2015

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. 　

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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. 　

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?

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.

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.

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? 　

“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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

Kurume is the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen. There is a ramen restaurant along the national highway that is visited by 3,000 people every day. On holidays, a couple always sips “morning ramen” together. A truck driver stops by on his drive from Aomori to Kagoshima, and an industrial worker who has been coming here after night shift since he was 15 years old and will soon reach retirement age. Founded in 1958 when Tokyo Tower was built. We listen to the stories of each of them as they tell us about their ramen lives at the restaurant, which was one of the first in Japan to open for business 24 hours a day and has continued to warm the stomachs of its customers.

Gentlemen and ladies dance gracefully to the sensual melodies played by a live band. The stage for this program is a dance hall in downtown Tokyo, where the heat of the Showa period still lingers. As one of only two remaining authentic dance halls in the city, it is visited by 500 people a day on weekends. The ladies enjoy the feeling of a princess as a reward after work. A young man is polishing his steps for a competition. Men enjoying conversation and drinks with female teachers in the salon after lessons. We listen to the hearts of the people who gather at this adult social gathering place.

Hiroshima's streetcars are still active in people's daily lives and boast the highest number of users in Japan. People with various dramas ride the streetcars, which run slowly at an average speed of 10 km/h. A grandmother on her way to the hospital after giving birth to her grandson, a student stuck in his job search, and a Carp fan basking in the afterglow of victory. The train reopened three days after the atomic bombing, marking the first step toward reconstruction. This is a story that unfolds over three days on board the tram, which has been in operation for more than 100 years, and has been in the lives of the citizens of Japan.

There is an old-fashioned but very popular hotel for men in the middle of rice fields in the Niigata Plain. Its charm is not only its cheap price. The first floor is a 24-hour drive-in with retro vending machines selling toasted sandwiches and other items, attracting enthusiasts from all over the country. There is also a game corner, where people from all walks of life come to enjoy "a lot of fun for 100 yen. Peddlers who save money on lodging. People relaxing after a long day of work or nursing care. People discussing their lives with a can of coffee in one hand. Three days in a mysterious hotel.

The first overseas feature on "72 Hours! The setting is a 24-hour laundromat in a corner of New York City. Many people of different races and nationalities come to New York, where many people live without washing machines due to housing conditions. Immigrants from Central America who came to the city in search of a more affluent life. An elite lawyer who leaves everything from folding clothes to taking care of the laundry. An otaku who loves Japanese anime. What is the real America as seen through three days at the laundry?

This is the program's first overseas feature! The second installment is a Japanese food supermarket in Dalian, China. Many Japanese companies have established operations in Dalian, where there is a high fever for learning Japanese, and 6,000 Japanese people, including expatriates working in call centers, live there. They all use this supermarket to buy everything from Japanese candy to air-freighted fresh fish. For three days, the camera will be on the people living in Dalian, China.

The 120-meter-high Daibutsu (Great Buddha) is located in Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture. One of the largest cemeteries in the Kanto region spreads out at its foot. During Obon, many people come to visit the graves of their loved ones. Parents share their memories of their sons who passed away from cancer, young people visit the grave of a friend who died in an accident, and children polish the grave of their mothers who raised them alone with gratitude. The film closely observes the cemetery looking up at the Great Buddha for three days in midsummer before the fireworks display for the memorial service. We listen to the mysterious dialogue between the living and the deceased.

The setting is a convenience store that attracts the largest number of customers in Japan among a certain chain of stores for three days in mid-summer. Many people are on their way to the Comic Market (Comiket), a subculture festival held nearby. The store serves as a front-line base for buying drinks and other items. Young people immersed in the dream world of anime cosplay and office workers who make it their life's purpose to meet up with their game-loving comrades come and go. The human drama of the convenience store is agitated by the "Summer Comic Market.

Streets in front of the National Diet Building are the stage for numerous protests. People opposed to national security bills and nuclear power, among other causes, assemble to express their views in Japan's political nerve center, which decides the nation's future and is home to the Prime Minister's Office, lawmakers' offices and central government agencies. The Diet Building has also become a popular tourist spot and a magnet for visitors and students on school excursions, and the nearby tree-lined streets also attract joggers and Tokyoites walking their dogs. For 3 days and nights in September, as deliberations on the security bills neared completion, we filmed the people on the streets around the Diet.

The main building of a long-established hotel in Tokyo, which has been loved by both domestic and foreign guests, has been closed for reconstruction. The Hotel Okura, which has served as the “face of Japan” for more than half a century, is currently operating in its annex. During the last three days, many people with precious memories came to the hotel. Families who reserved rooms out of filial piety. An elderly couple warming the memory of their wedding day. An architect with his eyes glued to the interior design that blends Japanese tradition and Western modernity. The drama of life unfolds in the reborn Honkan before the next Tokyo Olympics.

There is a port where fishermen gather from all over Japan in pursuit of the finest squid. It is the port of Kottoi in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The squid caught offshore is known for its clear, shiny beauty and delicious taste, and is served at restaurants for several thousand yen per fish. Away from their hometowns, the fishermen sleep in cramped cabins, hoping to make a fortune at each catch. Some are veterans with 40 years of experience, while others are young Indonesians who have come to learn the art of fishing. The film follows the drama of these men in a small port where squid fishing is booming in the summer.

There is a town in Tokyo called "Little Manila. It is a corner of Takenotsuka, Adachi-ku, where about 50 Filipino pubs are concentrated. There is a famous one that is open 19 hours a day from early morning to late at night. In the morning, it is a diner that welcomes drivers coming off the night shift with a salmon set meal, in the afternoon it is a place of relaxation for pensioners who enjoy conversation at the bar, and in the evening it is a paradise for adults who come to drink because it is cheaper than in the city center. We closely observe this mysterious restaurant where people of all ages, genders, and sexes gather. We spent three days observing the human characters woven into the fabric of the place.

In Tokyo there's an audio and video transfer shop, where people bring old film reels, VHS tapes and cassettes they can no longer play and have them brought back to life as CDs and DVDs. In these 72 hours, we meet a young woman who wants to make a DVD of her high school play for a reunion, a father recalling when his children were young, a woman who discovered a video of her late brother, and more. These are the stories of people replaying old movies and revisiting treasured memories.

Kansai International Airport is a 24-hour gateway to western Japan. 16 low-cost carriers operate out of this airport in Osaka, making it Japan's largest hub for budget airlines. Cheap air tickets bring a wide spectrum of passengers traveling domestically and overseas to and from the airport, including a young woman on her first visit to Japan waiting alone to be picked up after midnight; a businessman returning on the day's last flight from a work trip that began early the same day; and a woman who had visited her elderly parents to take care of them. Passengers have their own unique reasons for traveling on low-cost carriers. For 3 days, we watched the diverse personal stories that unfold in the airport's terminals.

In Kabukicho, Shinjuku, there is a dispensing pharmacy that is open only at night. People rush in one after another to the store, which stocks everything from nutritional drinks to birth control pills that require a doctor's prescription. A woman in the water business drinks down a drink that is said to be effective for the liver. A young man who had a headache while working late at night. And a restaurant owner who returns to his workplace only to make small talk. The store has become a kind of “infirmary” in the town, where people look forward to talking with the pharmacist. The film depicts the human drama of the nightless city.

The world's largest antiquarian bookstore district in Kanda, Tokyo, is home to more than 160 stores, where you can find amazing treasures such as medieval books priced at 10 million yen and unpublished manuscripts of great writers. A company employee buying his favorite boys' manga, a mother searching for an out-of-print picture book for her child, or a job-hunting student picking up a philosophy book in search of inspiration. Together, they slip back in time to the labyrinth of old books. We took a peek into their deep world for three days. 　

Fortune tellers are said to draw long lines in times of anxiety. People from all walks of life come to the store in the heart of the city to have their future predicted based on their palm readings and date of birth. Office workers who have fallen out of love and are waiting to meet the man of their dreams, single mothers who are busy with work and child-rearing, and people who have been working overtime day after day and are looking for a new job. A single mother who is busy with work and childcare; a man who is beginning to think about changing jobs after working overtime day after day. What do these people who confide in the fortune teller about their problems that they have been carrying around all by themselves reveal?

A mood-detecting dog collar? A wind instrument with a keyboard? You'll never believe the ideas blooming at this workshop in Akihabara. For around $120 a month, members get space to work and access to 3D printers and other cutting-edge tools. Among the users are ham radio enthusiasts and inventors hoping to become the next Steve Jobs. Some even get the chance to present their ideas to investors. We spent 3 days at this creative playground in the heart of Japan's otaku culture.