NHK World Special Programs

A music festival held in Seoul, South Korea, where singers representing Asian countries and regions gathered. Performers: Hirahara Ayaka (Japan), MAMAMOO+ (South Korea), Tia Ray (China), etc.

In the 19th century, writer Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo) helped introduce Japan to the wider world. Peter Barakan visits Izumo to learn about the natural and unseen realms that Hearn treasured.

Join experts such as Wim Wenders to explore the masterful film-making of renowned Tokyo Story director Ozu Yasujiro, the 120th anniversary of whose birth fell in December 2023.

A quiet little shop in downtown Tokyo serves as a haven for Japan's lost young souls. They share their innermost feelings with their future selves in letters they'll receive exactly one year later.

14 years ago, Hasegawa Kazuo was diagnosed with lung cancer. He recounts his battle with stage four cancer, and his mission to change how patients receive care.

Receiving worldwide submissions, Japan's prestigious Good Design Award. Take a first-time look behind the scenes at what society needs from design, and how it can help all of us have better lives.

76-year-old Tatsuyo, a.k.a. Grandma, is a budding stand-up comedian who captures hearts across generations. Join us and discover her passion for life.

Deaf and hearing actors performed together in a production of Shakespeare's classic comedy using Japanese sign language and verbal Japanese, which was broadcasted in January 2024. In this special program we look at the behind-the-scenes of how this performance was created. Most of the hearing actors had never worked with Deaf actors before, so it brought about a new challenge. During rehearsals, the cast underwent a process of trial and error as they examined each other's lines in sign language and verbal Japanese trying to coordinate their timing, with mixed results. Deaf actors and directors dug deep until the very last minute of filming to determine what sign language expressions were best suited for Shakespeare's eloquence. In the process, the entire crew discovered what it means for the two groups of actors to work together in this unprecedented artistic experiment.

Amidst an economic slowdown, China's freelance truck drivers risk their very lives to earn money traversing the road to Tibet, feared as the most dangerous in the country.

DRUM TAO, a taiko drumming group that brings its sublime sound and dynamic performances to audiences around the world, delivers a performance from the stage of a national park in Aso.

This year saw the end of Sominsai, a unique festival in which loinclothed men plunge into freezing water, are enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to grasp a lucky sack as a form of prayer.

From a whistleblower, NHK obtained exclusive video and sound recordings of a psychiatric hospital, along with records of nearly 1,500 patients. These materials revealed rampant patient abuse, illegal physical constraints and the fact that 78% of patients were discharged by death. This investigative report amassed extensive documentation and interviews with key actors to address the persistent problems of psychiatric hospitals.

K-POP has taken the world by storm thanks to its unique performances and business strategy. This documentary follows its growth and the ways in which J-POP artists are rising to the challenge.