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
-
Oshima and Jacques the Baker- Niihama, Ehime Prefecture
30 mins[Beauty of Japan Season 2] Oshima is a small island on the Seto Inland Sea with a population of just 250 people. Swiss native, Jacques moved to the peaceful island with his wife Etsuko. He runs a small bakery and a farm on this remote island, enjoying a peaceful and...more details -
Colors in Japan
2021 25 minJapan's landscape overflows with various colors from its four seasons. This array of rich "coloring" is presented in vivid 4K through the stories of traditional arts and crafts that symbolize the regions across the country from which they were born. Episode List (click title to preview): 1. Paint It Black!...more details -
The Traditional Uses of "Red" (Kyoto)
2021 25 minutes[Colors in Japan] “Kyobenirouge”, made from selected safflowers, has been a traditional craft and widely used throughout Kyoto City since ancient times. It is known for being very pleasing to the eye. Click here to preview this episode! Part of the "Colors in Japan" series!more details -
Living together with the God of Wetland: the Red-crowned Crane Kushiro city, Hokkaido Pref.
2014 30mins[Beauty of Japan Season 1] ‘Tanchozuru’, or red-crowned cranes, are designated as a special national monument which are seen in Kushiro wetland. In the Ainu language, they refer to this elegant and graceful bird as the 'sarurun kamuy' (god of wetland). The camera follows those working to preserve the environment,...more details