Japan / SEASON

Season 4

26 listed episodes · First aired January 16, 2023

EPISODE GUIDE

Episodes

Full guide ↗
E1Fostering the Future of the Countryside

Japan finally eased its restrictions on entering the country - good news for the inbound tourism industry. UK-born Paul Christie is one of the business owners getting ready to welcome tourists from abroad. He organizes …

E2Hunting with Reverence for Life and Nature

This time, we venture into the forested mountains of Miyazaki Prefecture to meet aspiring hunter Antonia Schult from Germany. Working to help restore the balance between humans and nature and stop wildlife from damaging…

E3Hitting the Powdery Backcountry in Safety

This time we visit the snow-covered mountains in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, where Canadian Dave Enright runs an outdoor recreation company. A seasoned backcountry skiing guide and avalanche safety expert, Dave welcomes …

E4Caring for Patients Like Family

On this episode, we meet Nguyen Quoc Dam, a nurse in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. Nine years ago, Dam took advantage of an economic partnership between his native Vietnam and Japan and was the first Vietnamese to become a…

E5Life Lessons Learned Through Play

On this episode, we head to Sakegawa Village in Yamagata Prefecture, where American Frederick Lauer organizes activities for children to learn invaluable life skills through play. Busy school life leaves Japanese kids v…

E6Preserving the Memories of 3.11

It's been twelve years since the massive earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 hit northeastern Japan. We visit Richard Halberstadt from the UK, who works at the ruins of an elementary school in Ishinomaki City as a …

E7Bound in Heart by Sumo

On this episode, we step into the ring to meet Gantugs Rentsendorj from Mongolia, a coach for the sumo club of a famous high school in Tottori Prefecture. His dream of a professional sumo career cut short by injury, Gan…

E8Chin Up! Let's Dance!

Put on your dancing shoes and get ready for some toe-tapping good time in Yokohama with Filipino Eduardo Macarat. Years ago, when Eduardo's wife was battling illness, he helped keep her spirits and energy up by dancing …

E9Two-Wheelers Like None Other

This time we visit Toyonaka in Osaka Prefecture to meet Gerson Aizawa Hara, a third-generation Brazilian of Japanese descent. Passionate about cycling, he's an artisan who crafts unique bicycles. Each of his creations i…

E10In Search for the Taste of Yashiostan

Home to a large Pakistani community, the city of Yashio in Saitama Prefecture is nicknamed Yashiostan. It's here that we meet Mian Ramzan Siddique, who opened a halal food court, a place for his fellow Pakistanis and th…

E11Bridging Cultural Gaps in Work and Life

This time, we visit Shimane Prefecture to meet Vietnamese Pham Van Toi, the president of an agency that finds employment for his fellow countrymen and women who wish to work in Japan. Toi also helps them get used to lif…

E12For Little Smiles Beyond the Ocean

This time, we visit Nagano Prefecture to meet Fidea Kobayashi, who supports orphans in her native Tanzania. Donating the proceeds of fundraising and most of her income, she even set up an orphanage and started the const…

E13Never Give Up, Your Chance Will Come

On this episode, we visit Fussa, Tokyo, to meet American Frederick Roberts. While stationed at a local US air base, Frederick fought as a pro boxer and won the title of national champion in his country of adoption. Now …

E14A Ugandan Teen's Big-league Dream

This time, we take you out to the ballgame! Or more specifically to Sanda City in Hyogo Prefecture, home of the Bravers, an independent league baseball team. A year ago, they welcomed a new player, 16-year-old Kato Edri…

E15Keeping the Fire of Folkcraft Burning

Mass-produced items are nice and cheap, but none have the beauty and warmth of handmade objects. This is especially true in Japan, where handcrafted houseware has long been part of daily living. We follow Terry Ellis fr…

E16Glamping Mongolian Style

This time we go to Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture to meet Mongolian Chimedtseren Amarzul, or Amura to her family and friends. She opened a glamping facility where guests can experience her homeland's culture from sleepin…

E17Happiness Rests on the Clouds

We follow Alek Pashkowski and Vadym Bezvuliak, a Ukrainian music duo that's been entertaining audiences in Nagasaki Prefecture's Sasebo City since 2014. Though Russia's invasion of their homeland has brought many hardsh…

E18Living It Slow in Rural Japan

This time, we discover the enchanting natural landscape of Miyama in Kyoto Prefecture. Drawn to the appeal of a slowly paced life in the Japanese countryside, some foreigners have settled down in the region. We follow S…

E19A Crafter of Wheelchairs and Smiles

On this episode, we visit the workshop of Habib ur Rahman, a craftsman from Pakistan who designs and builds power wheelchairs in Kobayashi City, Miyazaki Prefecture. Believing that a wheelchair can change one's life, he…

E20A Fresh New Breeze in Glass Art

The city of Otaru in Hokkaido Prefecture is famous for its glass making tradition. Fascinated by Otaru glassware, Chen Yu-Chin moved here from her native Taiwan to train to become a glass artisan herself. After only a y…

E21A Brazilian's Journey to Buddhist Priesthood

In the village of Yamakogawa in Chiba Prefecture, Brazilian Joken Fernandes trains at a temple to be a Buddhist priest. Zen meditation, reading sutras and chores are part of his rigorous daily routine, but Joken faces a…

E22A World of Home Flavors in Saitama

On this episode, we take you on a culinary tour of Saitama Prefecture's diverse international community as we meet non-Japanese restaurant owners who serve dishes from their homelands to both warm the hearts of their co…

E23Kayla's Festival of Friendship

We visit the Iizuna Highlands in Nagano Prefecture where Canadian Kayla Afrin runs a popular café. Having grown up under foster care due to losing her parents at a young age, she treasures her connection to the people o…

E24When Horse, Rider and Bow Become One

Performed at Shinto shrines, Yabusame is a ritual in which an archer on horseback shoots arrows at targets. Australian Michael No was so impressed by Yabusame that he moved to Japan to learn it. Now with ten years of ex…

E25Pastor Istvan's Botanical Blessings

We meet Istvan Lorincz, a Romanian of Hungarian origin who's a pastor and expert herbalist in Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture, as well as Vietnamese Hoai Thuong who works at a hot spring inn in Shimane Prefecture.

E26A Personal Chef with a Personal Touch

We meet French-born Germain Guibilato who works as a personal chef for events and special occasions in Kochi City, as well as Chinese Liao Haiting, a veterinary nurse in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture.