2020x1 - Episode 1

January 10, 2020

2020x110 - Episode 110

January 10, 2020

2020x117 - Episode 117

January 17, 2020

2020x124 - Akihabara: Infatuated with Electronics

January 24, 2020

A store in Akihabara, Japan's biggest electronics town, sells over 100,000 electronics parts, including resistors, capacitors and circuit boards. Around 1,000 people come to the store every day, from professional engineers to people who like to build their own electronics for fun. Among the people we meet are a musician who makes his own effects units; a graduate student who makes drones to take a break from job hunting; and a man whose hobby of fixing car audio systems has turned into a job. For 3 days, we peeked inside the store to find out what it is people come to buy and what they hope to create with it.

2020x131 - Big Fish, Big Dreams

January 31, 2020

Every winter, anglers from across the country flock to one of Japan's most popular surf spots - Ishizakihama, in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan. They all come in the hopes of catching the mulloway, a fish that approaches the shore around this time of year and can measure well over a meter in length. However, the chances of catching one is said to be as slim as winning the lottery. For 3 days, we spoke to the avid anglers who make every effort to capture these elusive creatures, and forge new friendships in the process.

2020x207 - Episode 207

February 7, 2020

2020x214 - Episode 214

February 14, 2020

2020x221 - Episode 221

February 21, 2020

2020x228 - Episode 228

February 28, 2020

2020x306 - Spilling the Beans at a Coffee Stall

March 6, 2020

2 brothers in their 70s operate this unpretentious street stall that has only 1 item on the menu - coffee. The stall is set up each evening in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, and has been a popular haunt for locals and visitors for almost half a century. Among the customers we met were: a successful psychiatrist who runs several hospitals; a company employee who always ends his week here; and a man who has been coming here since he was a little boy. For 3 days, we asked the customers about what makes this stall so special, and why they keep coming back.

2020x731 - Finding Solace at Inokashira Park

July 31, 2020

By late June, about 1 month after Japan's coronavirus state of emergency had been lifted, people had gradually returned to Tokyo's Inokashira Park. Among the visitors to the popular park's lush greenery and large pond were friends catching up after a long time being unable to meet; a comedy duo practicing to achieve their goal of finding fame; and a company employee leisurely reading a book and enjoying the outdoors after being stuck inside during the previous months. What inspired these people to come here? For 3 days, we asked visitors about what the park means to them.

2020x807 - Episode 807

August 7, 2020

2020x814 - Tanabata Wishes at a Tokyo Temple

August 14, 2020

Many people in Japan celebrate the Tanabata Star Festival -- a tradition marked each July 7 -- by writing a wish on a thin sheet of colored paper and tying it to a bamboo branch. Zojoji Temple, which stands near the base of Tokyo Tower, holds an annual festival during which visitors write their deepest wish in the hope it will come true. Among the visitors to the temple in the days leading up to Tanabata were a woman longing to meet a man she has had a crush on for 10 years, a couple worried that the coronavirus pandemic might jeopardize their bonuses and an Australian woman who comes every year with a message for her deceased father. For 3 days, we asked people at the temple about the wishes -- ranging from the modest to the extravagant -- they penned and the stories behind them.

2020x904 - Episode 904

September 4, 2020

2020x911 - Tokyo Taxi Oasis

September 11, 2020

A road near Tokyo's Roppongi district is an oasis for taxi drivers who are allowed to park here for as long as they like. There, the drivers can relax, eat and even sleep on a break. As the coronavirus pandemic rumbles on, how do drivers feel about their jobs? The drivers we met included one who started this career after the pandemic erupted, one thinking of quitting because his income has plunged and another who cannot quit because he has a family to support. For 3 days, we asked drivers who parked along this road about their job and what the future holds.

2020x918 - Episode 918

September 18, 2020

2020x925 - Episode 925

September 25, 2020

2020x1002 - Episode 1002

October 2, 2020

2020x1009 - Seeds of Happiness at a Tokyo Garden Center

October 9, 2020

As many people have spent more time at home during the coronavirus pandemic, gardening has become a popular hobby. Tokyo's garden megastore with over 100,000 varieties of plants is the go-to place for people wanting flowers, vegetables, bonsai trees or rare shrubs. The center's customers include a man inspired by a cactus' power to survive, a woman who buys weakened plants so she can help them recover and a woman who feels most relaxed when she tends to her plants. For 3 days, we asked what plants mean to them.

2020x1016 - Episode 1016

October 16, 2020

2020x1023 - Episode 1023

October 23, 2020

2020x1030 - The Zoo on a Hill

October 30, 2020

It's small and has only a few large animals, but a hilltop zoological park in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, has captured the heart of locals for decades. It is home to about 60 different species and is frequented by many, especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic which has made it difficult to travel far. Among the visitors to this free admission zoo are people on family outings; a woman who comes on various milestones in her life; and a young couple who come at night to find nocturnal creatures in the park. For 3 days, we asked visitors why this seemingly ordinary zoo has become a special place for so many people.

2020x1106 - Episode 1106

November 6, 2020

2020x1113 - Opening New Doors at a Furniture Outlet Store

November 13, 2020

A major furniture outlet store in Chiba Prefecture boasts a stock of roughly 1,400 items from beds, sofas to tables. Customers are increasing since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as people are staying in more and seeking to make their homes more comfortable. Among the customers we met were a man searching for a dining table hoping to spend quality time with his family, and a woman who is replacing all her furniture to surround herself with only the things she loves. The choices they make tell us something about who they are, and the changes and challenges they face in life. How do they picture their future? For 3 days, we listened to their stories.

2020x1120 - Episode 1120

November 20, 2020

2020x1204 - Episode 1204

December 4, 2020

2020x1211 - Episode 1211

December 11, 2020