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(15) What is the 1/830 person? Who is with a hunting license
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: Dec 31, 2023
1 in 830. Yamamoto Akiko moved to a depopulated area in Tottori five years ago. Encouraged by local people, she obtained a license and makes a living by hunting in the morning and working from home in the afternoon. Currently, there are approximately 150,000 people with hunting licenses in Japan, a decrease of more than 60% in the last half century. Meanwhile, the number of deer and wild boars has increased, and in mountainous areas plagued by animal damage, some people are abandoning their fields. While it is difficult to make a living as a hunter alone, Yamamoto is also working hard on wild game. What is the path for people and animals to live side by side?
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Matsui Itaru
[Producer] Yonemoto Naoki
New On the Highways “Hisatsu Road”
NHK BS 59-minute program First broadcast date: Dec 13, 2023
This is a series of travels along the “Reiwa Highways” with the travelogue “On the Highways（Kaido-wo-yuku）” by author Ryotaro Shiba. This time, we will travel the “Hisatsu Road” from Higo to Satsuma with singer and actor Koji Kikkawa. Records show that two highly independent peoples, the Kumaso and the Hayato, lived in “Higo” and “Satsuma” since the time of the ancient Yamato Imperial Court. These two areas have contrasting histories from the Edo period to the end of the Edo period and the Meiji period. During the Edo period, “Satsuma” cultivated its own unique spirit under the Shimazu clan and pushed forward with the Meiji Restoration and the Seinan War, while “Higo” was given the role of suppressing them. Koji Kikkawa, who once played Saigo in a historical drama, will visit this fateful area.
[Starring] Koji Kikkawa
[Reader] Min Tanaka
[Director/Producer] Tatsuya Sano
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(13) What is the 1/156 person? Transgender
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: Nov 23, 2023
1 in 156. Transgender people are those who wish to live with a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth. In a nationwide survey of 60,000 people, 1 in 156 people answered that they were transgender. Some people change their gender in their daily lives, and some change the gender on their family register. In a society where understanding is still low, we follow people as they go about their daily lives, working, marrying, and having fun.
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Moe Wada
[Producer] Naoki Yonemoto
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(12) What is the 1/50 person? Families who have lost a new life
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: Nov 11, 2023
1 in 50. The theme of this episode is “Families who have lost a new life.” Every year, newborn babies are born. However, according to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, about one in fifty children die each year in the mother’s womb or shortly after birth. The reality is that the grief of families who have lost children is difficult to talk about in society. In this program, we interview a couple who lost their second son two hours after birth 15 years ago. How have they dealt with the lingering sadness?
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Yusaku Mitsuwaka
[Producer] Toshimoto Uchida
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(11) What is the 1/85 person? Sign language interpreter
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: Sep 24, 2023
1 in 85. According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there are approximately 340,000 people with hearing or speech disabilities. Meanwhile, only 4,000 people are qualified as sign language interpreters. That’s one for every 85 people. Without this qualification, it is impossible to serve as an official interpreter in court or other situations. However, considering how difficult the qualification exam is, the pay for interpreters is often low, and there are few people who want to become interpreters. We cover the scene where a deaf woman who aspires to become an artist is supported by a sign language interpreter. An “awareness” of the word “sign language” communicated in a deaf world.
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Matsui Itaru
[Producer] Yonemoto Naoki
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(10) What is the 1/23 person? Who have multiple living bases
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: Sep 18, 2023
1 in 23. The theme of this episode is “people with multiple bases in their lives.” Attention is being paid to a lifestyle in which people travel between two or more bases, such as a city and a rural area rich in nature. In a survey of people aged 20 to 79, one in 23 people live a “multiple-base life” (excluding those who are transferred for work or who need care). The program interviews a woman who is a graphic designer in Tokyo and runs a cafe that serves breakfast in Yamanashi. What joys has she found in living in two bases?
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Jun Iizuka
[Producer] Toshimoto Uchida
“From Elections Around the World: Central America, Guatemala”
NHK 29-minute program First broadcast date: Aug 26, 2023
The world is full of “elections.” Democracy is currently in a state of flux. This is why we ask “What is democracy?” in a way that is incredibly cheerful. The setting is Guatemala! A village where many indigenous Mayans live. We follow the villagers for a week leading up to the village mayoral election! The only road in the village is jammed with election cars! Furthermore, alcohol is banned the day before and the day of the election. This is to prevent people from getting drunk and being unable to vote, voting for the wrong party, and to avoid fights. The candidates’ campaign promises are also unique, including the “construction of a graveyard apartment building.” It is different from Japan in every sense. What kind of democracy will emerge?
[Directors] Tatsuya Sano, Kenji Nakamura
[Producers] Tatsuya Sano, Toshimoto Uchida
『Seasoning The Seasons』Summer Prayer
NHK BS Premium 59-minute program First broadcast date: Aug 15, 2023
On the 78th anniversary of the end of the war, we look at the “memories of war” and the “prayers” that live on in the local cultures of various parts of Japan. The Showa War has left a variety of war memories in towns and villages throughout Japan. The air raid shelters that remain in the military city of Sasebo, the memorial fireworks in Tokushima that were started by local citizens to pass on the story of the tragic kamikazes, the village of Karuizawa that was developed after the war by villagers who were pioneers of Manchuria-Mongolia immigration, the mining town of Akita that continues to commemorate the workers who were forcibly taken from China, the scars of the air raids that remain in Asakusa, and the prayers that continue on a small island in Oita. 78 years after that summer, the “memories” are where they are today.
Narration: Matsu Takako
Directors: Yonemoto Naoki, Nishihara Yuki, Yorozu Hajime, Haraga Shin
Producer: Yonemoto Naoki
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(9) Who is the 1/23 person? A young man with a sleep disorder who can’t wake up in the morning
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: July 26, 2023
1 in 23. The theme of this episode is “sleep rhythm disorder,” a disorder in which the cycle of “sleep” and “wake” is disrupted. The most common among young people is “delayed sleep-wake phase disorder,” in which people go to bed extremely late and are unable to wake up in the morning. One in 23 people aged 15 to 30 suffer from this disorder. Some people find it difficult to lead a social life, such as being unable to go to work or school. In this program, we interview young people who suffer from this disorder. What kind of “diversity in life” do they wish for?
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Takako Dasai
[Producer] Naoki Yonemoto
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(8) What is the 1/11 person? Female managers
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: July 25, 2023
1 in 11. The theme of this episode is “female managers.” Japan ranks 125th out of 146 countries in the Gender Gap Index, which measures gender inequality. One of the main reasons for this is the “low number of female managers.” In Japan, only one in 11 managers is a woman. The program follows a training camp held in Japan to increase the number of female managers. What are the “barriers” that the career women who participate face?
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director/Producer] Toshimoto Uchida
『The Dream’s Aftermath: A Record of Japanese Ruins』
NHK BS4K 89-minute program First broadcast date: June 17, 2023
NHK BS Premium 89-minute program First broadcast date: July 8, 2023
There are many traces of dreams in this country. We will go to find out what we were looking at beyond those dreams. “A place where dreams end, and sometimes new dreams begin.” A story of “remains” that are ubiquitous in Japan. In this program, we visit six remains across Japan. 1. Former Nara Prison, 2. Remains in Kobe (Suma conveyor belt and Maya Tourist Hotel), 3. Yokohama Negishi Racecourse and other horse viewing stands, 4. Matsuo Mine in Hachimantai, Iwate, 5. Former resort site in Hokkaido, 6. Ikeshima Coal Mine in Nagasaki. Each theme is [Departure], [Growth], [Transition], [Scars], [Fleeting], and [Closed]. What will we find when we see the remains of our dreams? A huge spectacle unfolds before our eyes, using high-precision 4K footage and drone footage in abundance.
[Director] Tatsuya Sano
[Producers] Tatsuya Sano, Toshimoto Uchida
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(7) What is the 1/2 person? Who don’t drink alcohol.
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: June 14, 2023
1 in 2. In Japan, drinking alcohol is said to facilitate smooth communication, and social gatherings are also valued in the workplace. However, in reality, one in two people do not drink alcohol. This program will listen to the voices of both drinkers and non-drinkers. While there are young people who refuse company parties, there are also those who like alcohol and say that it helps them socialize smoothly. In addition, a couple who gave up drinking after many years and opened a non-alcoholic bar will also appear. We will consider new lifestyles for adults.
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director/Producer] Naoki Yonemoto
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(6) What is the 1/4 person? Their mothers are “toxic parents”
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: June 13, 2023
1 in 4. We often hear the term “toxic parents.” They are said to be parents who control their children’s lives and harm them. According to a 2022 survey, one in four people think that their mother or family member was a toxic parent. In this program, we interview women who have suffered at the hands of toxic parents and have painful pasts. Even after becoming adults and getting jobs, they continue to live with difficulties in life. Some even cut off ties with their families and start a new life. What are the worries and hopes of these women who were raised by toxic parents?
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Tsutomu Kawaguchi
[Producer] Naoki Yonemoto
『The Unknown Master of Restoration Episode 2』
NHK BS Premium 59-minute program First broadcast date: June 3, 2023
There is a man who goes by the nickname “God Hand.” He is a ceramic restorer, Koji Mayuyama. He has restored over 5,000 treasures, including a 450-year-old Kuroraku tea bowl handed down in the Sen family of tea ceremony, and a large Imari plate destroyed in an old castle in Vienna. His skills were nurtured by a number of “secret jobs” that cannot be shared. He has restored many damaged items entrusted to him by art professionals from all over the country to the point where no damage can be seen even if you look closely. There are quite a few works by Mayuyama in art museums across the country. This is the second installment of a series that depicts Mayuyama’s unknown superb skills and his life of trying to pass on the treasures of humanity to future generations!
Scratches and damage on national treasure-class ceramics worth hundreds of millions of yen. There is a father-son restorer who has the skills to completely erase them. They are called “God Hands.” The camera sneaks into the forbidden scene! (Photo: Collection of the Kurita Museum of Art)
Narration: Min Tanaka
Director/Producer: Toshimoto Uchida
BS1 Special『Japani: Five Years with a Nepalese Family in Japan』
NHK BS1 49-minute program First broadcast date: Mar 25, 2023
“Japani” (broadcast in June 2020) chronicles the life of a Nepalese family who runs a curry restaurant in Tokyo, traveling between a village at the foot of the Himalayas and an apartment in Ikebukuro. It depicts the complex emotional turmoil of Bipisha, a young girl who was separated from her parents shortly after birth and raised by her grandparents in Nepal. Three years have passed since then. Her father in Tokyo has contracted COVID-19, and her mother has lost her job. In the midst of these hardships, the couple gives birth to a boy. Bipisha has complex feelings about her younger brother, who is being raised by her parents in Japan. It depicts the reality of a family living in an immigrant society.
[Directors] Dipesh Kharel, Asami Saito
[Producer] Naoki Yonemoto
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(5) What is the 1/25 person? A man who wears makeup every day
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: Mar 25, 2023
1 in 25. Cosmetics for men have been gaining popularity in recent years. According to a survey by a marketing company, the number of men who wear makeup every day has increased to 1 in 25. We interviewed a male web designer in his 30s who has been wearing makeup for 5 years. He says he started wearing makeup because he wanted to hide his rough skin, but it wasn’t just his appearance that changed… What do you think about the magic of makeup?
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Jun Iizuka
[Producer] Toshimoto Uchida
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(4) What is the 1/1000 person? Who have served as jurors
NHK Educational 5-minute program First broadcast date: Mar 25, 2023
1 in 1000. This figure is the percentage of people who have served as jurors in Japan. What if one day you were suddenly chosen to be a juror and had to judge someone? A woman who served as a juror for an attempted murder case when she was 20 years old decided to participate in a social gathering for former jurors. At this gathering, people who have experienced the extraordinary life of a juror gather together and talk about experiences that they find difficult to talk about with others. What does it mean for one person to judge another? For that day that may come to you someday.
[Narration] Takashi Nagazumi [Hanaregumi][Director] Jun Iizuka
[Producer] Toshimoto Uchida
『Seasoning The Seasons』Severe winter in Oku-Aizu
NHK BS Premium 59-minute program First broadcast date: Mar 24, 2023
The Oku-Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture is one of Japan’s snowiest areas. It is precisely because of this long history of being cut off by deep snow that the activities that have been built up over the years remain. A heartwarming story set in a freezing winter. The story unfolds along the Tadami Line, which was damaged in the heavy rain disaster of 2011 and was fully restored last fall. The “Nanakado Naked Pilgrimage”, a winter tradition that has continued for over 1,000 years. An “oasis in snow country” that has been open for over 60 years in a village cut off by snow. Snow removal work that takes place every night on the 12km mountain road leading to the village. A mobile sales business started by a woman who returned to her hometown and returned to the origins of her family business, a “lifeline” for a depopulated village. The story depicts the current state of people who have supported each other to survive in this frigid land.
[Voice] Takako Matsu
[Narration] Announcer Seiko Nakajo, Announcer Jiro Inoue
[Directors] Shohei Shimakoshi, Kotaro Muta, Kenji Nakamura, Hirokazu Kishida
[Producer] Naoki Yonemoto
『Can’t show my face for some reason.』“CASE 3: The person who fires the XX gun”
NHK 29-minute program, first broadcast on Mar 22, 2023
Politics, crime, entertainment…Weekly Bunshun is a magazine that unearths scoops that make waves in the world one after another, and its articles have even been nicknamed “Bunshun Cannon” due to their destructive power. While its shocking accusations have caused a stir, it is also true that some people have a negative view of it, such as “You don’t have to go that far…” or “You’re making a living off other people’s misfortunes…”. However, it takes an extraordinary amount of hardship for an article to see the light of day. If the content is inconvenient for the interviewee, the interview is even more difficult. Aiming for questioning, long stakeouts, surprise interviews where you can’t read the other person’s reaction… What kind of people are the reporters who still take on these challenges?
The program follows the crime reporters of Weekly Bunshun, depicting the unknown aspects of their interviews and their passion for their work. Although they cannot show their faces for “some reason” due to their job, we will convey their spirit and thoughts.
[Directors] Naoki Yonemoto, Tsutomu Kawaguchi
[Producers] Naoki Yonemoto, Toshimoto Uchida