2020

Year round, Japan plays host to an estimated 300 thousand matsuri. But dwindling rural populations and weakened community bonds now place around a quarter of these colorful traditional festivals in jeopardy. Manabu Ohar…

As Japan prepares for the Tokyo 2020's big events, efforts are underway to prepare for the arrival of international athletes and spectators, but wheelchair users still face various hurdles. To promote accessibility for …

In Japan, over 6 million tons of food, much of it perfectly edible, go to waste every year. To combat this, Kazuma Kawagoe developed a web application that aims to rescue food otherwise headed for the dumpster. Users ca…

In Japan, a new kind of hotel is giving visitors from around the world the chance to experience Buddhist culture firsthand. Due to depopulation and aging congregations, many of Japan's 77 thousand temples are disused or…

In Osaka, Japan's second-largest city, one NPO is working with the homeless to help them get back on their feet. Founder Kawaguchi Kana has launched various initiatives providing temporary work and accommodation as a br…

Widespread school closures due to COVID-19 have thrust online learning resources into the spotlight. In Japan, one such service offering a fun introduction to the world of smartphone and computer programming received 10…

In March 2020, to curb the spread of COVID-19, schools across Japan were urged to close, prompting widespread fears that children may fall behind on their studies. Enter Yunokawa Takahiko, developer of a unique e-learni…

Small scale, specialist technical workshops, or "machikoba," have long been a lynchpin of Japanese manufacturing. But without the ability to effectively communicate their supreme skills, overseas competition and a lack …

With its many volcanoes, Japan has the world's third-highest potential for geothermal energy. In 1984, Hachimantai, Iwate Pref. opened the country's first such power station, with greenhouses reusing the hot spring wate…

Japan's food supply chain has long followed a model of mass production for mass consumption, with produce from farmers nationwide sent to Tokyo for redistribution, squandering freshness, fuel and money. With calls build…

In spring 2020, with Japan facing a shortage of protective gowns for medical staff battling COVID-19, one 18-employee apparel firm in Nara Prefecture produced 100 thousand gowns in just 3 months thanks to a nationwide n…

In recent years, tough working conditions for often-modest pay have brought serious staff shortages for Japan's food service sector, which faces annual staff turnover of almost 30%. Sawanobori Tetsuya runs a groundbreak…

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan has placed great emphasis on avoiding the Three Cs: closed spaces, crowding and close contact. Kawano Takanobu runs a business that aims to bring peace of mind through digital sys…

Follow a pioneering Kyoto-based firm that boosts producers across Japan by canning local specialty foods. Under the motto "bringing a brighter future through canned goods," the business, led by former IT engineer Inoue …

COVID-19 has hit restaurants hard. Faced with steady running costs despite low sales, some are turning to kitchen cars as a solution. Ishizawa Masayoshi runs a service uniting some 900 independent food truck operators. …