MOFA Video Guide

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1. Life for Japanese People

1.1 Homes
A chance to look around inside a suburban house, a farmhouse, an urban apartment and a house where two generations live independent existences under one roof.

1.2 Food Life
The food available in Japanese shops and restaurants, what people eat for each meal, and how a household menu might vary over the course of one week.

1.3 Traditional Cuisine
Luxury kaiseki cuisine and such popular dishes as sushi, tempura and sashimi are introduced, highlighting the importance of the seasons and of culinary skills.

1.4 Clothing
School uniforms, kimono, other formal garments, business outfits and casual clothing, revealing seasonal variety and an emphasis on individuality.

1.5 Annual Events
The events that create the rhythm of life through the year in Japan, including New Year celebrations, Buddhist and Shinto rituals, community events and household customs.

1.6 Festivals
Lively, colorful festivals connected with seasonal change in agriculture, ancient religious festivals and modern international events in various parts of Japan.

1.7 Vacations
A selection of leisure activities that many Japanese enjoy during seasonal vacations and on public holidays, including sports, family trips, hot-spring bathing and travel abroad.

1.8 Customs and Etiquette
Examples of how Japanese approach a first meeting, a visit to someone's home and participation in weddings and funerals, revealing the importance of bowing and gifts.

1.9 Lifelong Education
Ways in which Japanese of all ages are expanding their horizons by studying traditional and modern subjects at universities, culture centers and via correspondence courses.

1.10 Children's Daily Life
A view of life through the eyes of a Japanese child, including everyday and annual activities at school, at home, with friends and on holiday.

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2. Japanese Culture

2.1 Traditional Performing Arts
An introduction to kabuki, noh and bunraku, traditional forms of entertainment that are elegant, colorful and offer insights into Japanese history and the national character.

2.2 Crafts
A description of the creative process involved in making various craft items, works of art in their own right that include kimono, wood carvings, lacquerware and porcelain.

2.3 Tea Ceremony・Flower Arrangement・Calligraphy
The outward form and inner meaning of three keys to appreciating Japanese esthetics and tradition, revealing a seasonal symbiosis and an influence on everyday etiquette.

2.4 Sports
A spotlight on sports enjoyed by young and old alike, as spectators or as participants. The favorites include sumo, baseball, soccer, tennis, swimming, and skiing.

2.5 Religion
An overview of the most widely practiced religions in Japan: Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity. Important ceremonies and customs are described, and the arrival of Islam is noted.

2.6 Young People
Young people working on farms, studying crafts, conducting ecological surveys, serving as volunteers, and building a solid base for the next generation in Japan and overseas.

2.7 Comics
A brief history of Japanese comics, a look at the breathtaking scale of the modern comic-book industry, and an insight into the versatility of this form of communication.

2.8 Cities
The advantages of modern cities and efforts to address such challenges as limited living space, crowded rush-hour trains, recycling and garbage disposal.

2.9 Entertainment
A broad view of popular entertainment, including diverse styles of music, samurai and other TV drama serials, musicals, plays, and traditional comedians and story-tellers.

2.10 Architecture
Some of Japan's major architectural landmarks are introduced, together with recent waterfront and suburban developments that contribute to a congenial existence.

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3. Japanese Industry & Economy

3.1 Agriculture
Rice and other crops are itemized and, in a country that has comparatively little land available for agriculture, the importance of greenhouses, "bio-farms" and imports is underlined.

3.2 Fisheries・Marine Products
The crucial importance of fisheries products, the main species caught and cultivated, deep-sea and coastal fishing operations, and advanced fisheries technology.

3.3 Manufacturing
Key elements in Japan's economic success, including urban workshops and other subcontractors, high-quality technology, and a swift response to changing economic circumstances.

3.4 Finance
The functions of the Bank of Japan and other banks, securities companies and post offices, and a look at emerging services and the influence of liberalization.

3.5 Distribution System
How the distribution system is being rationalized and modernized, featuring discount shops, convenience stores, technological innovation, and new services.

3.6 International Trade
An overview of this cornerstone of the Japanese economy, including statistics, trade friction, foreign investment, the service trade deficit and burgeoning imports.

3.7 Disaster Prevention
A look at the devastation caused by such natural disasters as earthquakes, typhoons and volcanic eruptions, and the tireless efforts to prevent and deal with them.

3.8 Information Society
Featuring traffic, publishing and distribution systems, office networks, mobile telephones, computers, and a preview of the advanced information society of the near future.

3.9 Robots・Biotechnology
The advantages of robots in a country that produces more than half of the world's industrial robots, and a glimpse of the agricultural enhancements promised by biotechnology.

3.10 Clean Energy
The solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy and coal technology projects presented underline Japan's enthusiasm for clean energy and reduced emissions of carbon dioxide.

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4. Japanese Politics & Society

4.1 The Imperial Family
A description of modern Imperial duties and traditional customs, and an insight into the Imperial Family's humanitarianism and commitment to international friendship.

4.2 International Contribution (1): PKO and Global Issues
Steps being taken to support international peacekeeping efforts, to protect the environment and our cultural heritage, and to address issues of overpopulation and health.

4.3 International Contribution (2): Official Development Assistance
Facts and figures underline the crucial and principled contribution that Japan is making to global development, disaster relief, cultural activities, and education.

4.4 Political System
The three branches of government, represented by the Diet, the Cabinet and the Law Courts, and their implementation of the Constitutional decree that sovereign power resides with the people.

4.5 Defense
An overview of the structure and activities of the Self-Defense Forces, which are administered by the government within the context of the Constitutional renunciation of war.

4.6 Police
The role of the police in preserving public order in one of the world's safest countries, highlighting the importance of small police stations and of close community involvement.

4.7 Transportation
Japan's advanced urban and national transportation systems are introduced, including the Shinkansen and other rail services, expressways, ferries and air transport.

4.8 Education
Key statistics are included in a description of compulsory education, Japan's wide range of educational facilities and the various forms of study in which students engage.

4.9 Medical Care and Social Security
Details of public and private medical insurance and pension schemes, welfare services and facilities, and the challenges presented by a rapidly aging society.

4.10 Environmental Protection
A review of the government's success in tackling pollution, and scenes of ongoing public and private efforts to protect the environment by preventing pollution and recycling waste.

4.11 Community Activities
Insights into the fostering of good neighborly relations by means of local festivals, environmental and other community endeavors, voluntary work and international exchange.

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5. Sketches of Japan

5.1 Cities--Metropolitan Area
The administrative, industrial and cultural importance of Tokyo is described, along with the key characteristics of Yokohama and the emergent Chiba Makuhari.

5.2 Regions--Hokkaido
This video journey around Japan's northernmost region starts in Sapporo and features national parks, agriculture, fisheries and Hokkaido's original inhabitants, the Ainu.

5.3 Regions--Tohoku
A glimpse of this northern area's dramatic scenery, abundant harvests on land and at sea, cities of historical interest including Sendai, and major summer festivals.

5.4 Regions--Kanto
The region surrounding the Tokyo Metropolitan area, focusing on sites of historical interest and natural beauty, as well as agriculture, industry and the science city of Tsukuba.

5.5 Regions--Chubu
The geographical heart of Japan, including the Japan Alps, the Hokuriku region, the thriving industry of the Pacific Coast including Nagoya, and the elegance of Mt. Fuji.

5.6 Regions--Kinki
A view of a diverse region that includes not only Japan's second largest city, Osaka, and the major international port of Kobe, but also the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara.

5.7 Regions--Chugoku・Shikoku
A broad spectrum of industry, scenic beauty and cultural significance is apparent in Hiroshima, other areas of western Honshu, the island of Shikoku, and the Seto Inland Sea.

5.8 Regions--Kyushu・Okinawa
Volcanoes, porcelain, a space center, heavy industry, advanced leisure facilities, and sub-tropical beaches are among the features of this trip around southwestern Japan.

5.9 Four Seasons
A lyrical view of the seasonal cycle, revealing the kaleidoscopic and diverse natural beauty of a country that extends across nearly 25 degrees of latitude.

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