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Hometown Stories
Stories about people, stories about life. Intimate portraits of people from around Japan, each leading diverse lives while enriching lives of others.
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Seasons (16)
Season 2011
- 1Night of the Dancing Fire God6 Feb 2011
- 2The Mountain God Piggyback13 Feb 2011
- 3A Millennium of Prayers20 Feb 2011
- 4Kagura: The Passion for Dance27 Feb 2011
- 5Eco-paddy: Bio-wonderland2 Oct 2011
- 6Granny Loves You: The Probation Officer's Tale9 Oct 2011
- 7Honoring the Dead: The Bone Washing Ritual of Yoronjima16 Oct 2011
- 8Mother, I Want To See You23 Oct 2011
Season 2012
- 1Questioning Nuclear Power29 Jun 2012
- 2The Luminous Forest17 Sep 2012
Season 2013
- 1A Watchmaker's Tale6 Jan 2013
- 2Learning to Survive: Three Days in Kamaishi7 Sep 2013
- 3Letter from Cherry Blossom Village14 Sep 2013
Season 2015
- 1School of Hope: Ogijima, Seto Inland Sea25 Oct 2015
- 2The Sky We Share - Friendship at the End of an Osaka Runway27 Dec 2015
Season 2016
- 1A Hiroshima Family's Prayer27 Feb 2016
- 2For the Sake of the Classmates We Lost26 Mar 2016
- 3Young Thunder: School Taiko Team13 Apr 2016
- 10Pearl Wedding: 30 Years' Worth of Thanks29 May 2016
- 11Back to Grandma's Land: Chiemi's Story26 Jun 2017
- 12A Life of Service: The Station Barber of Obama31 Jul 2016
- 13One of Us28 Aug 2016
- 14One Big Happy Family11 Sep 2016
- 15Uniting the People of the Sea: Kumejima, Okinawa30 Oct 2016
- 16Hang in There!27 Nov 2016
- 17Finding Yourself on the Open Road25 Dec 2016
Season 2017
- 1Melody of Daisen29 Jan 2017
- 2Bank of Glorious Blossoms19 Feb 2017
- 3Our Waves, Our Dreams26 Feb 2017
- 4Misako's All-Night Diner4 Mar 2017
- 5Looking Back, Moving On26 Mar 2017
- 6The Calligraphy Boys9 Apr 2017
- 7Designs on Life16 Apr 2017
- 8Another 'Home': A Boy Traces His Roots23 Apr 2017
- 9Shoeshine Star7 May 2017
- 10The Three Grannies' Cookie Challenge14 May 2017
- 11Pioneer Villages: Forgotten Postwar History21 May 2017
- 12Wrestling with a New Job4 Jun 2017
- 13Sharing Life Together: An 81-Year-Old Caregiver11 Jun 2017
- 14Grandma's Picture Cards18 Jun 2017
- 15Kasuga Taisha: A Divine Shrine for Daily Life2 Jul 2017
- 16Island of Compassion16 Jul 2017
- 17A Hands-on Designer23 Jul 2017
- 18What Brought You to Hiroshima?6 Aug 2017
- 19Carving out a New Path with Wood13 Aug 2017
- 20The High-Rises We Build20 Aug 2017
- 21Countdown to Business Lift-off!10 Sep 2017
- 22Our Town's Bookstore17 Sep 2017
- 23One Heart, One Beat24 Sep 2017
- 24Hooked on a New Fishing Career1 Oct 2017
- 25Our Flower Field22 Oct 2017
- 26Cakes on Wheels29 Oct 2017
- 27A Journey in Design5 Nov 2017
- 28Joining Hands with Newcomers12 Nov 2017
- 29Like a Trusty Garden Hoe19 Nov 2017
- 30A Passion for Fashion17 Dec 2017
- 31Hitoshi's Bento Shop24 Dec 2017
- 32Finding My Way on the Okugakemichi31 Dec 2017
Season 2018
- 1From the Slopes to the Playroom14 Jan 2018
- 2Living Positively with Dementia28 Jan 2018
- 3Uncovering Precious Life Stories4 Feb 2018
- 4Old House, New Hope18 Feb 2018
- 5Finding Poetry in Cancer25 Feb 2018
- 6Once Lost, Now Found: A Brother's Journey Home4 Mar 2018
- 7Once Lost, Now Found: Dancing for My Future11 Mar 2018
- 8Once Lost, Now Found: Student Actors' Challenge18 Mar 2018
- 9Sharing a Manga Dream25 Mar 2018
- 10A Truckful of Food and Smiles8 Apr 2018
- 11Forging On: Master and Apprentice15 Apr 2018
- 12Learning to Teach22 Apr 2018
- 13A Guesthouse's Unexpected Beginning6 May 2018
- 14Sharing Zao's Wonders13 May 2018
- 15Dancing Beyond Disabilities20 May 2018
- 16Giving Dreams a Boost3 Jun 2018
- 17Sweet Taste of Hope10 Jun 2018
- 18Mr. Grandpa in Nursery School17 Jun 2018
- 19A Teacher's Passion1 Jul 2018
- 20The Colors of the Forest8 Jul 2018
- 21Opening Doors to Newcomers15 Jul 2018
- 22Remembering Our Railway22 Jul 2018
- 23Soaking Up a Hot Spring Dream5 Aug 2018
- 24Grandmas' Goodbye to an Old Market12 Aug 2018
- 25Auntie's Candy Store – Sweets & Life Lessons19 Aug 2018
- 26Brewing a Future for Local Tea2 Sep 2018
- 27Pursuing the Ultimate Awa Indigo16 Sep 2018
- 28Sculptures with Soul23 Sep 2018
- 29A Budding Forestry Career7 Oct 2018
- 30The 100km Walk: Two Life-Changing Days14 Oct 2018
- 31"Crazy Mike" the Artist21 Oct 2018
- 32Making Udon to a Different Beat4 Nov 2018
- 33Onikenbai: the Demon Sword Dance11 Nov 2018
- 34Tears, Laughter and Motherhood18 Nov 2018
- 35The Maturing Sake Expert2 Dec 2018
- 36Apprentice Geisha: Making Dreams Come True16 Dec 2018
- 37Night School - Learning for Living23 Dec 2018
Season 2019
- 1Finding Happiness in Bathhouses6 Jan 2019
- 2A 26-Year-Old's Breast Cancer Diary13 Jan 2019
- 3Yuka and Her New Classmates20 Jan 2019
- 4From Handsome to Beautiful3 Feb 2019
- 5"Super Volunteer": Driven to Help in Disasters10 Feb 2019
- 6Drawing to Find a New Me17 Feb 2019
- 7For the Love of Lettering3 Mar 2019
- 8Sharing Their Stories10 Mar 2019
- 9Fukushima Ramen: Bowlful of Spirit17 Mar 2019
- 10Stories of Fukushima: Giving Their All24 Mar 2019
- 11The Revival of "Mikan Valley"6 Apr 2019
- 12A Geisha in Nara: Bridging Past and Future20 Apr 2019
- 13Yuko Kuroda's Legacy of Care4 May 2019
- 14A Community in the Sky18 May 2019
- 15Praying for Flowers, Praying for Life8 Jun 2019
- 16Serving Up Memories22 Jun 2019
- 17Two Worlds, One Dream: Vying for Powerlifting Glory20 Jul 2019
- 18Where Are My Roots? - One Orphan's Search3 Aug 2019
- 19A Late Dreamer17 Aug 2019
- 20Why We Dance - Children's Kagura Troupe14 Sep 2019
- 21Fukushima's Grandpa Troop: Restoring a Deserted Town21 Sep 2019
- 22Home for Good - Health Care at the End of Life5 Oct 2019
- 23Welcome to Maru-chan's Café19 Oct 2019
- 24A Will to Survive2 Nov 2019
- 25Soap That Gives Hope16 Nov 2019
- 26Paddling Our Hometown Lake7 Dec 2019
- 27The Bounty of the Mountains21 Dec 2019
Season 2020
- 1Look to the Night Sky11 Jan 2020
- 2Strength and Hope - The Power of Azaleas18 Jan 2020
- 3A Young Soba Chef's Challenge2 Feb 2020
- 4Expressing the Ainu Spirit15 Feb 2020
- 5No Going Back: New Ideas from a Tsunami-hit Fishing Town29 Feb 2020
- 6Revealing the Final Moments14 Mar 2020
- 7Rock Ptarmigans: Reviving the Divine Birds4 Apr 2020
- 8Fruitful Connections18 Apr 2020
- 9He Has a Dream: A Novice Fisherman's Challenge16 May 2020
- 10Avatar Robots Open New Doors23 May 2020
- 11Being There for Foreign Patients6 Jun 2020
- 12Bitter and Sweet: A Strawberry Farming Family20 Jun 2020
- 13Uncle and Nephew in a Tsunami-Hit Town4 Jul 2020
- 14Bullfights & Big Dreams18 Jul 2020
- 15The Shadow of Nagasaki: Nurses' Stories8 Aug 2020
- 16A-Bomb Paintings15 Aug 2020
- 17Community Newspaper5 Sep 2020
- 18Unread Messages19 Sep 2020
- 19A Pillar for Brazilians in Japan10 Oct 2020
- 20Breast Cancer Diary 2020: Keeping a Dream Alive17 Oct 2020
- 21Steering Through Tough Times8 Nov 2020
- 22The Treasures of Toyama Bay15 Nov 2020
- 23Drawing Our "New Normal"6 Dec 2020
- 24Follow Your Heart: The Green-haired Gardener20 Dec 2020
Season 2021
- 1Why She Runs10 Jan 2021
- 2Connecting People in a Pandemic17 Jan 2021
- 3A Haven Called Bethesda7 Feb 2021
- 4Analog Buddies in a Digital Age14 Feb 2021
- 5Rescuing Pre-Disaster Memories7 Mar 2021
- 6Selfie Diary of Mr. "One Team"21 Mar 2021
- 7The Power of Giving Up4 Apr 2021
- 8Spring Splendor in Hirosaki18 Apr 2021
- 9A Place for Every Child2 May 2021
- 10Why Did She Pose in a Bikini?: Challenges of an "Ostomate" Doctor16 May 2021
- 11A Legendary Chef's Last Lessons23 May 2021
- 12Haircut Magic6 Jun 2021
- 13The Deities of Gion20 Jun 2021
- 14Rediscovering Ainu Heritage: Part 14 Jul 2021
- 15Rediscovering Ainu Heritage: Part 211 Jul 2021
- 16Sushi with Heart and Soul1 Aug 2021
- 17Building Robots, Fostering Happiness15 Aug 2021
- 18Baseball Heals Kids22 Aug 2021
- 19The Unorthodox Karuta Champion / Ruludaisy: Drag Queen Farmer5 Sep 2021
- 20Light on a Raging River19 Sep 2021
- 21Shared House, Shared Lives3 Oct 2021
- 22Being LGBT+ in a Small Town17 Oct 2021
- 23Living Alongside Disaster24 Oct 2021
- 24Crisis in "Japan's Kitchen"7 Nov 2021
- 25A 94-Year-Old Culinary Wizard14 Nov 2021
- 26Fond Farewell for a Beloved Train21 Nov 2021
- 27Making Peace With My Father5 Dec 2021
- 28Mending Your Cherished Clothes19 Dec 2021
Season 2022
- 1A Toast to the God of Sake9 Jan 2022
- 2Life Lessons From the Homeless16 Jan 2022
- 3Conversations Without Words23 Jan 2022
- 4Behind the Artist's Hand6 Feb 2022
- 5Longing for the Power of Touch20 Feb 2022
- 6Rapping for Fukushima6 Mar 2022
- 7A Small Village with Big Ideas13 Mar 2022
- 8Swordfish Fishing With My Father10 Apr 2022
- 9The Power of Memories17 Apr 2022
- 10Many Vines, One Family8 May 2022
- 11Bomb Disposal Quest in Okinawa15 May 2022
- 12Rebuilding Lives After the Kumamoto Earthquake22 May 2022
- 13When the Sea Turned Red5 Jun 2022
- 14Finding Freedom in the Pool19 Jun 2022
- 15Auntie Baseball3 Jul 2022
- 16The Future of Fukuoka's Food Stalls17 Jul 2022
- 17Nuclear Waste Splits a Town24 Jul 2022
- 18A Blind Teacher's Farewell7 Aug 2022
- 19Building On a Sacred Tradition21 Aug 2022
- 20Saving Lives on an Isolated Island4 Sep 2022
- 21The Drumbeat of a Mother's Heart11 Sep 2022
- 22The Future of an Ancient Ritual18 Sep 2022
- 23Discovering Myself Through Dementia2 Oct 2022
- 24A Burger Hangout in Okinawa16 Oct 2022
- 25Building Bonds With Books23 Oct 2022
- 26Building a Thatched-Roof, Building New Bonds6 Nov 2022
- 27Okinawan Dance Flowers Far From Home13 Nov 2022
- 28Ainu: Engaging the Power of Dialogue20 Nov 2022
- 29Lighting the Way for Tradition4 Dec 2022
- 30A Fresh Start on a Small Island18 Dec 2022
Season 2023
- 1Stable Fishing Jobs Steer a Community1 Jan 2023
- 2A Float Artisan & His Muse15 Jan 2023
- 3Magical Forest: Okinawa's Natural World Heritage Site22 Jan 2023
- 4Soccer Team Raises Community Spirit5 Feb 2023
- 5Seeking a Chance to Learn: Students with Overseas Roots19 Feb 2023
- 6Small Factory Reaches for the Stars5 Mar 2023
- 7Flying Like an Arrow19 Mar 2023
- 8Modern Methods Sustain Metalwork Tradition9 Apr 2023
- 9A World Heritage Town: Past and Future23 Apr 2023
- 10Hard Rain: A Village Divided7 May 2023
- 11Bonding Through Soba: A Story of Four Grannies14 May 2023
- 12Amashi: Japan's Freediving Fishers28 May 2023
- 13Our New Classmate from Ukraine11 Jun 2023
- 14Waiting for the God's Crossing18 Jun 2023
- 15Mailing Letters to the Lost2 Jul 2023
- 16Kintsugi: Mending Memories with Gold9 Jul 2023
- 17A Cut Above the Rest23 Jul 2023
- 18The Final Journey6 Aug 2023
- 19Life on a Sloping Farm20 Aug 2023
- 20A House-call Doctor in Fukushima3 Sep 2023
- 21A Song for a New Fukushima School10 Sep 2023
- 22Reviving a Fukushima Brewery24 Sep 2023
- 23Japanese Paper Supports War-torn Ukraine8 Oct 2023
- 24Egg Wars – Father vs. Son22 Oct 2023
- 25Countryside Diaries5 Nov 2023
- 26A Heart-Warming Tokyo Veggie Stand19 Nov 2023
- 27Sparking a Chain of Kindness26 Nov 2023
- 28Grandma's Hands Reap Nature's Bounty10 Dec 2023
- 29Inheriting a Thousand-Year-Old Craft24 Dec 2023
Season 2024
- 1Korean Family Meals for Rural Japan7 Jan 2024
- 2A School for Two14 Jan 2024
- 3A Mosque in a Japanese Community28 Jan 2024
- 4Nagasaki's Long-Forgotten Choir4 Feb 2024
- 5Conquering Peaks on One Leg18 Feb 2024
- 6Nepalese Students Find a Taste of Home25 Feb 2024
- 7Taxi Drivers in a Tsunami-hit Town10 Mar 2024
- 8Life Lessons by a Crystal-Clear River24 Mar 2024
- 9Hiking Guide Connects Hearts14 Apr 2024
- 10New Approach to an Old Festival28 Apr 2024
- 11Navigating a World with Words5 May 2024
- 12Pearls for Remembrance19 May 2024
- 13Forging Bonds Under a Starry Sky26 May 2024
- 14From Seed to Shop: Grandma's Pickles9 Jun 2024
- 15New Face for a Centuries-Old Dance30 Jun 2024
- 16Mending Hearts with Mandarin Oranges7 Jul 2024
- 17Holy Fire on the Mountain21 Jul 2024
- 18A Ranch for Retired Racehorses28 Jul 2024
- 19Hiroshima's A-Bomb Survivor Trees11 Aug 2024
- 20A Year as a Young Rural Doctor25 Aug 2024
- 21Carrying on in a Quake-hit Town8 Sep 2024
- 22Modern Maiko Diaries15 Sep 2024
- 23Leaving No Stone Unturned: A Potter's Quest29 Sep 2024
- 24Reviving a Pottery Tradition in Fukushima6 Oct 2024
- 25A Country Town's Woolly Heroes20 Oct 2024
- 26Making a Home in Osaka27 Oct 2024
- 27Together Through Dementia10 Nov 2024
- 28Living with the Bounty of the Sea: 13 Years on from the Tsunami24 Nov 2024
- 29Making Art with Autism8 Dec 2024
- 30Plum Promoter-in-Chief15 Dec 2024
- 31Sailing the Seas on a Sabani29 Dec 2024
Season 2025
- 1Searching for Closure: 10 Years Since a Deadly Eruption12 Jan 2025
- 2Framing Family Memories19 Jan 2025
- 3Bull Battles – A Community's Beloved Tradition2 Feb 2025
- 4Planting Seeds of Peace in Hiroshima9 Feb 2025
- 5An Island Stays Awake for Sumo23 Feb 2025
- 6Chasing the Dream of Being a Jockey9 Mar 2025
- 7Unfolding a Life with Origami23 Mar 2025
- 8Life in a Land of Grass7 Apr 2025
- 9Calligraphy Creating Hope for Revival14 Apr 2025
- 10Puppet Tale: Foxes, a Princess and a Sacred Lake28 Apr 2025
- 11Becoming Gods for a Night5 May 2025
- 12An Ace Soccer Player Lights Up a Small Town27 May 2025
- 13Loved Ones Reunited on Canvas2 Jun 2025
- 14Factory Groove: Wakayama's Textile Industry16 Jun 2025
- 15Reinventing a Small Town Supermarket23 Jun 2025
- 16Lasting Memories of a Vanishing Town7 Jul 2025
- 17A Doc's Best Friend29 Jul 2025
- 18Holding on to Peace: Atomic-bomb Survivor's Message4 Aug 2025
- 19The Future of an A-bombed Shrine18 Aug 2025
- 20Revitalizing Cherry Trees in Fukushima1 Sep 2025
- 21A Rookie Fisher & His Grandpa in the Sanriku Seas8 Sep 2025
- 22Following in the Footsteps of a National Treasure30 Sep 2025
- 23A Beloved Local Paper in a Flood-hit Village6 Oct 2025
- 24Tuning a Piano to the Sound of the Heart20 Oct 2025
- 25Playing Ping Pong with Parkinson's27 Oct 2025
- 26Chasing a Dream With a Horse3 Nov 2025
- 27Survivors: Capturing Life After the Atomic Bomb24 Nov 2025
- 28Preserving the Site of a Plane Crash1 Dec 2025
- 29Talking With the Eyes15 Dec 2025
- 30A Place to Prepare for Dementia22 Dec 2025
Season 2026
- 1Aiming for Glory : Japan's Senior Esports Team5 Jan 2026
- 2The Island of Boze Deities26 Jan 2026
- 3Tradition and Innovation: Tochigi's Sake Masters2 Feb 2026
- 4Hope At Your Fingertips16 Feb 2026
- 5A Doctor Duo: Songs to Comfort the Heart23 Feb 2026
- 6A Ten-Year-Old Takes the Reins2 Mar 2026
- 7A Morning Market in Early Winter24 Mar 2026
- 8Breaking Barriers by Farming5 Apr 2026
- 9Soul-Searching in a Mikan Orchard13 Apr 2026
- 10Moments of Happiness: Living with Younger-Onset Dementia27 Apr 2026
- 11Preserving a Midwinter Tradition4 May 2026
- 12A Musical Rivalry Between Two School Bands25 May 2026
- 13Learning Japanese One Step at a Time1 Jun 2026
- 14Pulling Together for a Dream15 Jun 2026
- 15A Teacher's Words of Wisdom22 Jun 2026
- 16A Bookstore for Everyone5 Jul 2026
- 17Yumori: The Hot Spring Caretaker16 Jul 2026
- 18My Friend, the AI Chatbot27 Jul 2026
- 19Unspoken Memories of the Double Hibakusha2 Aug 2026
- 20My Favorite Meal, One Last Time16 Aug 2026