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Season 5

26 episodes · 2024

  1. 1Trust in the Healing Power of Anime

    15 Jan 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Italian Francesco Panto, a psychiatrist in Saitama Prefecture who develops a therapy method that makes use of Japanese anime, as well as Brazilian Silvia De Souza who works at a coating plant in Toyama.

  2. 2A Hearty Recipe for Recovery

    29 Jan 2024 · 27 min

    This time, we meet Togawa Aya, a naturalized Japanese born in China who runs a cafeteria in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, as well as May Zin Chit from Myanmar, who manages a convenience store in Tokyo.

  3. 3Spirits Strengthened by Martial Arts

    12 Feb 2024 · 27 min

    This time, we follow three Ukrainians – a teenage boy and a female entrepreneur who both came to Japan thanks to martial arts, as well as a man who works in PR for a vertical farming company.

  4. 4A Prayer for Peace in Song and Images

    19 Feb 2024 · 27 min

    We revisit Ukrainian musicians Alek and Vadym in Nagasaki Prefecture as they create a music video to express their prayer for peace, and meet Yuliya, also from Ukraine, who works at a restaurant in Kanagawa Prefecture.

  5. 5Top Your Sushi With Conviction

    18 Mar 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Jan Markiewicz from Poland, who trains at a Tokyo sushi restaurant in preparation for the World Sushi Cup, as well as Taiwanese Su Ling, a curator at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.

  6. 6Mr. Deo, the Dedicated Teacher

    08 Apr 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Uganda-born Kalule Deogratius who teaches English at a middle school in Nagano Prefecture, and Vietnamese Nguyen Cong Quoc who works at a mandarin orange farm in Ehime Prefecture.

  7. 7A Well-Rooted Future for Children

    22 Apr 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Muhammad Nurul Elahi in Niigata Prefecture who grows lotus roots to fund an elementary school he opened in his native Bangladesh, and Moroccan Mohamed Aalla who trains at a soy sauce maker in Kagawa Prefecture.

  8. 8Preserving Lacquerware Beyond the Quake

    29 Apr 2024 · 27 min

    We follow UK-born Suzanne Ross - a lacquerware artisan in Wajima - in her efforts to recover after this January's quake, and meet Chinese Tomoe Setsubai who runs a Japanese confectionery in Yokohama.

  9. 9Step Into the Ring for Ukraine

    20 May 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Ukrainian Ivanna Berezovska, a female sumo wrestler who trains at a university club in Fukuoka Prefecture, and Indonesian Harsono, a professional who takes care of traditional Japanese gardens in Aichi Prefecture.

  10. 10Children's Books Cross Barriers

    27 May 2024 · 27 min

    On this episode, we meet American Jerry Martin, an author of children's books based in Saitama Prefecture, and Daniel Muivakitonyi from Kenya, a running instructor in Tokyo.

  11. 11Prayers for Peace in Gaza from Hiroshima

    10 Jun 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Ashley Souther from the US, who teaches a class on peace at a secondary school in Hiroshima Prefecture, as well as Sten van Daalen from the Netherlands, an apprentice potter in Saga Prefecture.

  12. 12Chin Up! Let's Dance Again!

    24 Jun 2024 · 27 min

    On this episode, we revisit Filipino dance instructor Eduardo Macarat in Yokohama who changed his career to support his family, and Hongkonger Tom Wong who promotes shiitake mushrooms grown in Iwate Prefecture.

  13. 13Drawn to the Land of Carpentry

    01 Jul 2024 · 27 min

    We meet South Korean Kang Dong Ju who runs his own carpentry business in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, and German Max Geiger, a part-time rickshaw tour guide in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture.

  14. 14Racing for Peace

    15 Jul 2024 · 27 min

    We meet South Sudanese Abraham Guem, a 1,500-metres runner who trains in Japan in hope to qualify for the Paris Olympics, as well as Indian Khanu Singh, a racehorse groom in Obihiro, Hokkaido Prefecture.

  15. 15Saving the Giant Salamanders

    22 Jul 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Richard Pearce, a British ecotourism guide who runs an NPO dedicated to Japanese giant salamander conservation in Tottori Prefecture, and Swedish Peter Paalsson, a crafter of furniture in Hokkaido Prefecture.

  16. 16A Festival to Bring Cultures Together

    05 Aug 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Indian Choudhury Rudra Charan Mohanty who organizes a festival in Aichi Prefecture to bring the Indian and Japanese communities together, as well as Indonesian Wardah Hasanah, a 3D animator in Tokyo.

  17. 17Spreading Smiles with a Parfait Passion

    26 Aug 2024 · 27 min

    This time, we accompany Finnish native Laura Kopilow on her journey to discover tasty parfaits all over Japan, and meet Chinese Wang Ying who works at a selfie studio in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

  18. 18A US Pro Coach for Japan's Youth Baseball

    02 Sep 2024 · 27 min

    We meet American Bianca Smith, a former pro baseball coach who now trains children and teens in Hokkaido Prefecture, and Francis Geyrozaga Lapinig, also from the US who works as an autobody refinisher in Tokyo.

  19. 19The Right Words for Young Carers

    30 Sep 2024 · 27 min

    In Gunma Prefecture, we meet Pakistani Aziz Ahmed who helps children that have to interpret for foreign parents with limited skill in Japanese, and Thai-native Terd Thailek, a Muay Thai trainer at a gym.

  20. 20Eco-friendly Farming in Fukushima

    14 Oct 2024 · 27 min

    We meet French illustrator Emilie Bouquet who runs an eco-friendly farm in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, and Brazilian Suellen Taniguchi who supports kids and teens with learning difficulties in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture.

  21. 21Creating the Wheelchairs of Tomorrow

    28 Oct 2024 · 27 min

    We revisit Pakistani Habib ur Rahman, a crafter of custom-made power wheelchairs in Kobayashi, Miyazaki Prefecture, and meet Edson Moreno, a Brazilian truck driver based in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture.

  22. 22Work Opportunities for Syrian Evacuees

    11 Nov 2024 · 27 min

    In Tokyo, we meet Syrian Iskandar Salama who works to find job opportunities for his fellow Syrians in and out of Japan, then go on a river ride in Tochigi Prefecture with Nepalese Shishir Mahat as our guide.

  23. 23Sowing the Seeds of Peace

    18 Nov 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Polish Izabela Ishikawa who works to find and return the remains of those who died during World War II in Okinawa, and Hongkonger Wan Sze Ho, an instructor at a driving school in Kumamoto.

  24. 24Closer to the Heart

    02 Dec 2024 · 27 min

    We meet Peruvian Estela Nakazaki and her daughter Namiko, both working in elderly care in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, and English Oliver Richardson who works at a tourist information center in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture.

  25. 25Roly Keeps the Apples Rolling

    09 Dec 2024 · 27 min

    We meet English-born Roland Gregory, a.k.a. Roly, who runs his own apple orchard in the Nagano countryside, and Gethmina Dinithika from Sri Lanka, who works at a ramen shop in Ueda, also in Nagano Prefecture.

  26. 26Keeping the Traditions of Noto Alive

    30 Dec 2024 · 27 min

    We revisit Aussie chef Benjamin Flatt and lacquerware artist Suzanne Ross from the UK in their efforts to preserve the culture of their adoptive Noto in the aftermath of the quake that hit a year ago.