Lunch ON!

At the summit of Mount Ontake, which soars 3,000 meters over central Japan, there are construction workers hard at work rebuilding a lodge that was devastated by an eruption. That work involves carrying tons of material to the summit, and that is a feat no car can achieve. That's why there is a transport helicopter team putting their lives on the line to safely navigate heavy cargo through the treacherous skies. When they safely finish up for the day, a fun picnic lunch awaits them!

Doctor Suzuki is a director of a dialysis clinic in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. He's 83 years old, but is as healthy and as energetic as can be. Whenever he moves from one floor to another, he always takes the stairs, but he never runs out of breath. One reason he is this healthy and strong is the lunch that is cooked fresh in the kitchen every day. The meals are the same as those prepared for dialysis patients, but are loved by the hospital staff too because they are full of flavor and variety.

We go to the prefecture of Aichi in central Japan to visit a factory that manufactures bullet trains. The factory has made bullet trains from the very beginning of bullet train services in Japan, and has produced more bullet train cars than any other factory in the country. There's a lot of physically demanding work that goes into making the state-of-the-art train cars, and the workers are able to perform well everyday thanks to the employee cafeteria that serves delicious, hearty lunches.

We visit a bookbinding company in Tokyo that mainly makes picture books for children. As picture books come in all sorts of materials, shapes and sizes, and often have unique features like fold-out pages, each work demands special consideration. No one machine is capable of making all picture books, and that is precisely why the craft often involves a lot of careful handwork. And at lunchtime, the picture book crafting professionals charge up for the afternoon with the bento lunch they bring.

For the first time ever, we go to Tottori Prefecture to check out the homemade lunch at the prefecture's association of forestry cooperatives. A senior member of the association cooks up delicious lunches on special occasions, and we visit on the day he makes curry from local game meat as well as spicy condiments and pickles too! Tune in to see how they are keeping local forestry alive and well, and of course, check out the great smiles of the foresters when they have the excellent curry!

We visit a Japanese paper lantern workshop in Kyoto Prefecture. In charge of handcrafting lanterns are a father and his 2 sons, but there's also Shinya, a close family friend who works to expand sales outlets. With vast experience in international business and the ability to effectively utilize social media, Shinya has been able to bring in orders from all over the world. For lunch, the team goes to their favorite restaurant to have local comfort food: savory pancakes, grilled offal and fried noodles.

Tottori is a prefecture that is famous for its sand dunes, but we cannot ignore the fact that there's also a lot of deliciousness going on in this wonderful prefecture. So, we dedicate this entire episode to highlight the yummy lunches of Tottori. We start off with the game meat curry at the prefectural government office cafeteria. And then, we visit a fountain pen workshop to check out a one-of-a-kind rice ball. To finish off, we report on the lunching situation of the prefectural police band!

In this episode, we visit a company in eastern Japan that rents out ballet costumes. They have a whopping 100 thousand costumes stocked in their warehouse, but what's even more impressive is the fact that all of the outfits are designed and handmade in-house. We closely examine the detailed work that goes into designing a costume and actually sewing one together. And of course, we don't forget to check out the delicious lunches of the costume making professionals.

In this episode, we go to a marketplace in Tokyo to visit a shop that sells spices and imported Asian foods. The couple who runs the shop takes time to offer consultation on spices to not just professionals in the food industry, but also to folks who just want to cook up something tasty at home. With their sincerity, the couple has built strong friendships. And for lunch, they show us how to make a quick, easy, but absolutely delicious green banana soup!

On this episode, we visit a post office in Kochi Prefecture to get a taste of a homemade curry cooked by the former postmaster. All the workers in the office look forward to this special lunch—and the former postmaster's visit—that comes around just once a month or so. We also head over to Atami City to visit a teppanyaki restaurant that was frequently visited by the famous Japanese screenwriter Hashida Sugako, known for her globally acclaimed drama "Oshin."

In the heart of Tokyo stands a distinguished hotel that has entertained guests from around the world. In August 2021, they began managing their employee cafeteria in-house in order to reduce food waste and present new opportunities to employees. Come see how chef Matsuura works together with rookies to cook up tasty dishes for the hard-working hotel staff. In another segment, our crew travels up north to a supermarket in Hokkaido Prefecture to meet a 78-year-old woman who cooks bento for a young colleague.

Ms. Morito Yuko runs a matchmaking service in the city of Kashiwa in eastern Japan. Her job is to help clients find a spouse. Ms. Morito explains that the COVID-19 pandemic has really made people want to connect with others, and that has resulted in a spike in membership. Because of the increase in business, she finds herself very busy on days when she meets clients in person. Tune in to find out what kind of lunch gives her the power to keep bringing her clients happiness, day after day.

In Japan, the bullet train is used for both business and pleasure. In this episode, we hop on one to see what it's like to be a vendor who makes rounds in the train with a cart that is fully loaded with all sorts of goodies, from gifts, ice cream, to alcoholic beverages. More specifically, we follow a young woman who just started in 2021 to see just how much preparation and hard work go into the job, and also what she eats for lunch to help her through the physically demanding workdays.

We visit a glassware factory in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, where a team of elite artisans handcraft custom items. Ms. Suzuki is a rookie just months in on the job who asked to be a part of this special team. It's no easy task to be a newbie among some of the best glassworkers in the country, but with her passion for the art and the hearty lunch at the staff cafeteria keeping her strong, she is getting closer and closer to her goal to one day be a master glassworker.

Lunch ON Overseas Special

A type of eggplant called mizunasu has traditionally been grown and enjoyed in western Japan. In this episode, we visit a family-run mizunasu farm in Osaka Prefecture that also makes pickles. The farmers explain that the water and soil of the area they farm on is just perfect for growing mizunasu, but since the eggplants lose freshness quickly, everything they do—from harvesting, sorting, pickling, to shipping—must be done swiftly. And that's why their lunch is always simple but yummy mizunasu dishes!

We visit Ms. Nakazawa, who handcrafts traditional wooden bento boxes called magewappa. After honing her craft for almost 20 years at a magewappa studio, she recently opened her own business to realize her dream to make and sell new, unconventional products with magewappa crafting skills. She's got a rough road ahead of her, but she has the full support of her mother; Ms. Nakazawa's studio is right next to her mothers' house, so she gets to eat mom's delicious cooking every day for lunch!

We visit the vocational school of a major house manufacturing company where new recruits spend a year comprehensively studying everything related to wooden house construction. The curriculum is hard and the training is rigorous, but the students are able to keep going thanks to the hearty, delicious lunches made from scratch by the head chef, who is an astonishing 86 years old! Join us for a delicious taste of the lunch that nurtures the next generation of house-making professionals in Japan.