Broadcasters' Eye

Kunimasu or black kokanee is a fish that was believed to have gone extinct in 1940 due to an increased level of acidity in its native habitat of Lake Tazawa, in northern Japan. Then, on December 14, 2010, a chance request led to the discovery of a live specimen in another lake called Saiko near Mt. Fuji. The news of the rediscovery made the front pages of the national press and spread around the country.

Join popular Japanese illustrator and TV personality "Sakana-kun," a visiting associate professor at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and fish expert Professor Tetsuji Nakabo of Kyoto University for a recounting of the whole fascinating story of the rediscovery of Kunimasu, from the surprise find and the confirmation of the fish's identity through to the triumphant public announcement. It's a captivating tale of serendipity that you don't want to miss.

Nukuri Station is a small, unmanned railway station that is deep in the mountains of central Japan. Today, steam locomotives on the historic Oigawa Main Line pass by the station without stopping, but the building still bustles with activity, when a group of elderly women works hard inside preparing meals.

In this touching story, you'll meet Grandma Sayo, a woman with a hard earned but spirited smile, who is indispensable at the little deli in the old station. She not only cooks and sells food, but also delivers homemade meals and heartwarming smiles to other seniors in the local community, helping them savor the pleasures of each day.

Visit the idyllic mountains of western Japan and discover a school without any buildings, where nature itself is the classroom, and the teachers act as guides instead of guardians, encouraging their students to think and act independently as they grow up in the heart of nature.

Filmed over a period of two-and-a-half years in the rural town of Chizu, Tottori Prefecture, this eye-opening documentary introduces an unauthorized private nursery school called Marutanbo. The school's unique style of fostering independence in young children raises interesting questions about early education, and stands in stark contrast to the overprotective childrearing practices that have become popular in contemporary Japan.