DOCUMENTARY
Laugh It Away and Say Goodbye
DOCUMENTARY
2010
55 min Episode(s): 1
english
English
english
English
Winner of Best News Documentary at Monte-Carlo TV Festival 2011
Grand Prize at The Age of Regionalism Video Festival 2011
Grand Prize at “Era of Local” TV Festival 2010
Small and medium-sized businesses are the back bones of Japan that support the economy from the bottom-up. However, as work decreased sharply after the Lehman Shock, many life changes were in order for smaller businesses.
Without the work of numerous subcontractors, the manufacturing of Toyota cars, Japan’s top brand, would simply not be possible.
This documentary takes an up-close and personal look at a tiny Toyota subcontractor, four steps down the supply chain. In a 7.5 square-meter factory, the owner, a lively 56-year-old woman, works with two other housewives who live nearby. This work consists of gluing small parts together.
All seems well in this cozy factory until one day in the fall of 2008, a global recession is triggered by the fall of Lehman Brothers. Suddenly, sales of Toyota cars dry up.
How does the owner of this tiny factory deal with the crisis?
Despite the grim reality, the factory is always filled with laughter.
What can we learn from this upbeat story of business closure?
Click here to preview the program!
Grand Prize at The Age of Regionalism Video Festival 2011
Grand Prize at “Era of Local” TV Festival 2010
Small and medium-sized businesses are the back bones of Japan that support the economy from the bottom-up. However, as work decreased sharply after the Lehman Shock, many life changes were in order for smaller businesses.
Without the work of numerous subcontractors, the manufacturing of Toyota cars, Japan’s top brand, would simply not be possible.
This documentary takes an up-close and personal look at a tiny Toyota subcontractor, four steps down the supply chain. In a 7.5 square-meter factory, the owner, a lively 56-year-old woman, works with two other housewives who live nearby. This work consists of gluing small parts together.
All seems well in this cozy factory until one day in the fall of 2008, a global recession is triggered by the fall of Lehman Brothers. Suddenly, sales of Toyota cars dry up.
How does the owner of this tiny factory deal with the crisis?
Despite the grim reality, the factory is always filled with laughter.
What can we learn from this upbeat story of business closure?
Click here to preview the program!
Customers who watch this video also watch
-
Castle in the Sky and Granddad's Cherry Tree
2021 60 minutesThe Takeda Castle ruins in Asago City are known as the “Castle in the Sky” as they are located on a mountain top and look to be floating in the sky. Wild cherry trees growing on the mountain slope are another symbol of the city. The trees, preserved over generations,...more details -
The City where German Pottery Lives- Miyazaki Prefecture
30 mins[Beauty of Japan Season 2] The pottery workshop "Bjorn" in Aoshima Island, Miyazaki City (Miyazaki Prefecture), is where the German potter, Bjorn, works every day on his creations. He first came to Japan when he was 19 years old, just to travel around the country. 30 years have passed since...more details -
Partnership of "Seven Craft Masters" -Hikone Buddhist Altar-
2015 30 mins[Craft Masters of Japan] Hikone Butsudan, or Buddhist altar, is traditional craftwork from the castle town of Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. Its origins can be dated back to the Edo Period. There are seven steps in the creation process of the altars, which are conducted by the ‘Seven Masters’. Each...more details -
PEACE NIPPON
2018 111 minutesThere are moments of breathtaking beauty that can only be seen once in a lifetime. Providing footage from 47 Prefectures (over 200 locations) in Japan and filmed over eight years, this film captures such moments in 4K. The hope is that this movie will inspire "people to know more about...more details