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
-
Shiretoko Peninsula’s Kingdom of Brown Bears
2003 “Era of Local” TV Festival 2010 Grand Prize. Shiretoko Peninsula, Japan’s final frontier, is the last kingdom of brown bears where their life in the wild can be observed. Surrounded by the ocean, the Shiretoko Peninsula is densely inhabited by brown bears, which is proof that Shiretoko is blessed with...more details -
Yoshida Fire Festival -Japan's 3 Major Unusual Festivals-
2018 30 mins[Festivals of Japan Season 2] Bright flames rise from giant torches, staining the city and skies with their bright red color... The Yoshida Fire Festival is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan that signals the end of summer at Mount Fuji (a World Cultural Heritage.) This episode focuses...more details -
Okada village's proud pure CottonChita city, Aichi Pref.
2014 30mins[Beauty of Japan Season 1] Sarashi (untreated) cotton fabric can be used in many ways. Since the early time of the Edo period, Chita Sarahi, produced in Okada village, in Chita city, has been sold in Edo, and it resulted to become the biggest cotton-weaving city. The manufacturers have now...more details -
A Soy Sauce Brewery in the Castle Town (Hyogo Prefecture)
2021 25 minutes[Colors in Japan] The type of soy sauce called “usukuchi” (light soy sauce) is said to bring out the colors, aroma, and tastes of its ingredients but achieving its lighter color is no easy task. We focus on brewers in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture who are putting their utmost enthusiasm into...more details