FRONTRUNNERS

FRONTRUNNERS

2023 4 Seasons
Documentary

FRONTRUNNERS highlights professionals at the very forefront of their field. We showcase their amazing work, discover their motivations, and learn about the challenges they face in the future.

Seasons

1. Prosthetics Pioneer - Usui Fumio

2023-03-22

Usui Fumio is one of the most trusted prosthetists in Japanese para-sports. An early pioneer in the discipline, having developed sporting limbs since the 1980s, he now works arm-i…

2. Kyoto Foraging Master - Nakahigashi Hisato

2023-03-29

Near Kyoto, in the mountain village of Hanase, is a traditional inn with 130 years of upholding approaches to cuisine and hospitality attuned with the rich local nature and the pa…

3. Rope Rescue Expert - Hayashida Akihiro

2023-04-19

Rope rescue is an emergency practice that deftly deploys cords, clasps and pulleys to reach individuals stranded on hillsides and cliffs, or amid floods, rubble, and in other loca…

4. Children's Hospice Founder - Tagawa Hisato

2023-05-24

Tagawa Hisato is the founder of a unique children's hospice in Yokohama that aims to support families left socially isolated and emotionally and financially drained by intensive t…

5. Vegan Washoku Chef - Kusumoto Katsumi

2023-06-28

A restaurant in Tokyo emerged as the top-rated business on a popular online guide carrying consumer ratings for over 110 thousand vegan restaurants worldwide. And as well as being…

6. Japanese Cheese Trailblazer - Shibata Chiyo

2023-07-19

In rural Chiba Prefecture, Shibata Chiyo runs a pioneering cheeseworks out of a 120-year-old farmhouse. Her focus is 100% local fermented cheeses, and just three years after launc…

7. Master Gardener - Kitayama Yasuo

2023-07-26

Kitayama Yasuo is a 74-year-old master gardener. He has created over 70 of Japan's famous gardens, and receives commissions from all over the world. His specialty, the traditional…

8. Helicopter Physician - Tsugita Nobuyuki

2023-08-30

Airborne physician Tsugita Nobuyuki provides a vital service to island communities in west Japan's Seto Inland Sea. Despite aging populations, the islands of Momoshima and Sagishi…

9. Kyoto Kimono Dyer - Tabata Kihachi

2023-09-27

Kyo-yuzen is a famous dyed textile from Kyoto Prefecture, used in kimono. The Tabata family have been top producers for decades; they've produced garments for a royal wedding, cos…

10. Thatching Innovator - Sagara Ikuya

2023-11-15

The thatched roofs found on traditional Japanese houses are declining in number. They're hard to maintain, and passing on the relevant skills is difficult. However, Sagara Ikuya i…

11. Pioneering Neurosurgeon - Kato Yoko

2023-12-27

Dr. Kato Yoko is an expert in the treatment of deadly strokes, with over 3,000 surgeries to her name across a career spanning almost five decades. She also trains med students fro…

Top Cast

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