｜Length : 39min. ｜Year : 1998 ｜

A journey to the top of the world

While most people only dream of traveling to the North Pole, Hyoichi Kono puts these dreams into action. After circling the globe on a bicycle, walking across the United States and Africa, and scaling mountains, Kono decided to become serious and tackle the 750 kilometer walk from Resolute in the Canadian Arctic to Wardhunt Island. Five hundred kilometers into his journey - fighting whiteouts, drifting ice, blizzards and fissures along the way - Kono is about to give up. However, Kono bounces back and accomplishes his goal, reaching the North Pole in 60 days.

｜Length : 24min. ｜Year : 1998 ｜

Tran Tho Hi came to Japan to study in 1972, three years before the end of the Vietnam War. Having been born in the Mekong Delta, when the South Vietnamese government fell, his passport became invalid, making his return home impossible. He subsequently opened a restaurant in Morioka City in northeastern Japan and obtained Japanese citizenship. This show follows Tran's journey home after 23 years, accompanied by his Japanese wife and daughter, and father who currently resides in Australia, and depicts how the war affected the lives of the people in Vietnam.

｜Length : 10min. ｜Year : 1998 ｜

This episode focuses on the process of making giant ship propellers - from the initial stage when the copper alloy is cast into the mold, through the final steps which require manually planning the hole in the propeller where the shaft must be snugly fitted, to the hand polishing of the giant blades. These "human touches" ensure that the ships which transport goods around the world can journey efficiently and safely. To paraphrase Mr. Izutani who has been doing this job for 25 years: "Humans are still superior to machines."

｜Length : 10min. ｜Year : 1998 ｜

The shape of a particular fiber determines its distinctive qualities, and central to the distinctiveness of each fiber is the precision of the holes, which can be as small as 100 microns, through which petroleum-based materials are squeezed to become chemical fibers. Akinori Katayama has been designated a "modern master craftsman" by the Ministry of Labor. He files and polishes unique tools made of ultra-hard alloys up to the thickness of a strand of human hair that are used to drill these holes into nozzles.

｜Length : 10min. ｜Year : 1998 ｜

The production of finely-tuned optical lenses and prisms - used in cameras, telescopes and semiconductor manufacturing equipment - necessitates the sensitive touch of the human hand. Akira Hozumi produces prototype optical lenses and pentaprisms, which then become the standard for mass-produced goods. He uses his hands, fingertips and a sense of timing and intuition that has been honed over the years to produce these articles, some with angles to within 1/360 of a degree.