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Kakunodate - Sakura and Samurai (3'40")
Kakunodate is a small town in the northwest of Japan, famous for its magnificent cherry trees and samurai era architecture. After Kakunodate castle was built in 1620, a whole district grew around it containing the fine mansions of the samurai who served its lord. The wife of an early lord brought cherry seeds from Kyoto to plant, and 400 ancient weeping cherry trees still ornament the samurai residential district. These, and the 2-kilometers of somei yoshino cherries lining the riverbank, now attract over a million visitors each spring.

Designed for Universal Use (3'57")
Universal Design is a design philosophy that aims to create products and environments that are easy and safe to use by everyone, especially the young, the elderly and people with disabilities. Japanese designers, who must cope with the world's most rapidly aging population, bring a special perspective and experience to this worldwide movement. Throughout Japan, household items, interiors, public facilities and even entire towns are now being redesigned to make them safe and easier to use by the entire population.

A Tradition of Fine Blades (3'54")
Japanese cuisine is famous for subtle tastes and visual appeal, and these depend greatly on the hocho - the Japanese kitchen knife. Samurai swords are world-renowned, and many hocho are forged using the same traditional materials and methods. They are solid, with a superb cutting edge - qualities essential for preparing sushi or sashimi to retain the natural flavor and texture, and to cut delicate food into precise shapes. Hocho come in a vast number of different types and sizes, each designed for a different function and food type.

Edo Period Puppet Theater (4'06")
In 1635, the shogunate government licensed just five theaters to operate in Edo, the capital city. Some, like the Kabuki, remain famous to this day. Also surviving, but far less well known, is the puppet theater called Edo Ito Ayatsuri Ningyo. These marionettes are constructed and operated in a unique way that allows them to express human emotions far more realistically than any other puppets. Modern and even foreign plays have been added to the classical repertoire, but the traditional techniques are still carefully preserved.