CATCH JAPAN

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-TRIP

In Gastronomy tourism, a traveler enjoys an in-depth experience of their destination through its local culinary culture. This type of tourism has been garnering attention in Japan as well, and the UNTWO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism was held in Nara Prefecture in December 2022. This segment introduces Japan's gastronomy tourism with a focus on the ancient capital city of Nara.

J-ECO

In a town about 100 northeast of Tokyo, there is an environmentally friendly factory that uses renewable energy to reduce its CO2 emissions. This plant has achieved carbon neutrality by combining various methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero. We take a closer look at the facility's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and its passion as a company.

J-NATURE

There are currently 34 national parks in Japan. This segment features the Towada-Hachimantai National Park in the northern part of the country. Our reporter, along with park rangers and nature guides, explore the park’s landscapes and the geological history of the moss-rich Oirase Gorge, as well as Japan’s one and only double-caldera lake, Lake Towada.

J-ECO

More than 10 million types of algae exist in the world, and some types contain an abundant amount of lipids. Recently, many countries are developing the technology to turn such algae into biofuel. Watanabe Makoto is a prominent contributor to the research of algae-based biofuel in Japan. He contends that unlike the oil extracted from deep underground, it has the potential to not increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. This segment features the research being done on algae-based biofuel and the progress of utilizing wastewater in the process.