Hometown Stories
5.5
2011
Documentary
Stories about people, stories about life. Intimate portraits of people from around Japan, each leading diverse lives while enriching lives of others.
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- Cast:
- lae astra
Episode 29 : Inheriting a Thousand-Year-Old Craft
December. 24,2023
Ise katagami is the art of crafting stencils for kimono patterns. Now, the artisans practicing it are aging and their numbers shrinking. We look at the people devoted to preserving this tradition.
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Episode 28 : Grandma's Hands Reap Nature's Bounty
December. 10,2023
On the Noto Peninsula in the Sea of Japan, winter winds buffet a tiny community protected by bamboo fences. We meet a woman in her 80s who embraces the bounty of earth and sea with her bare hands.
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Episode 27 : Sparking a Chain of Kindness
November. 26,2023
Ten years ago, a young student offered to help a man with limited vision ride the bus. Other youngsters have continued the tradition. Now, a book inspired by these acts is gaining fans across Japan.
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Episode 26 : A Heart-Warming Tokyo Veggie Stand
November. 19,2023
There's an unattended vegetable stand in the middle of Tokyo that draws more than 100 customers a day, supporting young people who want to save money. On the wall of the stand, there is a message from the owner to young customers saying, "Tomo is here for you, so don't worry about your future." She grows vegetables and brings them there herself. She says she opened the stand because of her own experience as a teenager moving to Tokyo from the countryside. We follow the story behind this unusual stand and find out why it is so heart-warming.
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Episode 23 : Japanese Paper Supports War-torn Ukraine
October. 08,2023
Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Awa washi paper was sent to Ukraine from Tokushima, western Japan, to help repair historical documents at the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv. Ukraine was struggling to obtain suitable paper, which hampered repair work at the Archives. The makers of Awa washi offered support, hoping the paper, with its centuries of tradition, would help preserve Ukrainian culture. The program depicts the warm bonds that developed between the Japanese artisans and the staff at the Archives through their mutual appreciation of the paper.
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Episode 22 : Reviving a Fukushima Brewery
September. 24,2023
The people of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, had to flee their homes after their town was destroyed in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Only about 10% of them have returned, including Suzuki Daisuke, the fifth-generation owner of a local sake brewery. He now makes sake using local water and rice, and hopes to win a gold medal in a national competition. We follow his quest to reestablish his business and bring a sense of pride to his community as well.
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Episode 21 : A Song for a New Fukushima School
September. 10,2023
The residents of Tomioka had to evacuate after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident. As people gradually return and rebuild, the elementary school asked composer Otomo Yoshihide to write a new school song. Students and alumni were invited to write the lyrics. But Otomo learned that the two groups had very different ideas about what made the place special. How could they create a piece that would offer a positive vision for a place that had undergone such drastic change?
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Episode 16 : Kintsugi: Mending Memories with Gold
July. 09,2023
Kintsugi is a technique used to repair objects using lacquer and gold. In the mountain village of Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, a kintsugi workshop is inundated with repair requests from all over the country. The items include a teacup bought on a honeymoon and a mug used for 40 years. All are imbued with special meaning. For some clients, the golden tracings on the objects hold memories of lost loved ones. We look at the emotional bonds that kintsugi can help to create.
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Episode 14 : Waiting for the God's Crossing
June. 18,2023
An ice bridge rises up from Lake Suwa, connecting its opposite shores. Local people have documented this omiwatari or "the God's Crossing," for hundreds of years. But changing weather patterns have taken their toll. The chief priest and parishioners from Yatsurugi Shrine came to the lake in winter to pray for its appearance and to add to a centuries-old record. This film focuses on the people who are struggling to carry on a 580-year-old ritual and others who are learning from their knowledge.
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Episode 13 : Our New Classmate from Ukraine
June. 11,2023
Mariia, 12, fled the devastation of the war in Ukraine and now lives in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, with her mother and younger brother. She used to be positive and popular, but now in Japan she struggles to deal with the language barrier and to settle into her class. Mariia's classmates are doing their best to support her. Mikoto and Hanna especially want to become her friends. The three girls are finally able to overcome their language differences and build a deep relationship.
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Episode 12 : Amashi: Japan's Freediving Fishers
May. 28,2023
The waters off Sadamisaki Peninsula, at the westernmost tip of Shikoku, are rich with large abalone and sea urchins. Amashi, or freediving fishers, descend 20 meters or more to harvest them. The tradition dates back hundreds of years, but today only about 30 amashi remain. A young man left his job as a civil servant to enter this community. At first, he faced a series of hurdles, but is being gradually drawn into this fascinating world. Will the amashi come to accept him as one of their own?
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Episode 11 : Bonding Through Soba: A Story of Four Grannies
May. 14,2023
In a small community at the foot of the famous Mt. Gassan in the northern prefecture of Yamagata, four women in their 80s work together in a popular soba-noodle restaurant. Many people come a long way to enjoy the grannies' soba. Each has her own role - making dough, cutting it into strips, frying tempura, and making side dishes using seasonal vegetables. They enjoy working, chatting, and laughing together, and they have developed a special bond. We follow the women, from the beautiful season of buckwheat flowers blooming to the deep snows of winter.
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Episode 9 : A World Heritage Town: Past and Future
April. 23,2023
Omori Town in western Japan is located at the foot of the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, a UN World Heritage Site. It was once losing its population, but the number of children is now growing thanks to the town's initiatives focused on a tranquil lifestyle and interpersonal connections. More and more young families are moving there hoping to raise their children in a beautiful natural setting, and helping to nurture the community in the process.
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Episode 8 : Modern Methods Sustain Metalwork Tradition
April. 09,2023
A workshop in Iwate Prefecture has been making traditional Nambu ironware kettles for decades. After taking over the business from his master-craftsman father, Tayama Takahiro decided to rethink the work environment. To attract younger applicants, he replaced grueling schedules and long apprenticeships with 5-day workweeks and paid time off. And he designed a simple kettle that can be produced by less-experienced artisans. But there are bumps along the way and Takahiro must learn to adapt.
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Episode 6 : Small Factory Reaches for the Stars
March. 05,2023
An aerospace project in Kyushu has brought together more than 20 local factories. Their grand plan is to launch 36 satellites. It is the first foray into space for the team at the small factory in Kurume City tasked with assembling the satellites, who are engaging in a process of trial and error despite misgivings by some of the members. But the long-awaited launch unexpectedly failed. What will happen to people in the local community and their passion for space?
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Episode 5 : Seeking a Chance to Learn: Students with Overseas Roots
February. 19,2023
In spring 2021, Shinji High School in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, set up the first class in the prefecture solely for students with foreign roots. As well as regular subjects, they get special support in an extra one titled "Understanding Japanese." The area's foreign population has surged in recent years. While elementary and junior high schools offer language support, there is hardly any at high schools, so several students have had to give up on studying or pursuing their ambitions. We follow four Japanese Brazilian students at the school as they take a step toward their dreams.
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Episode 4 : Soccer Team Raises Community Spirit
February. 05,2023
A small community in Niigata Prefecture is surrounded by beautiful, abundant rice fields, but its population is shrinking as younger people leave in search of opportunity. To reverse this trend, a local NPO decided to launch a women's soccer team to attract new residents. It pays team members, who are also farm workers, to play soccer. In its seventh year, the team has become a source of community pride and passion. And older residents are among its most enthusiastic fans.
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Episode 3 : Magical Forest: Okinawa's Natural World Heritage Site
January. 22,2023
Yambaru in the north of Okinawa Island was registered as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site in July 2021. Its forests are home to numerous indigenous species such as the Okinawa rail, a flightless bird, and the Okinawa Ishikawa's frog, arguably the most beautiful frog in Japan. Since ancient times, the forest has supported people's lives and they've protected the forest in return. Now that the forest has natural heritage site status, tourist numbers are likely to rise. We'll find out how Yambaru's forest with its rare ecosystem and vast diversity can be preserved and passed down to future generations.
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Episode 1 : Stable Fishing Jobs Steer a Community
January. 01,2023
Over a century ago, residents of a port district in southeastern Japan established a cooperative that hires fishers as employees, offering stable jobs that pay a salary. The system has helped preserve a local tradition, in which teams of fishers work together to haul in their catch. New workers are recruited from throughout Japan. But faced with the harsh realities of life on the water, many soon leave. What must this cooperative do to survive?
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