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DOCUMENTARY

New Life Blossoms in an Old Village:
Seven Years of Struggle and Hope

DOCUMENTARY 2013 48 mins Episode(s): 1 English English
The aging of Japan's population is steadily hollowing out the country's agriculture.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, a struggling farming community in Ishikawa Prefecture called Sugaike began trying to attract young residents. Hiroyuki Yago is one of the people who came. He moved from Osaka to Sugaike in order to grow organic vegetables, but there wasn't enough farmland available to rent and he has trouble making a living. Nevertheless, the locals have accepted Yago as one of their own, and he intends to stay. By 2012, there were three new families in Sugaike; abandoned land began to spring back to life, and a local dance festival that had not been held for 10 years was revived. Yago was there at the center of the dancing, cheered on by joyful longtime residents.

This program chronicles seven years in the life of a young man, who wanted to start a new life in the countryside by joining a community that is trying to adapt to the consequences of Japan's aging, shrinking population.

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    New Life Blossoms in an Old Village: Seven Years of Struggle and Hope
    2013

    The aging of Japan's population is steadily hollowing out the country's agriculture. Realizing the gravity of the situation, a struggling farming community in Ishikawa Prefecture called Sugaike began trying to attract young residents. Hiroyuki Yago is one of the people who came. He moved from Osaka to Sugaike in order...
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    Ode to Joy: A Chorus for Life
    2008

    Gold Winner, Entertainment Category, 11th World Media Festival, 2010. It is summer in the hilly port city of Ootaru. The singing of the Ootaru Ladies Chorus group comes through the dusk from a room of the Minami Ootaru Community Center. They are absorbed in rehearsals for their upcoming 20th anniversary...
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    Art and excellence of Craftsmanships Katsushika, Tokyo
    2015 30mins

    Katsushika ward in downtown Tokyo is one of a few cities where many craftsmen known as “Shokunins” still exist. Many of them work with skills used since the Edo or Meiji periods (late 19th century). The traditional crafts that they create through careful study of materials, experiences, and techniques are...
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    The Life Work of a 92-Year-Old Hibakusha, Setsuko Thurlow
    2024 25 minutes

    At the age of 13, Setsuko Thurlow experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Now living in Canada, she has spent more than half a century advocating for nuclear disarmament. At 92 years old, she continues to press forward in her mission. This program closely follows her life in Canada, documenting...
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