Noda - Soy Sauce City

A fermented product of soy beans, wheat and salt, soy sauce is a highly versatile seasoning used all over the world to enhance flavor of many types of cooking. Introduced to Japan in the 13th century, soy sauce has been made in Noda City for over 400 years. One third of Japan's soy sauce now comes from the factories, both historic and modern, of this small city.

Giving Dogs a Voice

A new toy translates what your dog is saying into human speech. The voice patterns of nearly 4,000 dogs were analyzed to create a dog dictionary. 'Bow lingual' consists of a transmitter attached to the dog's collar and a handheld unit that displays human equivalents for translated dog voice patterns. Dog owners will be delighted to finally find out what their pet is trying to say to them.

Brother's Top In-line World

Aged 19 and 16, the Yasutoko brothers are the reigning kings of the in-line skating world. Sons of a pro roller skater, the brothers have been skating since childhood and since turning pro seven years ago, they have regularly won top honors in this exciting extreme sport. 2002 was the younger brother's turn to take the world title at the X Games tournament.

Learning in the Trees

A small oasis of green among the endless buildings of Tokyo, Kanazawa primary school sits in its own forest of 2,000 trees. Planted to bring pupils into closer contact with nature and make it easy to study trees and plants at first hand. The local community can also enjoy the forest, and the schoolchildren grow fruits and vegetables to share with a nearby old people's home.