Japan Video Topics 2016 Topic Length Description This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Early Modern Japanese Painter, Ito Jakuchu: Brilliance Beyond 300 Years Jakuchu, whose works continue to fascinate people to this day. His colorful expressions 3’30” and elaborate depictions have received acclaim not just in Japan, but overseas as well, 若冲 ～300年後も輝くJAPAN ART～ and have had a strong influence on the digital art of present-day Japan. We discover the timeless and fantastic world of Ito Jakuchu. “Wrapping” is an expression of consideration and hospitality towards others that the Japanese people have carried out from long ago. The “wrapping” techniques rooted in this culture of hospitality are evolving in various fields now. At shops, products are swiftly and Wrapping: A Gift from the Heart beautifully wrapped, and wholeheartedly presented to customers. There are also 3’35” 包む ～思いやりを込めて～ environment-friendly cardboard boxes specially designed to transport items rapidly, safely and securely. Through such products, we explore the technologies as well as the Japanese sensibilities behind this tradition. 16/17 DVD No1 “Washoku” has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and is becoming widely recognized by people around the world. One of the most important UMAMI: A Taste from Japan aspects of washoku is the main element of dashi (soup stock) – “umami”. Umami was first 4’12″ discovered by a Japanese person and since then, is becoming accepted as a universal 日本発の味覚 ～U M A M I～ term in the culinary world. Umami is said to enhance the flavor of any dish. Through the efforts of people promoting umami overseas, and actually incorporating it in Western cooking, such as French cuisine, we introduce the delights of this now international taste. In the suburbs of the Japanese capital, Tokyo, a massive facility spreads out deep underground. Inside is a vast area with shafts big enough to fit the Space Shuttle and Flood Control from Underground tunnels 10 meters in diameter. Called the “Metropolitan Area Outer Underground 3’48” Discharge Channel”, it is designed to protect Tokyo from flooding caused by heavy rains 地下空間で洪水対策 and typhoons. The sophisticated drilling techniques of Japan to build this huge structure have also been adopted overseas and are playing a role in protecting the lives and livelihoods of people in flood-prone countries. 2015 Topic Length Description The Tohoku region’s Miyagi Prefecture was one of the hardest hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Michinoku Sendai Orihime-tai is a popular Miyagi group who have been using song and dance to promote reconstruction efforts. These teenage Smiles Again in Tohoku girls formed their group immediately after the disaster out of a desire to do something to 4’10” 東北から笑顔を help the survivors. As they put on performances to cheer up evacuees living in temporary housing, they came to realize the importance of preparing for future disasters. This led to them taking part in a UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, and to their recent focus on raising disaster awareness among the region’s children. Nishikigoi are a type of Japanese ornamental carp, known for the brilliantly colored markings on their skin. Their name comes from nishiki, a word describing the gorgeous Nishikigoi multicolored brocade patterns on silk fabrics. It’s said that Nishikigoi began from one fish, a Fish as Art colored variety that appeared among the black carp bred for food. The Japanese quickly 4’19” 錦鯉 became fans of this beautiful new fish, and over the years breeders developed techniques 〜泳ぐ芸術〜 to produce better colors and patterns. Their success led to varieties of Nishikigoi that have become famous worldwide. We’ll meet one of the breeders who is continuing his family’s tradition of creating fish that are living works of art. 15/16 DVD No6 Bubbles are in the news. But these are not ordinary bubbles – they are nano-sized: just one nanometer or a billionth of a meter across. When newly-landed fish are soaked at the market for just 10 minutes in water filled with these bubbles, they stay fresh enough to eat Tiny Bubbles with Huge Potential as sashimi for days longer than normal. The bubbles contain nitrogen, which prevent 4’13″ 日本発 ナノレベルの泡の力 microorganisms from multiplying and slows the rate of decay. Water filled with nano- bubbles of oxygen has been found to stimulate plant growth and increase crops. And doctors have discovered that water containing ozone micro-bubbles destroys viruses and bacteria. These invisible, nano-sized bubbles are about to change our lives. The world’s first ever Para-Ekiden race was held recently in Tokyo. This is a new kind of relay race, in which the teams consist of a mix of people with and without disabilities. The Para-Ekiden rules are based on the ekiden, a type of long-distance relay race created in Japan, which is A New Kind of Relay hugely popular here. Instead of a baton, ekiden runners wear a kind of sash called a 3’55” パラ駅伝 tasuki, which is passed between team members. In the Para-Ekiden, all competitors, 〜世界初のスポーツ〜 regardless of whether they have disabilities or not, must complete the same distance and hand on their tasuki sash to the next runner. The appeal of this new sport is that it allows everyone equal opportunity to enjoy competing as part of a team. The Kushiro wetlands in Hokkaido is one of the world’s great wildlife-watching spots, and Japan’s Red-crowned Crane one of its most famous attractions is the red-crowned crane. These rare and beautiful The Kushiro Wetlands birds, classed worldwide as an endangered species, live here all year round but need 4’27” human assistance to survive Kushiro’s harsh winters. Just fifty years ago, they were 冬の釧路湿原 rescued from the brink of extinction by the efforts of one local man. Today, park rangers 〜白銀に舞うタンチョウ〜 continue his conservation work, protecting this fragile environment to preserve its red- crowned cranes. Capsule toys from vending machines are hugely popular in Japan. Just centimeters tall, Capsule Toys they’re made in a vast range of designs, from anime characters to lifelike animal models, Not Just for Children with a charm and quirky humor that appeal to adult collectors as well as children. A current 4’18” hit (over 10 million sold) is a tiny figurine called Koppu no Fuchiko – a serious looking カプセルトイ young woman in office uniform who hangs from the rims of glasses or cups in a variety of 〜世代を越える魅惑のおもちゃ〜 poses. We see the toys being created, starting with artists crafting highly detailed molds to express these concepts in miniature form. 15/16 DVD No5 Mamachari is the name of the sturdy mommy cycles you see everywhere in Japan. First The Mamachari designed to meet the needs of busy urban mothers, they make it so much easier to Japan’s City Bicycle transport a couple of kids or a big load of family shopping. These city cycles have their 4’30″ roots in the 1950s, when there was a great demand from Japanese women for bicycles ママチャリ that could be ridden easily in any clothes, and that were safe and stable enough to carry 〜安全・快適なシティサイクル〜 children. This developed into today’s ultra-practical mamachari, now winning fans among both men and women cyclists around the world. The word kiri-e describes a set of techniques for cutting shapes in paper. Deeply rooted in Kiri-e traditional Japanese crafts, kiri-e is now seizing imaginations in the world of fine art. One The Art of Cutting Paper major historical use for kiri-e was in Ise-katagami, the craft of making paper stencils for 4’25” applying color and patterns to kimono fabric. These old traditional methods are still widely 切り絵 practiced by artisans and hobbyists, and young Japanese artists are also exploring the use 〜紙とはさみが織りなす芸術〜 of kiri-e techniques in groundbreaking ways to produce complex works of amazing beauty that have won acclaim worldwide. “Japan Blue” is a special shade of the color unique to Japan, produced from a local variety of indigo plant called tadeai using a number of traditional natural dyeing methods. For Japan Blue centuries, this blue was a distinctive feature of Japanese daily life, with most people 4’09” ジャパンブルー wearing clothing in a range of indigo hues. This indigo fabric is now a hot item in the fashion world, eagerly sought by apparel makers worldwide for its practical applications as well as its beauty. Yuzu, a citrus fruit with a unique aroma and acidity, has been used for centuries in Yuzu Japanese cuisine as seasoning and condiment. This fruit revived the fortunes of Umaji, a The Fruit that Saved a Village small village in Kochi whose population of 1,000 was dwindling due to an aging population 3’48” ゆず and decline in forestry jobs. Umaji turned to its traditional crop to save itself, developing a 村を救った果実 range of ingenious yuzu-based products that eventually became so successful that now when you say “yuzu” people think of Umaji. 15/16 DVD No4 Plating refers to a number of processes for applying a metallic coating, usually gold or Plating nickel, to the surface of objects for decoration and rust protection. It’s very durable – the A Technology Still at the Cutting Edge 8th century Great Buddha in Nara, a World Heritage Site, still bears traces of its gold 4’04″ めっき plating from over 1,000 years ago. Japan has been a technological innovator in this field, 一千年の技が“最先端”をつくる recently developing the first practical way to plate plastic surfaces, and now exploring new applications in nano-technology.