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 the 1980s, he now works arm-in...

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 rich local nature and the pas...

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

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

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

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 just three years after launch...

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. His specialty, the traditional...

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

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 garments for a royal wedding, cost...

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

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 also trains med students from...