｜Length : 59min ｜Year : 2022 ｜

We film unusual technical competitions held internally by industries and associations to help workers improve their skills! Follow along with our commentators and watch some incredible workmanship.

The 48th All-Japan Plasterwork Competition
This long-running national competition is held to help plasterers advance their technique – 7 contenders from all over the country compete fiercely for the title of Japan's Top Plasterer. Competitors must plaster a prepared wall to strict specifications using a variety of materials. It's a grueling 19-hour marathon that demands technique, stamina, and concentration, in the pursuit of beauty and accuracy. Whose trowel-work will reign supreme? Join us as we venture into the world of top-level workmanship!

｜Length : 30min ｜Year : 2020 ｜

Science ZERO utilizes cutting edge knowledge and technology to thoroughly investigate various phenomena from a scientific perspective. In this episode, we focus on Oze, Japan’s largest mountain wetlands, where a comprehensive scientific survey was conducted after a hiatus of 20 years. Documenting the survey team for one year, this program joins them in revealing the secrets that have made Oze a paradise for rare flora and fauna. Even the experts are surprised by what they find in a pond called Ryugu Pond. How can this small pool possibly keep absorbing a stream of water that continually eddies in? Using the latest underwater drone technology, the survey team discovers a complex tunnel structure beneath the pond. It turns out that the key to Oze’s unique ecosystem can be found in an unknown subterranean world!

｜Length : 49min. ｜Year : 2004 ｜

Although Japan once dominated the global market for semiconductors, a fierce price war left Korean, Taiwanese and other manufacturers in control while the Japanese semiconductor industry fell into a slump. Now Japan is fighting back by harnessing a traditional industrial strength: unshakable determination to develop superior technologies. The programme focuses on the world of mobile phones, where high-performance semiconductors hold the key to international success.

｜Length : 24min. ｜Year : 2003 ｜

The skill of Japanese traditional style of cut-glass 'Edo-Kiriko', originated in Edo period, has been handed down to some craftsmen today. Kobayashi, aged 79, is one of them, having dedicated his energy to this work for over fifty years. He has a super skill to give a dazzling brightness to his creation by controlling the way of cutting. His work has a warm, refined, but sharp feel, that is a brilliant glass art with reflected light, which attracts many craftsmen in this field.

｜Length : 24min. ｜Year : 2003 ｜

Today, there are only a small number of craftsmen who make fountain pens all hand-made. Uehara, aged 82, has been engaged in this work since he was 19. He makes special fountain pens that fit perfectly in the hand of each customer, taking each person's particular handwriting into consideration. His skill of adjusting the pen point, using a loupe, is remarkable, because a difference of 0.01 millimeters does affect the smoothness of writing.