｜Length : 52min. ｜Year : 2006 ｜

The magical blue glow of firefly squids lights up the dark sea. A forest of marine plants submerged for over ten thousand years lies beneath the deep waters. Toyama Bay is an underwater world of rare natural phenomena. Countless legends about this mysterious bay have been passed on through generations of fishermen. Some fish are thought to "drink"the water welling up from the ocean floor and certain sea creatures are considered messengers of the sea gods.

｜Length : 43min. ｜Year : 2006 ｜

Master breeders have been raising Nishikigoi ornamental carp in the mountains of Niigata Prefecture for 400 years. In 2004, the area suffered a catastrophic earthquake that destroyed many villages in the area and threatened the people's livelihoods. The quake destroyed ninety percent of father and son Tetsutaro and Taro Kataoka's 30,000 carp. We follow the Kataoka family as they rebuild their lives. Taro has a burning desire to become a successful master breeder on his own terms, and the ensuing struggle between the father and son puts strain on their relationship. The program focuses on the hopes of a family recovering from disaster.

｜Length : 52min. ｜Year : 2006 ｜

Inasa: a wind from the southeast that blows from spring through summer. "The inasa wind means big catches," goes an old saying among residents of Arahama. Their hamlet, part of the city of Sendai, faces the Pacific Ocean in the northeastern part of Japan's largest main island, Honshu. In times past, harsh cold spells sometimes ruined crops, leading to famine. The people of Arahama learned to help each other through such hard times by sharing the bounty of the seas and the fruit of the fields. They have not forgotten this wisdom even today. This programme focuses on the folkways of a community whose people reckon the changing of the seasons by slight shifts of the wind. It documents one year in the life of this hamlet of farmers and fisherfolk: how they live in thankfulness for nature's blessings and the generations who preceded them.

｜Length : 46min. ｜Year : 2006 ｜

Almost forty years have passed since the Asahiyama Zoo opened as Japan's northernmost zoo. Although the zoo was once on the verge of closure, it has made a comeback as "Japan's most lively zoo," now one of Hokkaido's most popular tourist spots. The secret of the zoo's popularity is in the way of displaying the animals, a method called "exhibiting natural animal behavior," completely different from the common practice of most existing zoos. To explain the attraction of Asahiyama Zoo, this program highlights Vice Director Gen Bando, who proposed novel ideas for bringing out animals' innate abilities, and Director Masao Kosuge, who appreciates the natural richness of animals on the earth.

｜Length : 43min. ｜Year : 2006 ｜

Due to recent advancements in medical technology, the life expectancy of dogs has increased, and therefore so has the number of ageing dogs which require nursing care. The majority of the owners themselves are over sixty, and their own health is deteriorating. Family members continue to nurse their dogs because of their cherished memories of happier days. The program follows the lives of two such families from a seaside suburban town: the Saito family and their bedridden dog, Koota, and the Kubo family and Namiko, who is a comfort to the childless couple.