｜Length : 41min. ｜Year : 1996 ｜

Care of the elderly, a timely issue in this age of rapidly "graying" societies, is the theme of this thought-provoking program. Aloishia Saito, a native Samoan who works at a nursing home in Japan, is regarded as an "angel" by her charges for her cheerful disposition and empathy for the aged. Aloishia's bi-cultural perspective provides valuable insights.

｜Length : 25min. ｜Year : 2000 ｜

Asahi in Yamagata Prefecture is well known as a town of beekeepers. However, due to the planting of Japanese cedar and other fast-growing trees, the number of horse chestnut trees favored by the bees has been decreasing. But one group of local beekeepers has banded together to plant chestnut trees. Ryuji Ando, along with helping with the planting of trees, also uses the wax secreted by the bees to make candles. In the light of these candles he sees the hope that forests of broad-leaved trees will once again flourish.

｜Length : 25min. ｜Year : 1999 ｜

For 23 years, the Kageboshi folk group in Yamagata Prefecture has served as a voice for farmers, describing their anger and despair, while poking fun at the government. Together with an association of farmer's wives they search for the theme for a new song. When the women describe how the oldest sons have been so pampered by their mothers that they can't find their own underwear, the members of Kageboshi become inspired by the power of these women, and before long a new song is born.

｜Length : 33min. ｜Year : 1996 ｜

Birds Vs. Bureaucrats

What happens when bureaucracy and Nature clash? Find out as we examine the case of the "kumatakas," or Japanese Hawk-Eagles, of Yamagata Prefecture. The endangered birds are threatened by construction of a large-scale forest road which is, to many people's thinking, an unwelcome government project. Environmentalists battle to save the birds.

｜Length : 25min. ｜Year : 1993 ｜

For hundreds of years, magnificent forests of beech trees covered much of Japan. Their roots helped the soil hold water, preventing water shortages and flooding, and many believed they were home to the Water Gods. In the 1960's, however, the lumber industry began to cut down the beech forests and replace them with more profitable but less ecologically beneficial trees such as cedar and cyprus. This program focuses on the remaining beech forests of the Asahi Mountains.