CATCH JAPAN

Aired: October 24, 2019 (UTC)

Series Information

Explore a colorful variety of modern Japan’s most popular topics, including food, technology, ecology and regional promotions, with a focus on the innovative ideas and passionate effort from the people behind it all.

J-FACTORY

Longstanding manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. has launched a new motorcycle, the Z H2, at the Tokyo Motor Show held in October 2019. The model is said to embody a step towards Kawasaki’s goal of achieving the pinnacle of technology. This segment takes a look behind the scenes at the passion and efforts of engineers working on motorcycle development.

The Z H2, Kawasaki’s latest motorbike model

Koji Ito, engineer and expert in motorcycle frame design

J-FOOD

A qualifying round of the 7th Washoku World Challenge culinary competition for non-Japanese chefs was held in Hong Kong. The chefs were assigned scallops as their ingredient. This segment takes a closer look at these scallops, an essential part of Japanese cuisine now growing in popularity all over the world, and showcases the ingenuity of the chefs, as well as introducing the people working at Nichirei, a scallop supplier company.
Washoku World Challenge Official Website:
https://www.washoku-worldchallenge.jp/7th/en/

Contestants of the Japanese cuisine culinary competition, Washoku World Challenge 2019 in Hong Kong

J-SKILLS

Hitachi High-Technologies manufactures cutting-edge equipment such as electron microscopes and medical systems. This segment features its young engineers taking on the challenge of the WorldSkills championship held in August 2019. Hitachi High-Technologies’ company-wide efforts are carried out to build a world-class group of engineers with strategic skills-development.

The Hitachi High-Technologies team at the WorldSkills International Competition in top engineering technology

Hitachi High-Technologies young engineers hard at work training for an engineering skills tournament in Japan

J-ADVENTURE

In one of runAway’s greatest adventures to date, Dean Newcombe and his team hike an ancient pilgrimage trail used by monks for spiritual training. The route travels from Wakayama Prefecture into Nara Prefecture and climbs higher than 2,000m on numerous occasions. Parts of the route require chains for climbing sheer rock faces and will challenge their physical limits. This episode is all about who you meet and what you see when you hike deep into Japan’s mountains, days away from civilization.
For more runAway adventures, check out: https://www.youtube.com/runawayjapan

runAway team leader Dean Newcombe hiking the Omine-Okugake Michi Trail

Chance meetings on the Omine-Okugake Michi Trail, said to be the toughest part of the Kumano Kodo ancient pilgrimage route

Host

Maxwell Powers

Voice Actor/MC/Bilingual Pro
From Oakland, California

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Our Series

We follow Japan’s trailblazers breaking new ground in various fields and discover the purpose that keeps them moving forward.

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In this series, we visit areas in Hokkaido with deep connections to the Ainu living there and showcase their prayers, dances, and traditional ceremonies passed down through generations.

Infotainment show featuring young artists full of talent with their unique sense of “Japan.”

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