The BBC Japan Special takes you on a journey to east Asia and delves into two fascinating stories.
In the first half, we explore the country's innovation when it comes to food. Japan only produces around 40% of the calories its people consume, and with little spare farmland, it is running out of ways to make more food. We'll look at how some leftovers are used to feed an ancient fungus which is grown and harvested in factory as high-protein nourishment. And from a home laboratory in rural western Japan to a Michelin-starred restaurant in the city of Osaka, we meet the hobbyists and chefs growing meat from animal cells.
In the second half, we head to the country's coast where one man has spent nearly 15 years diving for the remains of his wife who was swept away in the 2011 tsunami. With on-location recording of Yasuo on his 763rd dive, we'll explore his search as an act of devotion shaped by Japanese ideals of grief, memory, and the power of nature. It's a story of one man’s repeated dives becoming a ritual of remembrance in a land where disaster is part of life.
