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Document 72 Hours
ドキュメント72時間
2006 · TV series · documentary · 17 seasons
An unusual documentary series that delves into human dramas through chance encounters with ordinary people at selected spots. Filmed over 72 hours in a single location, the show captures glimpses into people's lives as they open up and share their stories.
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If you or others wish for more of this type of optimistic slow mini-documentary, NHK's "Document 72 Hours" is a show which camera crew stay in 1 ordinary public place continuously for the titular 72 hours, at all hours of the day.
They interview people they come across, and collect small and honest stories of people's lives. The show has been going for a long time, and they consistently manage to find heartwarming little stories in places you wouldn't expect to find them, with nothing but kindness and attention. One of my favourites so far was at a coin-operated hot ramen vending machine at the side of a road. The English narration is pretty cheesy, but I suppose it's part of the style.
You can watch the most recent episode here: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/72hours/
For archives and discussion, have a look into https://www.reddit.com/r/NHKWorldFans/.
YT has mostly clips, not the full shows. These are broadcast on HDTV and probably some cable markets.
Cycling shows: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/cycle/ Train: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/japanrailway/
The best series is Document 72 Hours: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/72hours/
Some can be seen on demand, others, they’ll give a repeat date. These are fascinating, and be warned, they can swing from happy to gut wrenching. There’s one episode where they’re in a Home Center talking to kids about their projects and the next they’re talking to a guy about kitchen tiles. He talks about his wife always wanting a new kitchen, but he was always too busy... and now she’s dead. So he’s working on the kitchen in her memory.
It’s an introspection on a society that is fraying at the edges. The producers seem to be trying to communicate that. As Krugman says, if you want to know our future, look to Japan.