10 Fifteen Minute Programs
Grade(s): 7 - 12
Curriculum Area: Social Studies/Geography

Japan has become an increasingly important player on the world stage, exposing its unique culture to international study. Faces of Japan, hosted by Dick Cavett, provides in-depth portraits of life in Japan.

Program Titles

1. Young Baseball Heroes
   A high school baseball team incorporates traditional Japanese values into this Western sport.

2. The New Generation
   A Tokyo teenager tries to adhere to academic standards while pursuing his true interest, a career in music.

3. The Story of Noriko
   A young woman finds it difficult to gain meaningful work in a country where women are low on the economic totem pole.

4. A Small Business
   While large Japanese companies dominate international markets, this small family-owned business struggles to keep going.

5. The Salaryman
   This businessman has pursued a successful career at Univac while refusing to work 12-hour days, opposing the strict Japanese work ethic

6. Puppeteer's Apprentice (Bunraku Puppeteer)
   A college graduate spends years training to become a master in bunraku, a Japanese puppeteering art form that dates from the 16th century

7. An American Portrait (Sumo Wrestler).
   At 535 pounds, Hawaiian-bom Konishiki is the largest wrestler in sumo history and the first foreigner to gain the second-highest rank in the sport.

8. Frontier Fisherman.
   Asao Hamamatsu has worked in this profession for 35 years, crossing into foreign waters to ply his trade and depending on his entire family to help with business.

9. Woman Soldier.
   A 20-year old woman joins Japan's Self Defense League, in search of a career opportunity and a dependable income to help her parents.

10. Cram School
    Only a fraction of Japan's high school students go on to college, because many of them fail the entrance exams. This program follows two young men enrolled full-time in cram schools, hoping to pass this time around.