Japan's unique yuru-kyara costumed promotional mascots are in the midst of a boom. And the maker behind many of the movement's biggest stars is Kigurumi.biz, led by Hiromi Kano. Her highly skilled staffs have a love for their work that gives birth to lovable characters, and with Japan's yuru-kyara attracting increasing global attention, the firm is also starting to receive orders from overseas. We follow Kano and her team as they take costumed Japanese cuteness to the world.
NPO Founder - Hiroki Komazaki With many children across Japan unable to find a place in nursery daycare, Hiroki Komazaki, CEO of NPO Florence, is leading efforts to meet the childcare needs of working families. From 2010, using empty urban properties, he launched daycare centers with space for 10 kids, successfully pushing for nationwide licensing for nurseries with fewer than 20 places. His other innovations include Japan's first home daycare service for sick children, and services for kids with disabilities.
Japanese Laundry Goes Global Makoto Seino & Toshiyuki Abe In Bangkok, Thailand, a Japanese-style dry cleaning and laundry service is currently attracting widespread attention. Driving this success are the efforts of local factory manager Makoto Seino, and sales representative Toshiyuki Abe. The firm's superlative service combines Japanese methods with skilled local operators and the latest machinery. We follow 2 men embracing a foreign culture to promote Japanese-style cleanliness overseas.
Social Entrepreneur - Toshihiro Nakamura Toshihiro Nakamura (42) founded a social business providing technology based on the principles of simplicity, durability and affordability to developing countries. The goal is to improve lifestyles, while boosting both productivity and incomes. From solar lanterns for areas without electricity, to simple water filters for regions lacking clean water, and devices to boost agricultural productivity. We follow a small business seeking to address poverty through the promotion of technology.
Home Health Care Pioneer - Shinsuke Muto At-home medical care. But unlike traditional on-call emergency care, this service sees doctors and nurses visit patients regularly, as part of a treatment plan. With some 26% of Japan's population now aged 65 or over, more and more elderly patients are limited to their homes. Physician Shinsuke Muto is revolutionizing home health care, with clinics whose dispatch staff utilizes communications technology to optimize efficiency, and similar schemes in tsunami-hit Ishinomaki and aging Singapore.
Prosthetic Limb Researcher - Masahiro Kasuya In Switzerland this fall, athletes and the technologies behind their prosthetic limbs were put to the test at the world's first Cybathlon. The competition attracted researchers from around the world. Masahiro Kasuya brings 2 innovative technologies: a prosthetic hand that allows control of each finger individually and a technology that allows people paralyzed from the waist down to pedal a bicycle. Meet the young researcher who hopes to eliminate physical barriers from around the world.
Entrepreneur - Hiroyuki Goto To rent an apartment in Japan, tenants have long needed to name a guarantor - usually Japanese, with a steady income. But this rule, intended to safeguard owners against non-payment of rent, can exclude non-Japanese from the housing market. Hiroyuki Goto runs a firm striving to promote Japan's internationalization with a guarantor service for international students, and multilingual support that helps foreign clients navigate complex garbage-disposal rules and other potential difficulties.
Veg Delivery Pioneer - Ryozo Kawagishi As diets in Japan become increasingly Westernized, obesity and lifestyle diseases are on the rise. Average daily intake of fruit and vegetables is well below the recommended minimum, and falling year by year. Ryozo Kawagishi (34) is the CEO of Kompeito, a business changing attitudes to fresh produce by providing fruit and veg for office workers to snack on during break times. And with its update on traditional Japanese medicine, this service is also providing a boost for farmers nationwide.
Whisky Innovator - Ichiro Akuto Japanese whisky is currently undergoing a boom in popularity around the world, with numerous buyers willing to pay high prices when prime examples come up for auction. In 2008, Ichiro Akuto founded a small distillery in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, and the drinks produced there in limited quantities owe their distinctive flavor to the local environment, as well as to Akuto's own experimentation with techniques and materials. We follow an innovator who is taking Japanese whisky global.
Bio-Robotics Engineer - Taro Nakamura Taro Nakamura develops robots based on imaginative imitation of living organisms. His expertise is in great demand from numerous firms and government funded research programs thirsty for innovation, and he currently has over 20 individual projects in progress. We focus on his development of an earthworm robot, the first of its kind, designed to traverse the narrow, twisting tunnels of Japan's aging water infrastructure, and other projects including robots with man-made muscle fibers.
Apparel Innovator - Toshio Yamada Despite their superior workmanship, recent years have seen Japan's apparel factories losing work to lower-cost ones abroad. Entrepreneur Toshio Yamada has teamed up with those factories to create a new, Japan-based clothing brand. Yamada's innovations include selling directly to consumers online and funneling profits back into factories, allowing them to experiment with new techniques. Yamada's goal is to push Japanese factories to the forefront and create a clothing brand recognized worldwide.
Startup Support Entrepreneur - Keiichi Hamano With high labor costs and little space, Tokyo's local factories are at a disadvantage compared to those abroad. But one metalworking factory in Tokyo has attracted attention from as far away as MIT. Keiichi Hamano has transformed his long-standing factory into a space where startups can develop new, world-class ideas. Innovations that have emerged from the space include a typhoon-resistant wind turbine, a wheelchair that can navigate difficult terrain, and a solar panel-cleaning robot.
LED Grow Light Developer - Seiichi Okazaki LED grow lights for use in agriculture are currently in the spotlight. Not only do they enable vegetables to be reliably grown all year round, for crops produced in a sterile environment they allow the elimination of agricultural chemicals. And fine adjustment of this lighting even enables regulation of a crop's nutritional content. We follow developer Seiichi Okazaki, a man hoping to harness the cutting edge of veg for a future food revolution.
Paper: even in our digital age, demand for this material continues, and at great environmental cost. But one man is gaining attention for using Japanese technology to create a new kind of paper from... stone. The man who made this limestone-based paper possible is Nobuyoshi Yamasaki. Yamasaki, whose goal was to create "a business that helps society", has been hailed as a revolutionary. Why did Yamasaki spend 6 years chasing this epoch-making goal? Join us and find out.
Food Media Entrepreneur - Hiroyuki Takahashi In 2013, from earthquake-hit northeastern Japan, Hiroyuki Takahashi launched a new kind of food magazine. Packaged together with local ingredients, the publication offers insights into producers' philosophies alongside the chance to try their wares, while you can also order produce via a dedicated social network and app. The model proved a hit and has since spread across Japan, spawning over 30 similar magazines linking other provincial areas to consumers in the major cities.
Social Business Founder - Kazunari Taguchi For social businesses, the need to address social issues while also making a profit means that many young social entrepreneurs falter at the first hurdle. To prevent such good intentions going to waste, Kazunari Taguchi runs a firm that offers investment and expertise that help set such projects on the path to success. We follow a social business incubator that has already helped launch 9 social businesses with a combined annual turnover of around 3 billion yen.
Print Industry Entrepreneur - Yasukane Matsumoto Yasukane Matsumoto is the founder of a web-based printing service that has seen revenues increase 50-fold over in just 4 years. Using a network of small printing firms, the service matches each job request to the ideal printing press, boosting efficiency for customer and printer alike by using factory downtime to produce limited runs. Also offering distribution through haulage firms, Matsumoto's company uses IT to empower small, long-established businesses as part of the sharing economy.
Founder of Agricultural Venture - Shunji Sugaya While still a student, Shunji Sugaya started an IT company focused on artificial intelligence and robots for use on the farms of the future. Agriculture in Japan faces serious challenges like an aging population and shrinking workforce. Sugaya imagines robots and drones that reduce labor demands and farms that are run using big data. Today we look at Sugaya and the young engineers at his company in their efforts to shape the future of agriculture and fishing with cutting-edge technology.
Food Industry Consultant - Kenta Kurokawa There are about 30,000 food-producing companies in Japan. The top 1% are industry giants. The other 99% are small businesses that struggle to compete with the majors on price and get their products sold. Kenta Kurokawa is the founder and CEO of a company that searches regional Japan for the hidden gems of the food industry, and helps them find markets for their great offerings. Several companies he's worked with have created hit products that brought them back from the brink of bankruptcy.
IoT Child Care Entrepreneur - Yasuyuki Toki Entrepreneur Yasuyuki Toki and his team won the 2017 Startup World Cup for their revolutionary IoT-based service which tracks and records the physical and mental well-being of children in nursery schools, connecting caregivers and parents. The service, which frees up child-care professionals to spend less time on paperwork and more on providing quality care, also helps prevent sudden infant death syndrome and other issues. Discover the secrets behind Toki's digital child care revolution.
Medical Technology Innovator - Masatoshi Takeda In a small, unassuming factory in Kyoto, one firm is helping save lives. That firm is run by Masatoshi Takeda, who invented a method to build hyper-accurate replicas of the organs of patients, from those with heart defects to liver cancer, who require difficult surgical procedures. Doctors use the replicas to perform simulated surgeries, increasing the chance of success in the operating room. Created hand-in-hand with doctors, Takeda's technology is changing the face of surgery as we know it.
App Developer - Takashi Hirose An educational app that's popular with young users. In addition to allowing users to track study hours and study resources, the app also has rich SNS functionality for fostering communication between students. In Japan it's so popular that one in three high school students uses it. The app was developed by Takashi Hirose. His goal? Nothing less than changing the way students study and the educational system in Japan.
Historical Structure Revitalization Entrepreneur - Jun Tarikino Japan is dotted with buildings and houses with centuries of history, but maintaining them can be economically challenging, and many are in danger of being lost. Enter Jun Tarikino, an entrepreneur who rents these structures and gives them new life as wedding halls, restaurants and more. We'll take a look at Tarikino's current project and see how this entrepreneur is using his business talents to preserve these structures' history and culture and pass them on to the next generation.
Social Entrepreneur - Chizu Nakamoto At some of Japan's most exclusive department stores, colorful African-print bags are gaining a following. The appeal lies in their 4-way versatility: each piece, made from colorful batik fabric, can be used as either a handbag, clutch bag, shoulder bag or tote. Made in Uganda, they are the brainchild of Chizu Nakamoto, who runs a company offering employment to the country's struggling single mothers. Follow Nakamoto's team as they develop new items and expand their business operations.
Wind Energy Pioneer - Atsushi Shimizu Around the world, demand for sustainable wind energy is growing. But for traditional wind turbines, strong winds can result in temporary shutdowns, and sometimes even severe damage. Atsushi Shimizu's quest to achieve a global first by creating a functional turbine free from propellers takes him to Okinawa Prefecture and the Philippines, but can he successfully scale up his prototype, and will his groundbreaking idea catch on? We follow the latest advances in wind power generation.
Universal design aims to create an environment accessible to all, regardless of age, or linguistic or physical limitations. As Tokyo prepares for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, one venture firm working to make Japan a world leader in this area is led by Toshiya Kakiuchi. Wheelchair bound since childhood due to brittle bone disease, this young entrepreneur provides consulting on facilities and services for the disabled, aiming to change preconceptions and facilitate true hospitality.
Real Estate Innovator - Ryo Yamamoto Though Japan is a country with a rapidly aging population and millions of vacant properties, senior citizens often struggle to find rented accommodation due to owners' concerns about the risks of elderly tenants dying alone and unnoticed. To address these issues, Ryo Yamamoto founded a unique estate agent catering solely to the over 65s, also working to allay proprietors' fears through outreach initiatives and even a collaboration with a major electronics developer.
Prosthetic Leg Engineer - Ken Endo The goal: to develop the world's best sports prosthetic leg and win gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Taking on this challenge is MIT graduate Ken Endo, selected in 2013 among Technology Review's top 35 Innovators under 35. Working alongside top Paralympians to develop prosthetics, Endo also established Tokyo's Blade Library, a facility where amputees can try out high-end prosthetics for themselves. Follow a man working to change established notions of disability.
Miyazaki Prefecture's satsumaimo, or sweet potatoes, are selling fast in other parts of Asia thanks to Makoto Ikeda, the CEO of Kushima AoiFarm. Since he started this company with a staff of 4 family members in 2013, exports have been booming. Now the firm has 68 employees and annual sales of 700 million yen. Interestingly, the type of sweet potato that is popular in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan doesn't sell so well in Japan. We explore what Ikeda has done to achieve sweet potato success.
Tech Entrepreneur - Takuma Iwasa Up to the 1990's, Japan's home electronics giants led the global market. But recently, unwilling to implement key reforms, they have been slow to catch on to the digital revolution, and products without IoT compatibility are considered old hat. Takuma Iwasa is the CEO of one Japanese tech venture winning fans worldwide with unique, web-ready devices. Targeting the global niche market of early adopters has put this firm in the spotlight, as it strives to create unprecedented consumer electronics.
EV Venture - Hiroyasu Koma Kyoto is a long-established center of craft excellence. Hiroyasu Koma's 30-person start-up firm brought that power together to make a high-performance electric sports car. Unlike in the case of gasoline cars, parts for electric cars can be sourced from outside the insular supplier networks that serve major car makers, so even small start-ups can make cars. Koma sells the technology in completed cars to other companies, a feature of his business model where various firms share development costs.
Marine Industry Pioneer - Takuya Hasegawa Along Japan's northeastern coast, efforts to develop young fisheries workers by boosting recognition for local marine produce and organizing training have put one fishing collective in the spotlight. Sensing peril for local fisheries after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of 2011, founder Takuya Hasegawa teamed up with workers to reform distribution channels and pursue sales and promotion activities. Join a group aiming to rear 1,000 local fishermen and women by 2024.
Keiichi Yoshino left a career in finance to open a chocolatier in Kyoto, Japan's former capital. Only 4 years in, his brand has already won international awards and been picked up by an exclusive Kyoto hotel. He uses cacao from Indonesia, the world's number-two producer, boosting the economy by raising quality and prices via guidance for local farmers. Now pursuing a similar scheme in the Philippines, we follow a luxury chocolate brand transforming the fortunes of farmers in Southeast Asia.
Lightning Protection Consultant - Atsushi Yoshida Atsushi Yoshida runs a 70-year-old firm specializing in high-voltage lightning arresters. Its devices, produced via research at the world's largest lightning-test facility, protect homes and infrastructure, as well as Japanese icons like Shinkansen bullet trains, the TOKYO SKYTREE and Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera Temple, with a 70% domestic market share. Now Yoshida is taking this expertise to Rwanda, one of the world's most lightning-prone countries, conducting research and training local engineers.
Livestock Management Innovator - Shinya Kobayashi The last decade has been tough for cattle breeders in Japan. Four-tenths of farms have folded, and the experience needed to succeed limits the influx of new talent. Shinya Kobayashi founded a business to address this situation through the Internet of Things. Cattle are tracked using sensors, and the data analyzed to give farmers powerful insights via their mobile devices, along with digital records on animals' breeding and health. Follow a business using IT to support Japan's cattle breeders.
Sports Wheelchair Engineer - Toru Ozawa The key to gold medal success at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games may just be held by Toru Ozawa, engineer with a specialist wheelchair manufacturer in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo. Fine-tuned to match each owner's precise needs to the last millimeter, and trusted by top wheelchair athletes around the world, the firm's custom devices have helped win 122 Paralympic medals to date. With 2 years to go until the Tokyo games, we follow a pioneering Tokyo wheelchair maker with sights set on gold.
Mobile Supermarket Innovator - Tatsuya Sumitomo Across Japan, a decline in public transport and small retailers is said to have left as many as 7 million seniors unable to access basic daily necessities. 6 years ago, to address the needs of these "shopping refugees", former magazine editor Tatsuya Sumitomo set up a mobile supermarket service. Now with over 300 trucks, each offering up to 1,200 items, along with clothing and monitor services, his business regularly serves around 40,000 people nationwide, with an average age of 80.
E-Commerce Entrepreneur, Takayuki Aoki With many up-and-coming nations undergoing rapid development, Japanese construction equipment is finding new popularity around the world due to its safety and reliability. Takayuki Aoki (32) founded an online service that offers overseas buyers affordable access to used heavy machinery from Japan, providing comprehensive information, detailed photos and even a refund policy. Follow a young entrepreneur using information technology to take Japanese construction equipment to the world.
Culinary Exchange Facilitator - Miwa Okada Around the world, one sector relatively untouched by the IT-driven paradigm shift known as the sharing economy has been dining and catering. Miwa Okada is helping to change that with a service that introduces local users to Japan-based foreign nationals who open their homes to offer lessons on how to cook their own native cuisine. We follow an innovative business using food as the medium for cultural exchange and integration between Japan's growing foreign population and their host country.
Educational Technology Entrepreneur - Goichiro Arai In January 2018, at the Global EdTech Startup Awards in London, a Japanese firm came through a field of over 2,000 to claim the top prize. Goichiro Arai's company triumphed with an app designed to help students organize and share their study notes, and even create Q&A exercises. Allowing students to study together independently of teachers, and even helping to close the achievement gap between rich and poor, this cutting-edge tool is ready to carry success in Asia over to the global stage.
Public Transport Innovator, Masaru Yajima With 80% of Japan's regional bus routes operating at a loss, Masaru Yajima runs a firm working to revive these vital transport lifelines. GPS and sensors are used to track progress and passenger flow, and this big data is analyzed to optimize routes and departure times. Further innovations like waiting rooms and wholesale local produce at bus stops have helped to attract passengers beyond the typical user base. And this pioneering transport firm is now taking its successful template overseas.
Medical Technology Pioneer - Maki Sugimoto Virtual reality: currently a hot technology in the world of video gaming, and now also on the brink of transforming the medical field. Surgeon Maki Sugimoto has developed a system that uses precise 3D modeling of patients' internal organs to help plan surgical procedures down to the last scalpel incision, maximizing safety. Currently used at over 50 facilities working across the medical spectrum, this groundbreaking technology is also revolutionizing the way young doctors are trained.
A trunk room is rented storage for items you don't often use but just can't throw away. But it's not always easy to keep track of inventory or pick up possessions when you need them. Hayato Matsuzaki launched a service using couriers and carefully photographed cloud-based galleries of stored items to give users round-the-clock access to possessions at the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen, and even letting you give new life to items you no longer want by putting them up for sale.
Community Planning Pioneer - Daisuke Yamanaka Long beset by depopulation and industrial decline, these days the town of Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, northern Japan, boasts a science park that's a honeypot for tech startups and international researchers. Daisuke Yamanaka runs a local firm that has brought an innovative approach to community development. Frustrated by bureaucracy, he turned to partnerships between civil enterprises, also bringing researchers and local government on board to promote truly holistic regional revitalization.
Forced by a shrinking domestic market to venture overseas, Japan's sake brewers face stiff competition from the established dominance of wine. Takuma Inagawa heads a startup that's winning global plaudits with new sake varieties developed to complement global cuisines. From cask aging, to unorthodox additives, he uses various techniques to coax out flavors unlike any traditional rice wine. And having successfully expanded into several markets, he's now taking on the biggest of them all: the US.
For more than 60 years, we have been sending satellites and rockets into space. But this progress has polluted Earth's orbit with a host of man-made space debris, creating a fast-moving "junk belt" that poses considerable risk to probes and spacecraft exiting the atmosphere. One individual working to solve this problem is Nobu Okada, head of a startup harnessing the skills and expertise of universities and technical workshops to develop satellites ready to clean up the cosmos.
In Tokyo's upscale Ginza district is a rice ball shop so popular that lines of hungry office workers are a regular lunchtime sight. As well as the finest ingredients from all over Japan, founder Masayuki Habuki is committed to using rice from his home region, Niigata Prefecture. In fact, his work to promote Niigata rice also includes the production of sake and miso, along with outreach activities like brewery tours and tasting sessions. Follow a business working to preserve this regional food culture.
Woven rush tatami mats are a traditional element of Japanese homes. But a shift toward Westernized lifestyles has seen production drop to a third of its former peak, driving both makers and rush growers out of business. Yoshiaki Kagami is breathing new life into tatami by cutting out the middlemen to deal directly with growers and consumers. As well as creating novel tatami products, Kagami encourages the sharing of expertise within the industry, and organizes visits to one regional rush farm.
In Japan, long-distance express coaches are a fast-expanding sector. Including an increasing number of foreign visitors, annual users now stand at an estimated 120 million. Koji Hirayama runs a coach operator that has helped fuel this growth through an emphasis on safety, comfort, and value, introducing measures like IoT systems to monitor drivers' health and stop them falling asleep at the wheel; specially designed seats; and a system that makes unreserved places available at reduced prices.
Flying cars have long been a staple of science fiction, but recent years have seen a global explosion in projects that aim to make these futuristic vehicles a reality. With the aim of making flight available to all by 2050, one such project is led by Tsubasa Nakamura, whose team of young engineers is working to create a zero-emission road vehicle that can also take to the air via propeller power. Follow their efforts to have their invention light the Olympic Flame at Tokyo 2020.
With over 27% of the population currently aged 65 or over, Japan as a nation is experiencing unprecedented demand for assistive technology. Hideaki Tamada heads one Osaka-based firm that developed walking aids tailored to the smaller physiques of Japanese seniors. A runaway hit, the firm now leads the domestic "walker" market, helping older adults nationwide to maintain their independence. Follow a pioneering business prolonging healthy lifespans for Japan's graying society.
The global drive to cut fossil fuel usage has put electric vehicles (EVs) in the spotlight. Spurred by the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, engineer Hideo Tsurumaki created a compact EV that is equally at home on land or water. Despite being only 1.3 meters wide, his aquatic car can seat 4 people, and reach top land speeds of 80km an hour. We follow this pioneer of affordable EVs as he expands his operations to frequently flood-affected Thailand.
The global boom in wearable technology has seen one traditional Japanese textile maker is in the spotlight with smartphone-linked garments that monitor wearers' heart rate and other data, with applications in sports, healthcare, and industry. Since taking over the family business in 2014, CEO Ayumu Mitera has revived the ailing firm's fortunes through world-leading silver metalized fibers. Find out more about the benefits these unique textiles are bringing to the elderly, epileptics, and more.
Fujio Kojima leads a company using IT to tackle waste, from litter to fly-tipping and ocean plastics. A unique social media app that encourages users to pick up litter and share their activities, has been a hit with private users and companies alike in 84 countries. The firm has also developed an AI system that scans the streets for garbage, and launched a project surveying plastic waste in rivers and outlets around Japan. Follow a unique business trying to solve the world's garbage problems.
In Tokyo's upscale Ginza district is a rice ball shop so popular that lines of hungry office workers are a regular lunchtime sight. As well as the finest ingredients from all over Japan, founder Masayuki Habuki is committed to using rice from his home region, Niigata Prefecture. In fact, his work to promote Niigata rice also includes the production of sake and miso, along with outreach activities like brewery tours and tasting sessions. Follow a business working to preserve this regional food culture.
At the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, top plaudits went to a wearable ultrasound sensor that provides users with mobile notifications of bladder fullness. Based on the personal experience of developer Atsushi Nakanishi, the device aims to help an estimated 500 million people worldwide who suffer from urinary incontinence. And this groundbreaking tool is already improving quality of life for both staff and patients in care and rehabilitation settings in Japan and overseas.
In Japan, blemishes and inconsistencies in size or shape see some 20-30% of vegetables rejected as unfit for sale. Keisuke Soda had an idea to spare producers the heartache of scrapping perfectly good crops: He buys such items at a fair price, and presses their pulp into colorful, paper thin-sheets which store well and can be used as you would dried seaweed. Learn how a product originally intended to help regional farmers is now taking off among vegans and mothers of young children alike.
Across Japan, aging and depopulation see over 8 million properties currently standing unused. One town at the forefront of this issue is Mino, Gifu Prefecture. Once known for some 4,700 traditional mills making UNESCO-recognized washi paper, now only 6 remain. Takeshi Fujiwara launched a plan to re-activate Mino's empty buildings as resources for culture and tourism. Follow his efforts to revive this community by promoting local crafts and transforming empty homes into unique guesthouses.
In Japan, crowdfunding isn't just about money. There's also a site aimed at test marketing new products which has built up an impressive track record. CEO Ryotaro Nakayama finds the ideas slumbering within local small and medium-sized businesses and helps turn them into new products, putting declining industries back into action. From projects like a foldable hybrid bicycle to kitchen knives modeled after Japanese katana swords, we take a deep dive into Nakayama's revolutionary business model.
A Kyoto Prefecture umbrella maker with 160 years of history drove to the brink of bankruptcy in 2003, falling demand for traditional Wagasa paper umbrellas. Son-in-law Kotaro Nishibori left his job as a civil servant to take over the helm, with the motto "true tradition always moves with the times." Since then, lampshades and other products leveraging Wagasa making techniques have won fans at home and abroad, and brought collaborations with international designers.
Agricultural science PhD Yukihiro Maru is head of a unique business striving to raise the floor for science and technology in Japan, through both educational workshops and support for science-based startups. Staffed by science graduates and postgrads, the firm conducts around 300 workshops each year aimed at boosting interest in STEM subjects among kids and teens, and has also helped kickstart over 200 tech ventures. Follow their efforts to save the world through the power of science.
Over 40% of Japan is covered with woodland. But in recent years, cheap foreign imports have seen a decline in Japan's timber industry, with the resulting lack of resources and personnel required for forest management also leading to landslides and other issues. Hiroyuki Nakamura is revolutionizing forestry through ICT, using laser scanners and 3D modeling to identify the most suitable timber and project the growth of younger saplings after thinning. We follow a pioneer of future forestry.
As Japan's society rapidly ages, rehabilitative care for seniors who cannot walk or stand unaided is a vital part of the country's care provision. With a background in nursing care, Kenta Toshima, a researcher at the prestigious University of Tokyo, uses VR technology to recreate world-famous tourist spots and childhood haunts as environments to get elderly patients moving and talking, with lasting benefits in both departments. Follow a pioneer breaking new ground in elder care technology.
Lina Sakai is the mind behind a new bioethanol-based resource cycle that is revitalizing regional economies. In Iwate Prefecture, rice from once fallow fields is fermented to produce ethanol, which is used to create premium cosmetics. Post-fermentation grains are fed to local hens, improving the quality of their eggs. The model is also being applied to apples and millet grains, as Sakai works to promote regional revitalization through local production and consumption.
In the world of para-sports, advances in prosthetic technology have brought leaps in performance for athletes. But with the global market dominated by models from Germany and Iceland, one Japanese maker is creating athletic blades to match the smaller Asian physique. In close collaboration with top para-athletes, Atsushi Hamada is working on groundbreaking designs that he hopes can earn success at the Tokyo 2020.
Year round, Japan plays host to an estimated 300 thousand matsuri. But dwindling rural populations and weakened community bonds now place around a quarter of these colorful traditional festivals in jeopardy. Manabu Ohara heads a unique organization that recruits young people from across the country and overseas to help keep these festivals alive, forging ties with locals and giving a much-needed lift to every aspect -- from preparation, to float-bearing, to cleanup.
As Japan prepares for the Tokyo 2020's big events, efforts are underway to prepare for the arrival of international athletes and spectators, but wheelchair users still face various hurdles. To promote accessibility for those with disabilities, wheelchair user Yuriko Oda created a "barrier-free map" app that helps users locate and share info on elevators and accessible toilets while avoiding steps and other obstacles. Follow a mobile venture aiming for a barrier-free society.
In Japan, over 6 million tons of food, much of it perfectly edible, go to waste every year. To combat this, Kazuma Kawagoe developed a web application that aims to rescue food otherwise headed for the dumpster. Users can browse and reserve items for collection at reduced prices at registered restaurants and bakeries. Follow a unique venture using technology to raise awareness of this issue and change the attitudes of both, consumers and producers, while reducing the waste of precious food.
In Japan, a new kind of hotel is giving visitors from around the world the chance to experience Buddhist culture firsthand. Due to depopulation and aging congregations, many of Japan's 77 thousand temples are disused or endangered. Business entrepreneur Mai Sato and ordained priest Shunko Umino are striving to solve this issue by helping temples to find fresh value through hotel facilities that also bring benefits to the broader community.
In Osaka, Japan's second-largest city, one NPO is working with the homeless to help them get back on their feet. Founder Kawaguchi Kana has launched various initiatives providing temporary work and accommodation as a bridge back into mainstream society. These include a city-wide bike share scheme and a social business selling photos that leverage the unique perspectives of those who live on the streets. Follow a unique enterprise striving towards a society that offers everyone a second chance.
Widespread school closures due to COVID-19 have thrust online learning resources into the spotlight. In Japan, one such service offering a fun introduction to the world of smartphone and computer programming received 10 thousand signups in just one month, with over 600 schools considering integrating it into their curriculum. We follow founder and former supply teacher Mizuno Yusuke's efforts to bring new opportunities to teenagers at a crucial stage in their educational journey.
In March 2020, to curb the spread of COVID-19, schools across Japan were urged to close, prompting widespread fears that children may fall behind on their studies. Enter Yunokawa Takahiko, developer of a unique e-learning platform that uses AI to assess students' shortcomings and provide an adaptive learning experience to match. Having rolled out to almost 370 schools during the pandemic, Yunokawa aims to provide affordable, egalitarian learning opportunities to students in Japan and overseas.
Small scale, specialist technical workshops, or "Machikoba," have long been a lynchpin of Japanese manufacturing. But without the ability to effectively communicate their supreme skills, overseas competition and a lack of successors have seen the sector shrink in recent decades. Entrepreneur Furukawa Taku is aiming to change all that, working with a network of over 100 workshops in downtown Tokyo to refresh their old-fashioned business models and promote creative cross-sector collaborations.
With its many volcanoes, Japan has the world's third-highest potential for geothermal energy. In 1984, Hachimantai, Iwate Pref. opened the country's first such power station, with greenhouses reusing the hot spring water to grow vegetables in the harsh northern winters. After falling out of use, they were revived by Kodama Norihiro, who has fused geothermal spring water with the Internet of Things to create a simple, sustainable new agricultural model that aims to revitalize this rural area.
Japan's food supply chain has long followed a model of mass production for mass consumption, with produce from farmers nationwide sent to Tokyo for redistribution, squandering freshness, fuel and money. With calls building for a shift to local production for local consumption, Kato Yuriko stepped in to revitalize regional agriculture with a new approach to logistics, leveraging local vendors, news delivery trucks and more for a system of collection and delivery that follows local bus routes.
In spring 2020, with Japan facing a shortage of protective gowns for medical staff battling COVID-19, one 18-employee apparel firm in Nara Prefecture produced 100 thousand gowns in just 3 months thanks to a nationwide network of tailors working from home. Using a unique online platform, founder Tani Hideki recruited some 250 craftspeople left without work by a declining sewing industry. Moving forward, he aims to develop a new generation of craftspeople suited to the demands of the new normal.
In recent years, tough working conditions for often-modest pay have brought serious staff shortages for Japan's food service sector, which faces annual staff turnover of almost 30%. Sawanobori Tetsuya runs a groundbreaking business working to address this issue with cutting-edge yet affordable robots designed to lighten workers' load by taking care of food preparation, hygiene and even customer service. Follow a unique enterprise using robotics to revolutionize Japan's catering sector.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan has placed great emphasis on avoiding the Three Cs: closed spaces, crowding and close contact. Kawano Takanobu runs a business that aims to bring peace of mind through digital systems that allow users to avoid such conditions and curb the risk of infection. Rolled out in restaurants, restrooms, hotels and more, his solutions leverage AI, IoT and sensor technology to help people cope with the new normal.
Follow a pioneering Kyoto-based firm that boosts producers across Japan by canning local specialty foods. Under the motto "bringing a brighter future through canned goods," the business, led by former IT engineer Inoue Kazuma, eschews additives to deliver the natural flavor of primary ingredients. From game and seafood, to premium vegetables and other rare and unique delicacies, this unique business fields 20-30 inquiries a month from producers eager to reach a wider audience.
COVID-19 has hit restaurants hard. Faced with steady running costs despite low sales, some are turning to kitchen cars as a solution. Ishizawa Masayoshi runs a service uniting some 900 independent food truck operators. For a small commission, he matches them with unused patches at office buildings, switching up the selection to give local workers a constantly changing choice of exotic lunch options. As the pandemic runs on, coverage has also expanded to residential areas and medical facilities.
Around the world, the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has brought calls for a green recovery focused on eco-friendly businesses and renewable energy. Yoshida Hiroko runs an NPO promoting green energy and sustainable food production in rural Japan. By creating virtuous cycles, and organizing events that attract participants from further afield, she leverages local natural resources to revitalize mountain areas hit by depopulation.
With human interaction restricted by the pandemic, robotic communication aids are in the spotlight. Aoki Shunsuke heads a firm that develops such devices, with user-friendly messenger robots aimed at children and seniors uncomfortable with smartphones; home sensors that pair with the robots to let you monitor the wellbeing of isolated relatives; and robotics kits that help kids learn while expressing their creativity. Follow a unique business developing innovative solutions for the new normal.
Food waste is a global issue. And fresh fruit -- easily bruised; rejected for minor deviations in size, shape and color; and prone to price dips due to bumper crops -- is among the most widely discarded items. Kinoshita Masayuki set out to solve this with tailored flash freezing technology that maintains the taste and texture of cut fruit without the need for conventional preservatives. And now his approach is even helping pandemic-hit restaurants deliver their dishes with no loss in quality.
Kuji Kosuke heads an Iwate Prefecture's sake brewery with 119 years of history. Through an approach that melds tradition with the French "terroir" philosophy, using mountain spring water and rice varieties suited to the local environment, his beverages have won prizes in Japan and overseas. But with demand for sake falling due to the pandemic, he responded with "Japanese spirit," turning his surplus rice crop to more storable gin made with local botanicals, and vodka filtered with Iwate charcoal.
Taniguchi Hisashi is CEO of a mobility services company that is tackling the pandemic through self-driving technology that facilitates social distancing. From automated trolley systems for mail-order warehouses experiencing a surge in orders, to robots that patrol and disinfect indoor facilities, and self-driving scooters aimed at mobility-impaired seniors, Taniguchi's aim is a society that leverages robots in every facet of our lifestyles.
Since 2018, twins Matsuda Takaya and Fumito have run a social business built around the unique artistic talents of individuals with learning disabilities. In partnership with facilities across Japan, besides organizing award-winning exhibitions, they license artists' work for use in stylish products including garments and accessories, as well as design tie-ups with craft beer brands and on hotel décor, with profits providing vital income for the artists themselves.
Painting and decorating is an industry that has long been dominated by men. But Takenobe Yukio, CEO of an Osaka-based construction painting firm founded in 1950, is solving the issue of an aging, shrinking workforce by proactively recruiting female staff. Trained using innovative digital platforms, his team including tradeswoman Ishimoto Nozomi leverages a creative female sensibility to tackle projects such as schools and the traditionally built temples of historic Kyoto Prefecture.
In a big year for parasports in Tokyo, we follow 3 technicians whose expertise aids the performance of competitors from around the world. Wheelchair engineer Ozawa Toru calibrates his devices to match athletes' requirements to the nearest gram and millimeter. MIT alumnus Endo Ken creates prosthetic blades both to suit the needs of top competitors and ease hurdles to access for parasports beginners. And Hamada Atsushi pioneers novel blade designs to maximize the performance of para-athletes.
Based in Toyama Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast, Noguchi Tomohisa runs a unique business making sustainable leather from fish skin, a major waste product of the region's active fisheries. After a three-year development process working to ensure the material's strength and eliminate fishy odors, the firm's fish leather wallets and card cases are now stocked by high-end stores in Tokyo, and their attractive sheen is a welcome replacement for unsustainable exotic animal skins.
Orihime, a desktop avatar robot created by Yoshifuji Ory based on his own experiences of long-term school absenteeism, lets those excluded from society by illness or disability communicate remotely. During the global pandemic, Orihime was also picked up as a proxy communication tool by businesses and local governments, and Yoshifuji has even developed a 1.2m mobile version which one Tokyo café is using to allow house- and bedbound individuals across Japan to work as remote serving staff.
Industrial waste processing firm CEO Ishizaka Noriko is changing the image of her sector. Transforming waste into resources with an industry-leading recycle rate of over 98% has made her an opinion leader in the march towards a circular economy. She's also embracing digital transformation through the introduction of waste-sorting robots and IT solutions, and the green revolution, with a woodland regeneration initiative that has transformed a former wasteland into an oasis for the general public.
Taira Yuiko runs a firm promoting home composting as a sustainable solution to the large quantities of organic kitchen waste generated by most households. In just 2 years, her service providing stylish composting kits that keep unwanted bugs and odors in check and are compact enough even for urban apartments has grown its user base to over 20,000, and attracted interest from around the world. The firm also collects the resulting fertilizer for use promoting local agriculture and food cycles.
The pandemic has caused widespread disruption to medical practice, including hindering surgical training by preventing in-person coaching. And with ethical and economic issues surrounding the dissection of live animals and human cadavers, Takayama Seiichiro turned instead to developing realistic, sustainable anatomical models -- including arteries, organs and mucus membranes -- using a popular Japanese foodstuff: taro root-based Konnyaku jelly.
With traditional Japanese carpentry on the decline, young architect Akiyoshi Koki is rejuvenating age-old construction approaches through digital fabrication technology like laser cutting and 3D printing. From award-winning reimaginings of traditional homes, to the promotion of local timber production and consumption cycles using digital equipment, and unique online platforms for ordering pre-cut furniture and even homes, he is breathing new life into both the construction and forestry sectors.
Japan is full of both young people keen to visit new locations but lacking the funds to do so, and provincial towns seeking a fresh influx of younger workers. Nagaoka Rina created a service that tackles both issues by offering young people paid placements with local farms and businesses, also providing free accommodation and enough downtime to explore in exchange for a few hours manual work per day. And as well as labor, the towns gain new ambassadors to showcase their appeal more widely.
In recent years, growth in the global aquaculture market has seen yields overtake traditional fisheries. But conventional aquaculture techniques are a source of pollution, and also susceptible to weather events. Professor Yamamoto Toshimasa of Okayama University of Science has solved these problems and increased yields through a sustainable new approach that enables faster growth at higher stocking densities, also providing a promising solution for poverty and food security in developing nations.
In traditional sake brewing, sake lees is a major byproduct that is typically thrown away in large quantities. Yamamoto Yuya runs a distillery that is trying to change this by using these long-overlooked leftovers as a base for the production of craft gin, lending astonishing depths of aroma and flavor to the final product. And this sustainability conscious business also makes use of other surplus ingredients like cacao husks, coffee grounds, and beer that has gone unsold due to the pandemic.
In the earthquake and tsunami of 2011, Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture lost about 4,000 lives, with damage to 77% of local homes. Since then, population decline has seen more homes go empty, but, 11 years later, a unique enterprise led by Watanabe Kyoko is leveraging these properties to revive the community and ride out the pandemic. By renovating them into guesthouses, co-working spaces, communal houses and a creative hub for artists, she is actually attracting new residents to the area.
Japan is home to some 730,000 bridges. With most built during the rapid economic growth of the mid–late 20th century, many are potentially in need of maintenance, but without the personnel to conduct the necessary checks. Morikawa Haruna and husband Ayumu are working to address this through a specially developed AI system that uses detailed photographs of bridges and other infrastructure to automatically generate repair plans. And this technology is also helping to promote workforce inclusivity.
Mori Kenshiro is the creator of an online learning platform that equips adults with the skills they need to navigate Japan's pandemic-hit job market. Along with free livestreamed evening classes, and an interface that lets users ask questions and chat with classmates in real time, a small monthly fee gives access to thousands of archived lectures. And as well as individuals and businesses, Mori's firm is working with depopulation-hit areas to prepare them for the digital economy of the future.
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami of 2011, Japan's market for emergency rations has skyrocketed. However, once purchased, most homes and workplaces forget about such supplies until their use-by date approaches, and they are ultimately thrown away. Yokohama college students Seki Yoshimi and Kikuhara Misato launched a social business that avoids such waste by leveraging these resources to tackle burgeoning food poverty that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hashimura Kazunori specializes in rejuvenating unlikely destinations as luxury glamping sites. Since his first venture, a secluded cove in Shizuoka Prefecture that now receives some 3,000 visitors per year, his model has helped revitalize various depopulation-hit areas, like one Gunma village where the unmanned local train station was reborn as a glamping hub, creating jobs and even attracting new residents. We follow his latest project, the transformation of an abandoned school in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Across Japan, over 250 thousand children consistently miss out on school and other shared peer-group experiences due to chronic medical and physical conditions. In 2016, Kitano Hanako built upon her own experiences of similar hardship to found an organization that has so far helped some 1,300 such children to unlock their potential through sports and placements with professional and university sports teams.
Across Japan, recent decades have seen a surge in the number of seniors living alone, with the issue of isolation further compounded by the pandemic. Goto Manabu operates a video chat service that connects seniors in need of meaningful interaction with foreign users eager to learn about Japanese language, culture and customs. And as well as promoting cross-border, cross-generational communication, the service also connects Japanese speakers with domestic firms in search of international talent.
Though Japan is famed for its fisheries, in recent years, factors such as overfishing and climate change have seen catches fall to just a third of their 1980s peak. Mizukami Yosuke is the operator of a unique app that supports fisheries workers by using AI to analyze the historical movements of veteran fishermen and predict the most fertile fishing grounds. And now, the platform is also being leveraged to collect fisheries data vital to the sustainable future management of fragile fish stocks.
Against the backdrop of an aging society, many of Japan's long-running small businesses, unattractive to investors and lacking obvious successors, are in danger of disappearance – particularly in provincial areas, where a vicious cycle of regional decline sees ever fewer families moving to such locations, further depleting the pool of potential successors. Asai Katsutoshi is fighting back, with a unique online service that matches such businesses with individuals keen to take on a new challenge.
In Japan, rice consumption is falling, over 420,000 hectares of farmland lies unused, and a great volume of rice goes to waste. Kamiya Kazuhito has spent 15 years developing a company that uses it to make biomass resin—a form of plastic. In response to rising demand, Kamiya took advantage of unused farmland in Fukushima Prefecture, and began large-scale production. This created jobs, contributing to the recovery of an area devastated by the 2011 Great Earthquake and Tsunami.
Around the world, cats, dogs, and other pets are an integral part of many families. But while improvements to diet and veterinary care have brought increased lifespans, they have also seen an increase in health conditions that affect elderly pets. Shimada Akio is Japan's first veterinary prosthetist, pioneering custom prosthetics and rehabilitation schemes that preserve quality of life for animals who would once have been beyond help, including pets, wild animals, and zoo residents.
Against the backdrop of societal aging and isolation in Japan, Yata Akiko is a pioneer of community nursing. Rather than direct treatment at healthcare facilities, this approach promotes integration with local people to provide advice and catch potential issues early. Inspired by the early death of her own father, Yata runs a health visit service for seniors, local "busybodies' assemblies," and training schemes whose graduates are now active in various settings across Japan.
A year into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the specter of global war a constant presence, young people in Japan are pursuing new ways to promote peace. Hiroshima-born Yamaguchi Haruki directs peace education initiatives for an NPO. Her team of young staff run guided tours and online programs aimed at participants in Japan and overseas. As first-hand memories of the atomic bomb gradually fade, we follow a new generation striving to keep the flame of peace alive.
Top European brands rate Japanese textiles highly but many workshops are closing down. Miyaura Shinya shares information on the industry's superb skills as a way to revitalize manufacturing regions and forge relationships with designers. He visits factories to learn about new cloth, brings designers on visits and plans exhibitions. He also set up a course to train a new generation of potential factory workers. Miyaura's hard work helps to slow the decline of Japan's textile industry.
