Japan Video Topics 2007/11
A New Style of Lifelong Learning in Shibuya
Tokyo's Shibuya is known as a center of youth culture and the focus of activity in many creative fields, so it was the natural place for a new experiment in community wide lifelong learning. Shibuya University Network employs innovative approaches to help creative people share their knowledge and experience with students in a constantly growing network of classroom and study spaces contributed by local organizations and companies. Just one year old, this successful experiment is already being copied by other communities.
The Lake that Inspired Tale of Genji
Lake Biwa is Japan's largest lake, and the world's third oldest, formed over 4 million years ago. This beautiful area is a protected habitat for many kinds of wildlife, and it is also the spot where one of the world's oldest novels was written. Almost one thousand years ago, Lady Murasaki Shikibu was visiting a temple close by Lake Biwa when the beauty of the moon shining on its waters inspired her to begin writing her classic romance, the Tale of Genji.
Why is Japanese Fruit so Delicious?
Japanese fruits are world renowned for their superb quality and taste. What are Japanese growers doing to get such delicious fruit? We look at some of the techniques used to grow some of the world's finest fruits, focusing on apples as a typical example. Half Japan's apples are produced in Aomori, and a visit to a major grower and exporter reveals the hard work, delicate care and innovative techniques they use to produce their flawless, delicious apples.
Clear is Glass, but so much Stronger
When a specialist maker of acrylic panels developed a new adhesive, they realized it would allow them to construct single acrylic panels as transparent as glass but many times larger than had ever been possible before. Thinking creatively, they saw that this had great potential for aquarium fish tanks. Orders soon began rolling in from around the world, designers planned ever larger and more amazing tanks, the company evolved its technology in response to each new demand, and today's spectacular aquariums are the result.
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