Hometown Stories

2011 · 30m · Documentary

Stories about people, stories about life. Intimate portraits of people from around Japan, each leading diverse lives while enriching lives of others.

Episodes

▶1. Night of the Dancing Fire God50m · The "Matsuage" fire festival in Kyoto was admired by essayist Masako Shirasu. In her travelogue titled "Kakure-zato", she described it as "the most touching festival scene that I've ever observed". In this program, actress Mayu Tsuruta visits the festival and reports very expressively on "the dance of flames" that moved Masako Shirasu so deeply.▶2. The Mountain God Piggyback50m · This program describes a simple, rustic event called "The Mountain God Piggyback" that has been handed down since time immemorial in a snowy mountain village in Yamagata Prefecture. Carrying the local shrine's object of worship on their shoulders, children make house-to-house visits in the area, so that the local people can offer up their prayers to the deity.▶3. A Millennium of Prayers50m · This program shows how ancient religious practices survive on the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita Prefecture, regarded as the home of the Buddha, and long known as a site for ascetic mountain training. Last year, during a "Mineiri" religious austerity being practiced for the first time in a decade, around 20 ascetics dressed in white made a pilgrimage that included crossing ten mountain ridges.▶4. Kagura: The Passion for Dance50m · In ancient times, "kagura" was a form of dance dedicated to the gods. But in modern times, as its original meaning weakened and it took on the color of a local performing art, young people found it rustic and lost interest in it. Today, however, many kagura groups are attracting them and seeking to create original dances while preserving traditions. This program investigates the reasons for kagura's current popularity with the young.▶5. Eco-Paddy: Bio-Wonderland50m · The aim of the 'eco-paddy fields' project is to grow rice without using agrochemicals and chemical fertilizers in rice fields full of wildlife created by cutting open uncultivated cedar forests and restoring terraced paddy fields. 30 parents and children from 9 families, chosen from viewer applications, participated in the project for a whole year. At last, the rice that has grown all through the summer with the support of various creatures has fully matured. The harvesting and threshing is carried out manually in the traditional way. How do the participants feel when they taste the rice and who do they want to convey their feelings to? The program presents the thoughts of each family to show what the participants gained from the project.▶6. Granny Loves You: The Probation Officer's Tale30m · 77-year-old volunteer probation officer Chikako Nakamoto was affectionately known as 'The little old lady of Motomachi' by the juvenile delinquents she took care of for 30 years in the Motomachi district of Hiroshima. She opened up her home to them, served her hand-made cooking, listened to their stories, and helped many of them to reform their ways. Last November, however, Nakamoto reached the year of retirement for volunteer probation officers. She often says, "Support from the local community is essential for the rehabilitation of offenders". The program closely describes her daily life as she strives to entrust her role to the community.▶7. Honoring the Dead: The Bone Washing Ritual of Yoronjima50m · Yoronjima in Kagoshima Prefecture is a southern island with a population of 5,600 surrounded by beautiful coral reef and white sand beaches. In the island's unusual ritual called 'Senkotsu', the skeletal remains of family members are dug up from three to five years after burial, cleaned and then returned to their graves. The program introduces the small island's traditional form of family bonding by following members of the Takecrapa family as they carry out the ritual and also includes the history of the island's funerary practices.▶8. Mother, I Want To See You50m · This drama set in a remote elementary school centers around the efforts made by a young female teacher called Hikari to help Aya, an uncommunicative exchange student who has problems with her mother.

More Like This

Fachmani

2020

No synopsis available.

More info →

Searching for Soul Food

2023 · ★ 6

Follow rock star celebrity chef Alisa Reynolds as she discovers what soul food looks like around the world. As she seeks out the food, she also explores the stories, the people, and the traditions of each place she visits, bringing her own flavor right along with her.

More info →

Tokyo Walker

2007 · ★ 10

In 2007, TVB invited Helen To to host the travel show "Popular Tokyo". Because of her unique hosting style and her "Hong Kong girl" style behavior, she received a lot of support even in the scolding. While scolding her Hong Kong girl behavior for "teaching a bad way", the audience was attracted by her humorous language style, so an interesting phenomenon of scolding and watching was formed. Therefore, Helen To also created a new form of travel programs, that is, launching a series of programs with the host as the core, which can maximize the host's hosting skills and personality charm.

More info →

Files from the history of Bucharest

2012 · ★ 10

A documentary series of Bucharest City, or as some say, the center of the world.

More info →

Do you have a library? And may I see it?

2022

Personalities of Czech society, culture and art offer a glimpse into their libraries.

More info →

A Bite of China

2012 · ★ 8.4

This series explores the history, traditions and culture of Chinese food. Filmed at over 160 locations across China, this series truly is a feast for the senses. The seven-episode documentary series introduces the history and story behind foods of various kinds in more than 160 locations in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The documentary has also been actively encouraged as a means of introducing Chinese food culture to those unfamiliar with local cuisine.

More info →

Konnected.TV

2016

Follow Pakesso Mukash on his quest into Indigenous cultures across the Americas to find a young generation of “tradition keepers”: those who have been chosen to preserve tradition, cultural and spiritual knowledge, and awaken others to find a place for themselves in a modern world. A journey along which we will witness their revival and celebrate their culture, this is Konnected.tv.

More info →