Episodio 1 - Episodio 1
22 de marzo de 2023
• 28 minutos
Usui Fumio is one of the most trusted prosthetists in Japanese para-sports. An early pioneer in the discipline, having developed sporting limbs since the 1980s, he now works arm-in-arm with athletes to craft prosthetics that match their precise needs, underpinning countless successes on both track and field. Away from sports, he also strives to create prosthetics that express users' own identities, appearing on stage in both dance events and fashion shows.
Episodio 2 - Episodio 2
29 de marzo de 2023
• 28 minutos
Near Kyoto, in the mountain village of Hanase, is a traditional inn with 130 years of upholding approaches to cuisine and hospitality attuned with the rich local nature and the passage of the four seasons. It is run by fourth-generation head Nakahigashi Hisato, whose refined take on wild food and foraging has made fans of some of the world's leading chefs. We follow Nakahigashi through the winter months and gain unique insights into his pioneering update on time-honored culinary lore to suit modern tastes.
Episodio 3 - Episodio 3
19 de abril de 2023
• 28 minutos
Rope rescue is an emergency practice that deftly deploys cords, clasps and pulleys to reach individuals stranded on hillsides and cliffs, or amid floods, rubble, and in other locations that helicopters and emergency vehicles struggle to reach. Hayashida Akihiro leads a fire service rope rescue team that, in 2022, won first prize at a global rope skills tournament in Belgium. We follow his efforts to promote these lifesaving techniques to rescue services across Japan.
Episodio 4 - Episodio 4
24 de mayo de 2023
• 28 minutos
Tagawa Hisato is the founder of a unique children's hospice in Yokohama that aims to support families left socially isolated and emotionally and financially drained by intensive treatment for incurable pediatric conditions. Motivated by the loss of his own daughter to cancer aged just six, and remorse at having neglected quality time to focus on treatment, Tagawa works to provide memorable palliative care that helps families to face the end with peace and positivity.
Episodio 5 - Episodio 5
28 de junio de 2023
• 28 minutos
A restaurant in Tokyo emerged as the top-rated business on a popular online guide carrying consumer ratings for over 110 thousand vegan restaurants worldwide. And as well as being entirely plant-based, owner Kusumoto Katsumi's menu also caters to those with faith-based dietary restrictions or allergies by eschewing alcohol and artificial ingredients. This time on FRONTRUNNERS, we follow a chef promoting a truly borderless approach to traditional Japanese cuisine.
Episodio 6 - Episodio 6
19 de julio de 2023
• 28 minutos
In rural Chiba Prefecture, Shibata Chiyo runs a pioneering cheeseworks out of a 120-year-old farmhouse. Her focus is 100% local fermented cheeses, and just three years after launching in 2014, she became the first female cheesemaker to win a prestigious award from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, before going on to place third out of 3,804 entries in the 2019 World Cheese Awards. This time on FRONTRUNNERS, we follow a cheesemaker with a uniquely Japanese approach to fromage and sustainability.
Episodio 7 - Episodio 7
26 de julio de 2023
• 28 minutos
Kitayama Yasuo is a 74-year-old master gardener. He has created over 70 of Japan's famous gardens, and receives commissions from all over the world. His specialty, the traditional rock garden, involves the careful manipulation of light and shadow. Rocks and pebbles are used to represent water. His final major project is in a city devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. We follow Kitayama as he works hard to create a garden where people can heal, through love for life.
Episodio 8 - Episodio 8
30 de agosto de 2023
• 28 minutos
Airborne physician Tsugita Nobuyuki provides a vital service to island communities in west Japan's Seto Inland Sea. Despite aging populations, the islands of Momoshima and Sagishima lacked their own medical facilities. To address this situation, doctor and air-show exhibition pilot Tsugita opened clinics in both communities, and trained for a helicopter license. He flies between them, providing consultations and home visits as well as round-the-clock emergency care.
Episodio 9 - Episodio 9
27 de septiembre de 2023
• 28 minutos
Kyo-yuzen is a famous dyed textile from Kyoto Prefecture, used in kimono. The Tabata family have been top producers for decades; they've produced garments for a royal wedding, costumes for maiko in a popular dance performance and modern kimono too. The 88-year-old, 5th generation owner, Tabata Kihachi, produces dynamic, contemporary designs that preserve traditional techniques. At a solo exhibition in Tokyo, he shares his wisdom with visitors, and explains why people wearing kimono seem to glow.
Episodio 10 - Episodio 10
15 de noviembre de 2023
• 28 minutos
The thatched roofs found on traditional Japanese houses are declining in number. They're hard to maintain, and passing on the relevant skills is difficult. However, Sagara Ikuya is giving this ancient craft an innovative twist. He also works hard to develop the skills of young people. Thatched roofs represent the wisdom of our ancestors, who struggled to coexist with nature, and we discover how Sagara is using that tradition to explore new possibilities.
Episodio 11 - Episodio 11
27 de diciembre de 2023
• 28 minutos
Dr. Kato Yoko is an expert in the treatment of deadly strokes, with over 3,000 surgeries to her name across a career spanning almost five decades. She also trains med students from around the world.
Episodio 1 - Episodio 1
31 de enero de 2024
• 28 minutos
Meet salt maker Sato Kyojiro, whose unique, naturally produced, labor-intensive creations have earned fans among Japan's leading chefs.
Episodio 2 - Episodio 2
28 de febrero de 2024
• 28 minutos
Follow Dr. Minamitani Kaori, head of a pioneering medical center in Osaka Prefecture that is leading the way in providing care to patients from overseas with limited Japanese skills.
Episodio 3 - Episodio 3
20 de marzo de 2024
• 28 minutos
Meet Ueda Kanayo, an Osaka-based poet, activist and NPO founder helping disadvantaged former manual laborers to build community and discover themselves through the creative arts.
Episodio 4 - Episodio 4
24 de abril de 2024
• 28 minutos
Globally-renowned chef Kuwakino Keiko uses a new take on traditional methods to showcase the culture, climate and produce of Minami-Uonuma, one of the snowiest places in Japan.
Episodio 5 - Episodio 5
1 de mayo de 2024
• 28 minutos
Watanabe Hiroki is co-founder of an NGO in Bangladesh. It gives long-term support to underprivileged children on the street, proving that they can make a positive contribution to society.
Episodio 6 - Episodio 6
29 de mayo de 2024
• 28 minutos
Meet Nakai Yosuke, a qualified prosthetist and German-certified orthopedic shoe "meister" leveraging his skills to help Japanese seniors maintain their mobility and independence well into old age.
Episodio 7 - Episodio 7
19 de junio de 2024
• 28 minutos
Ashikari Seiya explores the potential of crickets as a nutritious solution to the global food crisis. He works with farmers in Cambodia to establish green, sustainable production methods.
Episodio 8 - Episodio 8
26 de junio de 2024
• 28 minutos
Monbetsu Atsushi is a cultural and wildlife advocate working to preserve Hokkaido Prefecture's traditional Ainu culture through ancient practices including bowhunting and forest management.
Episodio 9 - Episodio 9
14 de agosto de 2024
• 28 minutos
Oda Yuriko suffers from a progressive disease, but by running a patient association, developing an app and other activities, she's working toward a society in which anybody can enjoy life.
Episodio 10 - Episodio 10
21 de agosto de 2024
• 28 minutos
Mizui Yu is tackling poverty in the Philippines using coconuts—he develops food and cosmetics for sale in Japan. His business is improving lives. What products will he develop next?
Episodio 11 - Episodio 11
25 de septiembre de 2024
• 28 minutos
Kitamura Asako is the first female floatmaker in the 300-year history of Aomori's Nebuta Matsuri, battling prejudice as she upholds this very male tradition while also imbuing a fresh new sensibility.
Episodio 12 - Episodio 12
30 de octubre de 2024
• 28 minutos
Dr. Oshiro Kazue is a skilled mountain medic, dedicated to promoting awareness of alpine safety, and even spending her summers treating climbers from a cabin near the peak of the iconic Mt. Fuji.
Episodio 13 - Episodio 13
20 de noviembre de 2024
• 28 minutos
In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, heavy traffic hinders the delivery of blood for transfusions. Kawanoue Kazufumi hopes to overcome this challenge using drones, and build out a new aerial infrastructure.
Episodio 14 - Episodio 14
27 de noviembre de 2024
• 28 minutos
Joy through travel: the mantra of Dr. Ito Reiya, who helps critical and chronic patients to plan trips. He accompanies them to the sea, familiar places or to see family, bringing them happiness.
Episodio 15 - Episodio 15
4 de diciembre de 2024
• 28 minutos
We follow a unique initiative led by expert horse-handler Iwama Takashi as he strives to harness the potential of horse-drawn carts to provide renewable electricity to off-grid communities in Senegal.
Episodio 16 - Episodio 16
25 de diciembre de 2024
• 28 minutos
Kobayashi Kunio (76) is a celebrated bonsai artist working to secure the future of this traditional art form through outreach to children, and through efforts to protect the iconic shimpaku juniper.
Episodio 1 - Episodio 1
8 de enero de 2025
• 28 minutos
Wildlife vet Saito Keisuke has worked with endangered raptors in Hokkaido Prefecture for 30 years. He treats and releases the many birds injured by human activity, while also working to prevent such accidents.
Episodio 2 - Episodio 2
15 de enero de 2025
• 28 minutos
Oba Carlos is a social entrepreneur leveraging local Wi-Fi networks to close the gap in access to information and opportunity between urban and rural populations in the African nation of Benin.
Episodio 3 - Episodio 3
29 de enero de 2025
• 28 minutos
Watanabe Go is among the world's leading heart surgeons. He's an expert in robot-assisted keyhole surgery techniques that save lives while minimizing burden on the patient.
Episodio 4 - Episodio 4
5 de marzo de 2025
• 28 minutos
Japanese researcher Takama Takeshi founded an organization on the island of Bali, Indonesia to study climate change and help farmers to adapt its effects.
Episodio 5 - Episodio 5
19 de marzo de 2025
• 28 minutos
Noguchi Tomohisa makes leather from discarded fish skin. We investigate his efforts to utilize waste in the seafood industry, and contribute to sustainability.
Episodio 6 - Episodio 6
26 de marzo de 2025
• 28 minutos
In Japan, around 5,200 trees fall each year, causing accidents that can even be fatal. Tree surgeon Goto Mizuho diagnoses and treats them, utilizing innovative technology and techniques.