Bio-Kites

A kite-loving engineer creates fantastic flying designs in the shapes of living creatures such as flowers and jellyfish. Computer design and high-tech materials allow Toshio Ito to let his imagination run free and transform the most unlikely objects into flying works of art.

At Your Service - New Kinds of Taxi

To attract new customers, taxi companies are experimenting with innovative services. These include IC call a taxi and direct it to your destination, drivers trained as bodyguards to provide secure transportation, and new services to make life easier for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Warm Welcome in the Snow

In a 400-year old winter festival, children in northern Japan build snow houses throughout their town. Snug inside the snow houses, the children invite passersby to come inside to share traditional drinks and food cooked on charcoal stoves. This festival that has always been run by children brings the whole town together as a family.

Optical Fiber Art

Using embroidery techniques to explore the artistic possibilities in high-tech optical fibers, Hisako Honda has developed some colorful new ways of creating art with light. Starting with woven pictures and three-dimensional objects made from knotted fibers, she went on to devise new ways to illuminate clothing and stage costumes.