Side By Side (2014)

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines. Over a million homes were damaged and 6,000 people died. On Leyte and Samar islands, homes were destroyed and the fishing industry was wiped out. Japanese fishermen hit by the 2011 tsunami are now showing how to grow oysters to revitalize the coastal areas. Good-quality oyster farms can boost both commerce and community. We see Japanese harnessing their experience of disaster alongside local people working to revitalize fishing.

26 years after the end of Cambodia's civil war, much progress has been made in rebuilding schools, and now 2 million children are attending elementary school. But they face the problem of a high dropout rate. Now a Japanese NGO called Hearts of Gold is using field days, a vibrant tradition in Japanese schools, to encourage Cambodian children to stay in school. For 10 years, Hearts of Gold has been successfully promoting physical education in Cambodia. Schools it supports claim improved attendance rates and student morale. What's their secret of getting dropouts back to school? This documentary follows an NGO's work to bring physical education to Cambodian elementary school students.

In 2005, former Kobe City firefighter and paramedic Kiyoshi Masai established the NPO Japan Paramedic Rescue (JPR) to save lives by spreading Japan's fire and rescue methods. The organization takes in surplus fire trucks and ambulances from fire departments around Japan and donates them to Cambodia, also providing the training required to take advantage of them. The more than 2 decades of conflict that ravaged Cambodia until the 1990's also devastated the country's fire and rescue services. Today, though military and police personnel are assigned firefighting duties, they lack adequate training and up-to-date equipment. In 2000, Rapid Rescue Company 711 was set up in Phnom Penh to develop fire and rescue personnel, and learning advanced techniques used in Japan has boosted the effectiveness of its 40 members. In December 2016, with the backing of Cambodia's military and government, the country's first fire and rescue academy opened its doors. And students there will learn fire and rescue best practice from local instructors trained in Japan. We follow rescue workers from Japan and Cambodia cooperating to save lives.

Nepal may not be a major coffee producer, but these days the quality of the nation's crop is improving rapidly. A key player in this progress is Hidefusa Ikeshima (34), who moved to Nepal 9 years ago--not as an aid worker, but as a coffee grower and entrepreneur. He and local partner Bodh Raj Aryal run a plantation, developing farming and processing methods right for Nepal, to share with other farmers, whose crops they also purchase for export. Meet the men behind Nepal's coffee revolution.

The Lao People's Democratic Republic, or Laos, is a multi-ethnic country in S.E. Asia. One element of the culture of the Hmong, the second largest tribe after the Lao, is now about to spread across Laos. It's a collection of their traditional folktales. The Hmong is a tribe without an indigenous written language, so the stories have been passed down orally from generation to generation by village storytellers. The program focuses on an initiative in which a Japanese woman is working side by side with Hmong villagers to combat the fear that the tribe's traditional culture could disappear for ever. It involves combining the ancient stories with colorful embroidery work, the forte of the Hmong. The end result is embroidered picture books that will ensure the Hmong folktales are handed down to posterity. Thanks to these beautiful books, the members of the Hmong tribe are regaining their confidence and their pride.

Uzbekistan has thousands of years of history as a center of trade along the Silk Road. However, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country's silk farming industry has stagnated. In 2009, the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology began introducing high-quality Japanese silkworms to the region and promoting the development of silk products. We look at their efforts to revitalize the industry and empower local women with the skills to improve their own financial circumstances.

Women in Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia, are working to build a village of pottery together with 2 Japanese, Yukie Yamazaki and Shinsuke Iwami, a potter. Many foreign assistance projects in Cambodia invest money but leave nothing on their conclusion. The pottery project began as public assistance, but after the initial project ended, Yamazaki urged the women to continue under the strict conditions of working without pay until they began seeing revenue. The success of the project has revitalized the village.

Environmental conservation is a basic policy of Bhutan, but it's also developing tourism as a nation-building pillar to improve rural livelihoods. A project run by a Japanese NGO and Bhutan's only nature conservation group trains homestay farmers and local guides, and develops local specialties. The program introduces Bhutanese preserving their customs, lifestyle and environment through tourism development and a Japanese woman working side by side with them to provide Bhutan-style hospitality.

Uganda was torn apart by civil war for over 20 years. During that time, more than 30,000 children were abducted and forced onto the front lines. Now these former child soldiers are finding it difficult to reintegrate into society. Japanese non-profit Terra Renaissance provides basic education and training in skills like carpentry and tailoring to help them achieve self-reliance. The program follows 2 Terra Renaissance students working toward reintegration while dealing with the scars of the past.

Myanmar has seen its economy boom in recent years, but that boom has yet to reach the 70% of the population in rural villages, who suffer poor sanitation and high child mortality. Enter Japanese doctor Satoko Nachi, whose non-profit visits villages to improve living conditions. The small team teaches tooth brushing, handwashing, trash disposal, the importance of clean water and even organic farming. Follow Nachi and her team as they support locals in taking responsibility for their own health.

East Timor gained independence in 2002, making it Asia's youngest country. The country has overcome many struggles, and currently, high youth unemployment is an issue. Left unchecked, it can lead to violence. Japanese Takeshi Ito suggested creating a local radio station to create a closer-knit community. Working together with a staff of young East Timorese, Radio Comunidad Comoro opened in 2015. Follow along to see the hopeful dreams the young staff have for the future of their country.