Making the World Safer from Earthquakes

14% of all earthquakes occur in Japan, so this country has a special interest in disaster prevention. Since the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the emergency response system has been redesigned and stricter construction rules have stimulated the development of new techniques for making buildings earthquake proof. Sharing these technologies is helping to make the whole world safer from natural disaster.

Saikuzushi - Edible Art

Most sushi chefs only make it on special occasions, but it's always worth looking out for. Saikuzushi is a little-known 200 year old tradition of using sushi materials to create colorful seasonal accents that make a table spread with sushi into even more of a feast for the eyes. If you're lucky, you might see sushi shaped like birds, insects, flowers or even tiny geisha.

Move Like a Samurai

Kobujutsu is the name given to a wide range of traditional samurai martial arts that are rarely practiced today. For 30 years, kobujutsu master Yoshinori Kono has been analyzing the unique movement principles that made these arts so powerful. He is proving that they can enhance performance in modern sports, and help people use their bodies more efficiently at work and in daily life.

Cars that Care for You

With 6 million traffic accidents a year worldwide, rising car ownership makes road safely a global issue. Japan's auto makers are helping by developing automatic safety systems. If radar detects a possible collision, these systems sound an alert, automatically tighten seatbelts and assist braking. Infrared sensors detect and display pedestrians at night. For the future, there are already experimental cars that can safely drive themselves.