NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Hiraoka Kasumi is in the international spotlight after winning an award at the Vertical Movie Festival 2025. She talks about combining social commentary with fantasy-inspired storytelling.

We journey to a sacred mountain where pilgrims are purifying themselves in a waterfall before moving on. Some of them have even brought along offerings. And it turns out they have something to prove.

Johan Nordstrom, a film scholar from Sweden, specializes in early Japanese cinema. He tells us about movies from over a century ago and Japan's unique tradition of live narration for silent films.

Including acquisitions by food-service giants, ramen and udon eateries in Japan are changing. Join us and peek behind the curtain of the noodle world.

A billion cats are on the loose!? An online post throws the father into a panic. How should we interact with online information when fake images are on the rise, especially during disasters?

We visit a place where some of the world's most iconic monuments are replicated in miniature, and meet the artisans whose skills and dedication bring them vividly to life.