Winter Wildfowl Paradise Lakes Izunuma & Uchinuma

Two ice-free lakes in Miyagi Prefecture are protected areas under the Ramsar Convention for migratory waterfowl. Many species winter here, including the white-fronted goose, a bird that requires an especially quite, pristine environment. The local community looks after the visiting birds, with farmers providing extra feed during the cold months.

Cleanest Ever Energy Source

Foe an age where nations are striving to cut co2 pollution to protect the environment, fuel cell systems offer an emission-free source of power. Fuel cell cars are now coming into commercial use, and fuel cell systems are providing electricity for buildings and homes. Japan's government and industry have made a strong commitment to this pollution-free power source.

Really Seeing Stars

Ever since he was a child, Takayuki Ohira's hobby has been designing and making planetariums. Working alone at home, he developed a portable projector that shows 1.7 million stars - 100 times more than conventional planetariums. He gives shows in his own, specially designed inflatable star dome, also a world first for its size. His next project is a 3.2 million star projector.

The Light Way to Play Music

After the popular keyboards that use illuminating keys to guide players comes a similarly easy-to-use guitar. As well as single-handed playing with the guitar doing the hard work and chord training guided by buttons that light to show the way, the guitar - which is battery-powered and has a built-in speaker - can be played conventionally with a choice of 20 instrumental sounds.