Japan Videos - The Documentary Network

Jiro’s Sushi

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 09:20:14 +0000

The story of 85 year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious 3 star Michelin review, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar. For most of his life, Jiro has been mastering the art of making sushi, but even at his age he sees himself still striving for perfection, working from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. At the heart of this story is Jiro’s relationship with his eldest son Yoshikazu, the worthy heir to Jiro’s legacy, who is unable to live up to his full potential in his father’s shadow.

Japan’s Disposal Workers: Net Cafe Refugees

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 21:06:57 +0000

Internet cafes have existed in Japan for over a decade, but in the mid 2000’s, customers began using these spaces as living quarters. Internet cafe refugees are mostly temporary employees; their salary too low to rent their own apartments.

Houshi Ryokan – Oldest still running family business in the world

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 17:08:51 +0000

Houshi Ryokan was founded around 1,300 years ago and it has always been managed by the same family since then.  It is the oldest still running family business in the world. This ryokan (a traditional japanese style hotel) was built over a natural hot spring in Awazu in central Japan in the year 718. Until 2011, it held the record for being the oldest hotel in the world.   Houshi Ryokan has been visited by the Japanese Imperial Family and countless great artists over the centuries. Its buildings were destroyed by natural disasters many times, but the family has always rebuilt. The garden as well as some parts of the hotel are over 400 years old. Houshi (法師) means buddhist priest. It is the name of the family as well as of the hotel. By Fritz Schumann

The Valley of Dolls

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 25 May 2014 14:43:04 +0000

Ayano Tsukimi (64) is living in Nagoro, a village in eastern Iya on Shikoku, one of the four main islands of Japan. Not many people are still living there. For those who die or move away, Ayano Tsukimi is making lifesized dolls in their liking and puts them in places that were important to them. The dolls are scattered around the whole valley. She is married, but her husband and daughter are living away from her in Osaka. She's living alone with her 83 year old father in the house of her family.

The Jellyfish That Holds a Key to Immortality

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 07 May 2014 15:34:59 +0000

By reversing its aging process when it gets sick or injured, Japan's tiny Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish is one of the only known animals that has figured out how to defeat death. We travel to Japan to visit the only researcher in the world who is studying the microscopic animal to see if humans can eventually do the same.

The Pacifist War

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:36:36 +0000

In the waters of the East China Sea, a daily show of aggression is displayed around the uninhibited Senakaku/Diaoyutai Islands. Coast guards from China and Japan play a dangerous game of cat and mouse as both sides try to lay claim to the disputed resource-rich territory. The concern is - that the two powers are riding towards war. Steve Chao takes a trip to the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands, 200km from Taiwan and 2,000km from Tokyo. This region is home to rich fishing grounds and potential gas deposits. With China’s growing hostility and nuclear missile threats from North Korea, Japan’s newly-elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vows to strengthen the country’s military power to defend the islands at all cost. And that task falls on Japan’s Self-Defense Force (SDF), made up of ground, maritime and air units. During this time of heightened tensions, Japan’s Self-Defense Force granted 101 East rare and exclusive access into its operations to showcase the depth of its military prowess. No other media outlets have had this level of openness. We are allowed deep into the inner workings of the force and speak to commanders and soldiers who – for the first time in generations – are preparing to put their lives on the line to protect the country. Japan’s Self-Defense Force was formed in 1954. It is Japan’s first defense unit since the country was forced to end its aggressions after World War II. Under government guidelines, the force is meant to be defensive, not offensive, and leaders have so-far prevented labeling it, as a military – although it is increasingly seen as such internationally. In order to understand the strength of the force, we went onboard the Hyuga-class carrier. It is a 13,500 tonne contradiction – the constitution forbids the building of an aircraft carrier. Instead it is reclassified as a destroyer class vessel. We also visited the F15 Squadron at the Naha airbase in Okinawa. It is the closest airbase to the Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands. In the past year, they scrambled 306 times against foreign incursions. In January this year, an F15 incepted a Chinese aircraft headed for the islands. Japan’s ally, the US have since sounded warnings to China about the intrusions. On the ground, Japan’s elite force, the 1st Airborne Brigade holds wargames and military exercises as a very public demonstration to China. The mission – be prepared to retake the islands if necessary. In a potential armed conflict, the unit is expected to be the first deployed as a rapid reaction force. We speak to the commander and elite paratroopers of the 1st Airborne Brigade and they have very bold answers on how the SDF should be changed, and China’s perceived threats. As Japan begins to reshape, rename and transform what many consider its “military power”, constitutional advisors, like Setsu Kobayashi worry that a change in the hands of its current leaders will restore militarism, going against longheld and cherished ideals of pacifism for which Japan stands for. Katsumoto Saotome, the director of the Tokyo Air Raid Museum, is also hesitant of Japan changing its constitution to allow for a full military. The museum, he says, is a reminder of love and peace for the next generation, a place where the Japanese can learn from their past mistakes. The photographs displayed there paint a picture of devastated Tokyo after the US bombing raids in the late 1940s. Considering its past aggression in World War II, is Japan ready to revive its military might?

Saving 10,000 – Winning a War on Suicide in Japan

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:21:27 +0000

In a war on suicide, who is the enemy? The story of an Irishman’s personal passion to uncover the true causes of the high suicide rate in Japan. The disturbing findings include the Japanese media`s perverse love affair with suicide, a variety of cruel and predatory economic pressures and an outdated and failing mental health care system. With the help of front-line experts and ordinary Japanese, many touched by the horror of suicide, the movie delivers practical proposals on how Japan can win a war on suicide. However with suicide such a taboo, the odds are nobody will listen. Or will they? A 52-minute documentary directed by Rene Duignan and filmed by Marc-Antoine Astier. Unusually for a small low budget documentary, “Saving 10,000″ has attracted a lot of media interest with Rene giving over 20 interviews to date. The movie also sparked interest from politicians with DVD requests from a Minister and Vice-Minister and a screening was held at the Japanese Parliament. Rene has had the privilege of sharing his ideas in a meeting with the Suicide Prevention Unit of the Cabinet Office. After the high profile Japanese media coverage, a large amount of screening requests have been coming from all over Japan. Due to huge public interest and the extreme urgency of raising suicide awareness in Japan, Rene has made the decision to release the full movie online for free. Please note DVDs will be provided free of charge to any organisation/university/NGO that would like to hold a public screening.

Baby Drain – Japan facing an unprecedented population collapse?

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:30:22 +0000

With a plummeting birth rate and a rapidly ageing population, Japan is facing an unprecedented population collapse with vast economic, social and political implications. We explore the dangers facing the nation. In bustling Tokyo, there's little sense of an impending crisis, but Japan is facing a demographic time bomb. "Nobody is having babies. The men aren't as hungry for success or for relationships as they were before", says Kaoru Arai. She epitomises the country's new breed of successful and financially independent women that are putting their career first. "I'm picky, yes. I want it all", she smiles. In a desperate move to pull the birth rate back from the brink, the government is offering cash incentives to encourage singles to partner up and procreate. Meanwhile, the elderly are being left behind, with no one to look after them. Japan's seemingly xenophobic reluctance to admit foreign workers means that major companies are now racing to develop robots to help fill the void and support its ageing population. Somewhat desperate measures, which reveal how difficult the problem has become for the government to handle. "This situation cannot continue, we know this very well, but it is still not something that is easily solved.

Alone in the Zone – Tending abandoned Animals in Fukushima

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:55:46 +0000

Two years since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant went into full meltdown, and the resulting 20KM evacuation zone was enforced, one farmer still remains behind braving high levels of radiation and loneliness to tend to abandoned animals. His name is Naoto Matsumura, and he is the last man standing in the ghost town of Tomioka. Another farmer, Kenji Hasegawa's town of Iidate was also evacuated due to high levels of radiation, he sought refuge in temporary housing. Faced with a post-nuclear world both these men share brutally honest views on the state of their lives, TEPCO, government inaction and some of the hardest situations they have had to face in the midst of overwhelming radioactivity. For English subtitles, click "CC" button at the bottom of the video player.

Fukushima Now – What has happened to the People?

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:56:06 +0000

The traffic lights are still working; but just about nothing else is in the ghost town of Fukushima. Two years after the tsunami, the consequences of the nuclear disaster continue to define the residents' lives. "Everyone is worried about the radiation," says the mother of seven-year-old Chie. Children from the surrounding areas are not allowed to play outside, and cattle have developed a new disease. In one of the most contaminated places on earth, the continued fears over health risks mix with a sense of a betrayal by the government. "Japanese government policy is very strange. We have been deceived." Despite voluntary efforts to revitalise the area, it seems there is little hope of reversing the fate of this radioactive wasteland.

Photographing the Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:40:34 +0000

We follow photographer Donald Weber to the buffer zone at Fukushima, Japan, where the eerie silence mirrors that at Chernobyl, and follow him as he attempts to document the unfolding nuclear crisis.

Battling the Yakuza

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:51:53 +0000

Japan's criminal underworld, the Yakuza, has links that go back 400 years to the Edo era. The various gangs that make up the Japanese mafia have different origins, but many claim that the Yakuza descend from Robin-Hood-like characters who defended their villages against roving bandits. But their days of protecting the weak against the strong are long gone. Today, the Yakuza is a mighty and entrenched criminal network with nearly 80,000 members operating in 22 crime syndicates, and raking in billions of dollars a year. With their links to drug and prostitution rings, corporate crimes and deadly shootings, Japanese officials want choke the Yakuza's existence by starving them financially. A new law, the Organised Crime Exclusion Ordinance, was implemented nationwide late last year. Under this law, the National Police Agency and other government departments are trying to get businesses to stamp out mafia links, directing banks to increase safeguards to stop money-laundering, cut off loans to mob-related companies and deny bank accounts to individuals with known gangster ties. One of the main targets is the nation's multi-billion dollar construction industry where the Yakuza have long run rampant by pressuring developers to pay 'protection money', or using front companies to win lucrative contracts. But the mobs refuse to back down. In desperation, some are retaliating viciously against civilians while others are finding clever ways to survive.

Miehina the Kyoto Geisha

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 14:53:54 +0000

A well made documentary film about a day in the life of a Kyoto Geisha. Film by Glen Milner who is a London based documentary and commercial director. He works for Telegraph.co.uk and does camera work on feature films.

Suicide Forest in Japan

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:21:09 +0000

The Aokigahara Forest is the most popular site for suicides in Japan. After the novel Kuroi Jukai was published, in which a young lover commits suicide in the forest, people started taking their own lives there at a rate of 50 to 100 deaths a year. The site holds so many bodies that the Yakuza pays homeless people to sneak into the forest and rob the corpses. The authorities sweep for bodies only on an annual basis, as the forest sits at the base of Mt. Fuji and is too dense to patrol more frequently.

Tattoos: Pop Portraits, Japanese Traditional, American Eclectic

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:33:29 +0000

It seems that no matter how far we advance into the digital age, our bodies remain a place where we want to express ourselves. In this film you meet three tattoo artists of differing styles. Vinny Romanelli embraces pop culture, tattooing detailed portraits of entertainment idols, Kiku works with the traditional Japanese form, and Stephanie Tamez embodies an eclectic mix of influences, with the occasional use of nice typography.