chiemi and her grandmother see things differently; and old age also brings its challenges. What does the future hold? Follow Chiemi's return to her roots.

Back to Grandma's Land: Chiemi's Story

On the JR Obama Line, a local railway that links Fukui Prefecture with Kyoto, stands Kato Station. Although unstaffed since 1973, the sleepy station building still contains a small barber's shop. The owners are Hisao Tsukamoto (72) and his wife Asako (68). Seeing the station as an important spot for local people to get together, in between haircuts this industrious couple not only sells tickets, but also makes the time to clean the building and its surroundings. We follow this duo as they come to grips with old age and illness while striving to maintain their barber's shop in an empty station.

A Life of Service: The Station Barber of Obama

The idyllic landscape of Murayama in Yamagata Prefecture is home to a rather unique family-run farm that welcomes visitors from all over the world. It is operated by the Sakai family, whose 9 members exist by the motto: "live life to the full every day". For many of the guests who lend a hand with the heavy farm duties, and share conversation over simple meals around the family table, sampling this lifestyle is a chance to rediscover the joy of human relationships. Follow everyday life on this farm, and be reminded of how to live each day to the full.

One of Us

Elderly people in need of care lost their homes in the 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and tsunami. At a care facility called Sumi-chan's Home, they're part of a new family, which includes staff members who have suffered similar losses. Located in Higashi-Matsushima, a city in Miyagi Prefecture, the home's slogan is: "Relax and have fun together!" Each resident is respected as an individual within the facility's domestic atmosphere. Although the home was badly damaged in the tsunami 5 years ago, it quickly reopened, accepting elderly residents who had nowhere to go. The disaster has scarred local families and the local landscape, but the people of Sumi-chan's Home are forging new relationships while also protecting older ones. Discover the everyday moments of this found family.

One Big Happy Family

Uminchu, literally "people of the sea", is the name for the fishermen of beautiful Kumejima in Okinawa Prefecture. Filled with coral, tropical fish, and the tuna varieties that swim the Kuroshio Current, the sea around Kumejima has a rich diversity of life. Many locals make their living fishing, and use traditional skin-diving skills and pole-fishing techniques that have been passed down for generations. Get to know the young people training to become uminchu, and the older fishermen who are mentoring them, eager to share advice. This is an island journey to meet people who have truly embraced the sea.

Uniting the People of the Sea: Kumejima, Okinawa

A community deep in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture is home to Japan's only circus school. The school's director is Nadezhda Tyshenko, a former acrobatic gymnast from Ukraine. In the circus, as in life, her motto is: "Hang in there", born from a teaching philosophy is based on a saying from her homeland: "Work hard and hang in there, and things will work out". In the spring of 2016 she welcomes a new student. In an era when many young people eschew hard work in favor of escapism, this is the story of a young woman who comes to understand the value of perseverance.

Hang in There!

In the city of Sapporo stands a barber shop where many young bicyclists pedaling their way across Japan's northern island of Hokkaido make a stop. Any rider who is making a complete circuit of Japan receives a free haircut from the owner, Yutaka Oyamada, who decades ago did a circuit of Japan himself. He offers this advice to young people bearing burdens of struggle and strife as they ride: "Keep moving forward". Oyamada sends them on their way with encouragement to ride on through storms and scarce funds, to ride on believing that somewhere on the open road, they will find what they are really looking for: themselves. Our cameras follow youthful journeys of self-discovery in the open spaces of Hokkaido.

Finding Yourself on the Open Road

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.

Melody of Daisen

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.

Bank of Glorious Blossoms

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.

Our Waves, Our Dreams

In Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture is a little diner that opened shortly after World War II. 70 years on, it's still going strong, 24 hours a day. The owner, 91-year-old Misako Mizoguchi, handles the night shift by herself, catering to a loyal clientele. They include office workers and women from local bars and clubs. Misako serves up comfort for their troubles through homemade meals and words of encouragement. She has helped sustain a community, from postwar reconstruction to the present day.

Misako's All-Night Diner

More than 5 years after the tsunami caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake swept away thousands of homes, physical evidence of the communities that existed before the disaster is fading as reconstruction progresses. For those who lost homes and loved ones, rebuilding is erasing places linked with memories of happier times. Now, a group of architects has launched an initiative to draw up the floorplans of lost homes. From these floorplans, nostalgic scenes spring to life, offering tsunami survivors who long to look back the courage to move on.

Looking Back, Moving On

In Japan, where calligraphy is mainly a girls' pastime, a group of students at an all-boys school belongs to a calligraphy club. Classmates call them nerds, and have labeled them "gloomy characters". To turn things around, their leader comes up with an idea: Become the first all-male team to enter a competition for "performance calligraphy", a mix of brush writing, dance and pop music. We follow the boys' quest to break out of their shells and take on a new challenge.

The Calligraphy Boys

Takahiro Endo is a 28-year-old architect working in Ishinomaki in northeast Japan. As the city takes shape again following the 2011 tsunami and earthquake, Endo dismantles, designs, and renovates interiors in vacant houses to provide cheap yet chic spaces for young people. The positive, forward-looking energy in Ishinomaki following the disaster drew him to the city. But now that things there are beginning to settle down again, Endo has concerns about his professional limitations. We follow his everyday life as he revaluates his options.

Designs on Life

In the years before and after World War II, some 400,000 people emigrated from Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan, including a man who moved to Bolivia. His descendants include a 13-year-old grandson named Makoto, who struggles with feeling like an outsider in the country where he was born. Then, granddad and grandson get a chance to visit Okinawa together. The trip not only deepens their bonds, but also helps Makoto discover his family's roots - and another place he can call "home".

Another 'Home': A Boy Traces His Roots

Gaku Sato opened his own shoeshine shop at age 22. With his sharp fashion sense and a chic shop decor, he is exploring a new, stylish image for the shoeshine trade. Sato believes that making people's dress shoes gleam actually lift their spirits. This is the story of a young man polishing his professional skills.

Shoeshine Star

How do you revitalize a hamlet with only 3 grannies? By hand-made cookies! This is a story of how 3 hard working grannies all over 86 take on a challenge of coming up with a new product in their lineup of sweets and crackers. Through trial and error, the grannies pursue the perfect cookie, not only for income, but also for their community, and for their own purpose of life.

The Three Grannies' Cookie Challenge

Before and during World War II, 270,000 Japanese relocated to Manchuria in China, which was controlled by Japan. After the war, the Japanese government created settlements, where returning families could develop farms and help boost the nation's food supply. But many settlers wound up in remote, mountainous areas where life was harsh and crops didn't thrive. As Japan's economy grew, their lives were again thrown into turmoil. We explore a forgotten chapter of Japan's postwar history.

Pioneer Villages: Forgotten Postwar History

This time we meet a member of staff working behind the scenes for a women's pro-wrestling promotion in Sendai, northeast Japan. Sendai Girls' Pro-Wrestling or "Senjo", as it is known consists of 5 female wrestlers, plus one man: Hiroyuki Endo the athletic trainer, who's still getting used to the job. But he's found that so far, his work is mostly sales and office work, and no actual training. "Senjo" is gearing up for a major event to mark the promotion's 10th anniversary. Everyone is busy, including Endo, who now has to juggle his first actual training work with ticket sales and pitching sponsors. We meet a young man grappling with the gap between his expectations and reality in his first job.

Wrestling with a New Job

In graying Japan, a growing number of elderly people living alone require nursing care at home. Yukiko Senpuku, 81, is a sought-after homecare helper in Osaka who brightens the lives of such people through attentive care and companionship. She says supporting them lifts her spirits, too. She goes the extra mile, learning sign language and polishing her professional skills, to connect with the people she serves. A senior caring for seniors who's a model of fulfillment in old age.

Sharing Life Together: An 81-Year-Old Caregiver

They say giving opens doors. And one grandma knows that well. 80-year-old Hiroko Sogo makes picture cards with simple, warm illustrations and thoughtful messages. When people find a card they like, she gives it away, bringing smiles to their faces and cheering herself up. Her creations have touched the hearts of people in her town and across Japan. It's the story of authentic exchanges between a gentle grandma and people inspired by her illustrations and words.

Grandma's Picture Cards

From ancient times, Japan's imperial court and shogunate have supported and protected Kasuga Taisha in Nara Prefecture as a means of praying for national peace and security. Known affectionately and reverently as "Kasuga-san", the shrine is deeply rooted in the lives of Nara locals who support the traditional rites and provide continuous donations. Some of the shrine supporters introduced in this program include a farmer who, for more than 60 years, has grown specially cultivated rice for offerings; pilgrims who venture deep within the sacred forest surrounding the shrine to offer prayers; and a man who hosts one of the shrine deities in his home in order to bring blessings to the community. The program thus provides an intimate portrait of the close bonds that have developed between the shrine and the local community over the centuries.

Kasuga Taisha: A Divine Shrine for Daily Life

The remote island of Nasake is a sanctuary for children forced to live away from their parents because of poverty, abuse, and other problems. But this spring, their foster home was moved to the mainland, forcing all the children to relocate. They leave behind their temporary home and the island's elderly residents, who have become like their substitute parents. Although they are sad and anxious, these kids slowly start to face their new reality. This documentary looks at their close ties to Nasake and captures their emotional farewell.

Island of Compassion

Katsunobu Yoshida is a 28-year-old graphic designer who makes leaflets, posters and logos by hand, avoiding computers whenever he can. He draws inspiration from elderly locals who themselves make brooms and ropes by hand. Yoshida incorporates what he learns from them in items that he makes from natural materials.

A Hands-on Designer

In May 2016, Barack Obama made a memorable visit to Hiroshima -- the first sitting US president to do so. That year, a record number of foreign tourists came to the city, the largest group being from the US. The program follows 2 Americans. A baseball lover on his first visit to Hiroshima deepens his knowledge of the 1945 bombing. An English teacher, who lives there with his Japanese wife and 2 children, remarks on the changes during his 19-year stay. We find out what they discovered.

What Brought You to Hiroshima?

Yuki Sakaguchi, 28 years old, once led a busy city life working for an international company, but this left him feeling exhausted and ill. He made up his mind to go back home to Tottori Prefecture in western Japan. There he had his first exposure to huge natural-edge slabs of wood, cut from trees more than 100 years old. He fell in love with these items, which were the handiwork of Taichiro Sawa, a veteran wood expert. The 2 men became firm friends, and their common desire to have more people appreciate such impressive pieces of wood led to a decision to set up a company to sell them, but not everything goes smoothly. One proposal that Sakaguchi makes to Sawa is not well received, but together they keep seeking ways to move their business forward.

Carving out a New Path with Wood

A construction boom in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is changing the face of Japan's capital. The unsung heroes of this transformation are the skyscraper construction workers who ply their trades at the top floors of these towering buildings. Many young people seeking opportunity flock to Tokyo to work at these dangerous sites. But what drives them? What really makes them leave their families and hometowns? We go to the dizzying heights of these sites to see how these young people are building their futures as they reshape the Japanese capital.

The High-Rises We Build

Takahiro Inagawa, 29 years old, heads a start-up company that is developing low-cost rockets. He and a staff of 13 are creating small rockets to carry miniaturized satellites into space. Their plan is to provide the rockets at a fraction of the conventional cost, and this has drawn a great deal of attention. Although Inagawa wasn't able to land a job with Japan's space agency or an aerospace firm, he's now just a step away from achieving his dream of launching a rocket into space. We observe his progress on this challenging journey.

Countdown to Business Lift-off!

Rumoi in northern Japan was once a flourishing town, but economic stagnation and a shrinking population have taken their toll. 7 years ago, Rumoi even lost its last bookstore. But a group of residents, determined not to let their town wither away, came together and managed to get a new shop opened. Locals cherish the chance to discover new books and hold them in their hands. The bookstore nurtures people's hearts and minds, and brings the community together.

Our Town's Bookstore

For years, the Kodo Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble has been spreading the magic of Japanese "taiko" drumming to the world. It's a small group made up of 30 members. This spring, 9 young men and women joined the Kodo Apprentice Center, each hoping to become a professional taiko performer. During 2 years of communal living, they will learn the importance of joining their hearts together, a concept that is absolutely crucial to creating harmony. However, only a handful can become official members of the group, so creating "one heart" and "one sound" is not such an easy task. Will the young aspiring drummers come together to beat as one?

One Heart, One Beat

Susumu Hidaka, 29 years old, is a fisherman in training. He is learning the trade from a well experienced master in a fishing port in Cape Sada on the western tip of Shikoku Island, Japan. After spending 10 years in Tokyo living a carefree life, Hidaka came to this town because he heard he could become an independent commercial fisherman in just 3 years. Things don't go as planned, though, and Hidaka finds the life of a fisherman harder than he imagined. His skills of operating a boat are still a bit clumsy. Despite this, Hidaka enjoys his new world and is excited about where his life is headed.

Hooked on a New Fishing Career

Back when flower nurseries covered its slopes, Shishijima in western Japan was known as "flower island". Today it's home to only about 20 people, including 82-year-old Takako Takashima. She and her husband, Nagao, supported their family for half a century by raising flowers in a field they created together. He died 3 years ago, but she still climbs a steep slope every day to tend to their field. The work is tiring, but she lovingly nurtures the blooms, while cherishing fond memories.

Our Flower Field

Takashi Aramoto has been selling his cakes by bicycle for 30 years in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The 62-year-old has no problem riding well over 20 kilometers a day to bring the baked goods to his customers. Rain or shine, brutal winter or scorching summer, Takashi is hard at work. As a result, he's built up a faithful clientele who love his cakes and respect his work ethic. In return, he's loyal to them, including those who lost everything in the disastrous Kumamoto earthquakes in 2016. We'll head out to discover the source of his power and motivation.

Cakes on Wheels

Tomohiko Yukihashi, 28 years old, is a clothing designer based in Beppu city in southwest Japan. For more than 3 years he'd been driving about the country, calling himself the "traveling tailor". He now lives in a building set aside exclusively for young artists. We follow Yukihashi who decided to settle down and take on a new challenge.

A Journey in Design

Recently, a growing number of foreign investors have been opening inns and hotels in a two-century old hot spring resort town in Japan. They've been successful largely due to the fact that they offer services that accommodate the needs of overseas visitors. But some Japanese hotel owners, who have been in the business for years, are concerned because a few foreign entrepreneurs who aren't familiar with local rules are causing problems. This program follows the efforts of both parties to communicate and boost tourism together.

Joining Hands with Newcomers

Tetsuyo Ishii, 97, is the oldest person in Minogo, a mountain town in western Japan. Her secret to staying alert and active is to remain "rust-free", like her trusty garden hoe. She lives alone, but finds joy in being self-sufficient. She raises chickens and even grows her own vegetables. She also founded a social club for her elderly neighbors. Through her gregarious and positive personality, Tetsuyo makes the most of life and enriches the lives of others.

Like a Trusty Garden Hoe

Ayumu Shimokuni, better known as Muyua, is a shop assistant and a star in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku district. The 19-year-old works at a used-clothing store popular with teenage girls. As most Harajuku shop attendants' popularity wanes in their early 20's, Muyua's colleagues have already started planning their next move. But Muyua himself isn't thinking about the future – he prefers to enjoy the moment. Then, the store's owner, who is worried about Muyua's future, entrusts him with organizing a special event to mark the store's 2nd anniversary. Will Muyua seize this chance to create a new future for himself?

A Passion for Fashion

On Japan's Amami-oshima island, 29-year-old Hitoshi Ijuin runs a small lunch box shop. Many of his customers are elderly and live alone. The village has no supermarket or convenience store, making it hard for older people to have proper meals. Every day, Hitoshi and his mother prepare home-cooked lunches, adjust them to individual needs, and then he delivers them to customers' doors. For Hitoshi, supporting local seniors with nourishing, heartfelt meals is a way to give back to the community.

Hitoshi's Bento Shop

This program follows people who, facing difficult times, have flocked to a World Heritage Site in Japan to try to turn their lives around. The setting is the Omine Okugakemichi, a route that connects the mountains of Wakayama and Nara Prefectures, central Japan. The treacherous, 100-kilometer mountain path is known as the birthplace of ascetic training. It was used for that purpose for more than 1,000 years, but today it's accessible to all, attracting visitors from across the country. Among them, a young woman who's determined to confront her weaknesses and a middle-aged man whose family has fallen apart. They and others take on the challenge of hiking the ancient route in the hope that the physically intense training brings about change in their lives.

Finding My Way on the Okugakemichi

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.

From the Slopes to the Playroom

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.

Living Positively with Dementia

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.

Uncovering Precious Life Stories

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?

Old House, New Hope

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.

Finding Poetry in Cancer

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: A Brother's Journey Home

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: Dancing for My Future

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.

Once Lost, Now Found: Student Actors' Challenge

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?

Sharing a Manga Dream

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.

A Truckful of Food and Smiles

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.

Forging On: Master and Apprentice

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.

Learning to Teach

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?

A Guesthouse's Unexpected Beginning

Zao in northeastern Japan is one of Japan's top ski resorts. Along with excellent powder, Zao's mountains are known for their stunning natural scenery. On this program, we focus on people dedicated to sharing the wonders of Zao's harsh yet beautiful winters with others. One is a 91-year-old ski instructor who teaches other seniors. There's also a photographer who has spent decades photographing the area's fantastic snow-covered trees.

Sharing Zao's Wonders

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.

Dancing Beyond Disabilities

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.

Giving Dreams a Boost

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.

Sweet Taste of Hope

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.

Mr. Grandpa in Nursery School

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?

A Teacher's Passion

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.

The Colors of the Forest

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.

Opening Doors to Newcomers

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.

Remembering Our Railway

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?

Soaking Up a Hot Spring Dream

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.

Grandmas' Goodbye to an Old Market

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.

Auntie's Candy Store – Sweets & Life Lessons

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.

Brewing a Future for Local Tea

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.

Pursuing the Ultimate Awa Indigo

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.

Sculptures with Soul

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?

A Budding Forestry Career

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.

The 100km Walk: Two Life-Changing Days

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.

"Crazy Mike" the Artist

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.

Making Udon to a Different Beat

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.

Onikenbai: the Demon Sword Dance

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.

Tears, Laughter and Motherhood

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?

The Maturing Sake Expert

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.

Apprentice Geisha: Making Dreams Come True

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.

Night School - Learning for Living

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.

Finding Happiness in Bathhouses

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.

Yuka and Her New Classmates

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."

From Handsome to Beautiful

Haruo Obata, 78, gained nationwide fame in summer 2018 when he found a missing 2-year-old boy during a search operation in southwestern Japan. It was the latest effort by this "super volunteer" to come to the aid of people in need. For nearly 30 years, Haruo has helped survivors in disaster-hit areas, including the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2016 quakes in Kumamoto Prefecture. This program follows him as he camps out in a schoolyard in western Japan, while working to clean up homes badly damaged by heavy rains. He opens up about a personal mission shaped by a life of hardship, and reveals what drives him on.

"Super Volunteer": Driven to Help in Disasters

Using an extra fine point pen, the Japanese artist Aju creates stunning drawings of Tokyo landscapes and other big cities. The scenes are so vividly engrained in her mind that she doesn't even make preliminary sketches. Aju was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when she was 22 years old. She didn't feel there was any place for her, at school or home, and she felt she wanted to die. Her art and her talent saved her. Follow this young artist on her journey as she finds new possibilities.

The Best Seasons of Hometown Stories

The Best Seasons of Hometown Stories

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Season 8

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Season 14