In 2019, Atsushi Shimosaka was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, a condition diagnosed in those under age 65. As he began to lose his way and had difficulty keeping track of time, it started to affect his everyday life. Since his diagnosis, his wife, Yoshiko always tries to support and and encourage him. She sometimes teasingly asks her husband, “Do you still remember me?” Secretly, she also endures the fear of being forgotten by her beloved husband in the future.

This beautifully-shot documentary features absolute beauty of four seasons in one of the oldest villages in Japan, called ASUKA village. It is the site of ancient capital of Japan, and thus original scenery has been remaining thanks to a special law enacted exclusively to the village. Also, this doc follows a guy who moved into the village a few years ago and perform very traditional lifestyle. You can see beauty of Japan’s four seasons, authentic tradition, history, and culture in Japan.

Mizuki Suginohara, a 14 years old girl called “Mi-chan”, lives in Omi Hachiman city and has Selective Mutism. She can talk with her family but cannot with others in public. In addition, she cannot even move when in a state of heightened stress. Although she ceased going to school when she was 10 years old, she suddenly showed an incredible talent for making sweets. Thanks to her family’s help, she opened her own sweets shop; Mie’s Sweets Factory. However, she is changing gradually as the shop is getting popular… She has a dream to make people happy with her cakes while her family wishes for her independence. This is a story of a girl with Selective Mutism, with which only one in 500 people is diagnosed, and her family.

The Kobe Serial Child Murders occurred in Kobe, Japan in 1997. A 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy were brutally killed by a murderer who hid behind the alias Seito Sakakibara (酒鬼薔薇聖斗), and when arrested was discovered to be a 14-year-old boy. The fact astonished the whole country, but as a juvenile offender, he was prosecuted and convicted anonymously, known only to the public as “Boy A.” Kenji Yamashita is the father of the victim, Ayaka Yamashita. He still keeps Ayaka’s calligraphy, written right before her murder, on the wall of his house which shows the words: -“Strength to Live”（生きる力）- He avoided any press after the case, but has decided to share his story with society in order to find closure. What is atonement? What is the strength to live? The period of 25 years, through which we have exclusively been following the victim, raises critical questions for us all.

The Takeda Castle ruins in Asago city are called “The Castle in the Sky” as they look as if they are floating in the sky. In addition, there is another symbol of the city, which has been loved and protected by the locals; cherry blossoms in Ritsuunkyo which are located in front of the ruins. This combination is a classic example of beautiful scenery　produced in Japanese nature. A group of elders who are over 70 years old work to preserve it. This documentary follows the people who are struggling to preserve these two treasures for the next generation.

The absolute beauty of an ancient Japanese art. This documentary follows the 11-year-long historic restoration of the World Heritage Site, Toto, a 1,300-year-old wooden pagoda at Yakushiji Temple. Firstly, the pagoda was disassembled into more than 10 thousand parts. Those parts were then restored or replaced before being re-assembled. Surprisingly, the pagoda is resistant to huge earthquakes despite being built with little metal, a testament to the cutting-edge technology used.

The Shosoin Repository contains treasures which relate to the imperial family, and it has been miraculously well-preserved for the past 1,300 years. We take a close look at the restoration project of “Raden Shitan no Gogen Biwa ,” a traditional Japanese musical instrument and one of the most famous treasures in Japan. With the dreamlike sounds and the gorgeous decoration of the restored biwa, this program follows the long history of the Shosoin Repository from the very beginning.

How do you take care of your child during their final moments? Ichika, a four-year-old girl, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma two years ago. Despite all efforts, the family was notified that she would not have long to live. The family wishes for Ichika to have as much of a normal, everyday life as possible, and so for the last three months of Ichika’s life, they decide to stay at the pediatric cancer treatment specialized facility in the Ouchi Clinic in Kobe (Ouchi meaning home in Japanese). This documentary follows the family’s conflict, pain, and their final decision.

A heart-warming, multi-award-winning documentary. Hibiki, a completely blind 12-year-old boy, is a fantastic drums player and is able to reproduce new music just by listening to it a few times. When he was two years old, Hibiki was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. Despite this harsh reality, he lives a happy life with his family in the “invisible world”.

A story of a boy who was given a hand. Haruki Kami, a seven-year-old boy, is diagnosed with a congenital defect of his left forearm. His parents pin their hopes on a myoelectric arm prosthesis, which can detect muscle tension through the residual limb with its sensor, meaning the robotic hand moves accordingly. It’s a ray of hope for children with such congenital defects. Haruki’s doctor, Takaaki Chin , launched the child myoelectric arm bank to lend out free myoelectric arms to those in need. Dr. Chin visits the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to request public aid for child myoelectric arms. This documentary follows the development of children with the myoelectric arms, as well as the doctor who continues to make great efforts in delivering myoelectric arms to children.

An ex-US Marine’s philosophy regarding the Japanese Constitution. Article 9, the most iconic and the most controversial article within the Japanese Constitution, defines the renunciation of war. Allen Nelson is a former US Marine who served in the Vietnam War. He has killed countless people on the battlefield and has suffered from PTSD after returning home, but managed to bounce back by coming to terms with his own mistakes. He has continued to advocate for the philosophy of Article 9 as the only non-violent way forward. Article 9 of the Constitution has been the most important philosophy in his lectures, which he has been conducting in Japan since 1996. Through Nelson’s half-a-lifetime and testimony, this documentary questions the role and meaning of Article 9 within Japan and the international community.

Passing on memories between a Siberian internment POW and local high school girls. Materials relating to Siberian internment from the Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum in Kyoto were registered in UNESCO’s Memory of the World program. After World War II , more than 57 million Japanese people were captured by the Soviet Union, and at least 55,000 people became POWs in Siberian internment camps. While the survivors continue to dwindle, there is one 91-year-old man who continues to tell the story. For the first time in 67 years, he visits the former internment land in Khabarovsk, Russia. This documentary shows the importance of passing on memories through the exchange between the 90-year-old man who experienced interment and local high school girls.