How Old Firms Survive  (03:31)
Japan has a very large number of old family firms still prospering a century or more after their founding. The secret to the success and survival of these firms through both good times and bad appears to be an attitude that combines respect for traditional skills and techniques with an open-minded readiness to react to changing conditions by adopting new methods and businesses.

Tiny Satellite Carries a Big Dream  (04:14)
A scientific satellite launched on Jan. 23, 2009 was unusual in a number of ways. This tiny 50cm cube was the independent project of a group of small factories in Higashi-Osaka. Machi-koba is the term for small urban factories working under contract to major corporations, and these have been responsible for many of Japan's technological advances. Instead of simply supplying parts for other companies' products, this group wanted to design their own project and complete it using their own technology. The result is now in orbit, helping research into lightning storms.

Carry Your Own Chopsticks  (04:11)
When eating at home, it's a Japanese custom for each family member to use their own chopsticks, rice bowl and other utensils, the familiar feel of these personal items adding to their enjoyment of the meal. That's one reason for the recent boom in carrying personal chopsticks to eat out at work or in restaurants, a boom encouraged by stores selling a wide range of chopsticks and cases in fashionable designs. The other reason is the cultural sense of mottainai - an aversion to waste that now makes people reluctant to use disposable restaurant chopsticks.

Ready to Eat. Instantly, Anywhere  (03:56)
Over 100 billion instant noodle meals are now eaten worldwide each year – a huge change in our eating habits that began 50 years ago with a new technology invented in a Japanese garden shed. Flash-frying in oil to quickly dry noodles created a tasty product that was easy to cook and had a long shelf life. Today, we can choose from a vast variety of instant meals, not just noodles. They are eaten at home, at the office, and even by astronauts in space. And they have proved especially valuable as emergency food supplies for disaster zones.

Learning about Life from Food  (03:17)
In the Japanese school system, food and nutrition education courses, where children learn about good diet and how to choose and make healthy food, are regarded as an important foundation for all education - intellectual, moral and physical. Many outside groups take part in these classes, from local school authorities to food manufacturers, as well as expert volunteers such as celebrity chef Kiyomi Mikuni who contribute their specialist knowledge of cooking, eating and food safety to teach young children valuable and basic lessons about life.

Fun Ways to Get Fit  (03:46)
Japanese toy and game manufacturers have made huge advances in home entertainment technology, and now they are starting to apply this knowledge for health, fitness and healing. Families enjoy exercising together in front of the TV, thanks to interactive sports games using advanced motion sensors and monitors. Walkers and runners listen to voice instructions providing expert guidance through their headphones, with music scientifically optimized for greatest aerobic benefit. And playing with lifelike robot pets is having a rejuvenating effect on the brains of many senior citizens.