FRONTRUNNERS

Usui Fumio is one of the most trusted prosthetists in Japanese para-sports. An early pioneer in the discipline, having developed sporting limbs since...

Near Kyoto, in the mountain village of Hanase, is a traditional inn with 130 years of upholding approaches to cuisine and hospitality attuned with the...

Rope rescue is an emergency practice that deftly deploys cords, clasps and pulleys to reach individuals stranded on hillsides and cliffs, or amid floo...

Tagawa Hisato is the founder of a unique children's hospice in Yokohama that aims to support families left socially isolated and emotionally and finan...

A restaurant in Tokyo emerged as the top-rated business on a popular online guide carrying consumer ratings for over 110 thousand vegan restaurants wo...

In rural Chiba Prefecture, Shibata Chiyo runs a pioneering cheeseworks out of a 120-year-old farmhouse. Her focus is 100% local fermented cheeses, and...

Kitayama Yasuo is a 74-year-old master gardener. He has created over 70 of Japan's famous gardens, and receives commissions from all over the world. H...

Airborne physician Tsugita Nobuyuki provides a vital service to island communities in west Japan's Seto Inland Sea. Despite aging populations, the isl...

Kyo-yuzen is a famous dyed textile from Kyoto Prefecture, used in kimono. The Tabata family have been top producers for decades; they've produced garm...

The thatched roofs found on traditional Japanese houses are declining in number. They're hard to maintain, and passing on the relevant skills is diffi...

Dr. Kato Yoko is an expert in the treatment of deadly strokes, with over 3,000 surgeries to her name across a career spanning almost five decades. She...