About
FRONTRUNNERS highlights professionals at the very forefront of their field. We showcase their amazing work, discover their motivations, and learn about the challenges they face in the future.
Episodes
Season 1
Prosthetics Pioneer - Usui Fumio
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-arm with athletes to craft prosthetics that match their precise needs, underpinning countless successes on both track and field. Away from sports, he also strives to create prosthetics that express users' own identities, appearing on stage in both dance events and fashion shows.
Kyoto Foraging Master - Nakahigashi Hisato
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 passage of the four seasons. It is run by fourth-generation head Nakahigashi Hisato, whose refined take on wild food and foraging has made fans of some of the world's leading chefs. We follow Nakahigashi through the winter months and gain unique insights into his pioneering update on time-honored culinary lore to suit modern tastes.
Rope Rescue Expert - Hayashida Akihiro
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 locations that helicopters and emergency vehicles struggle to reach. Hayashida Akihiro leads a fire service rope rescue team that, in 2022, won first prize at a global rope skills tournament in Belgium. We follow his efforts to promote these lifesaving techniques to rescue services across Japan.
Children's Hospice Founder - Tagawa Hisato
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 treatment for incurable pediatric conditions. Motivated by the loss of his own daughter to cancer aged just six, and remorse at having neglected quality time to focus on treatment, Tagawa works to provide memorable palliative care that helps families to face the end with peace and positivity.
Vegan Washoku Chef - Kusumoto Katsumi
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 entirely plant-based, owner Kusumoto Katsumi's menu also caters to those with faith-based dietary restrictions or allergies by eschewing alcohol and artificial ingredients. This time on FRONTRUNNERS, we follow a chef promoting a truly borderless approach to traditional Japanese cuisine.
Japanese Cheese Trailblazer - Shibata Chiyo
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 launching in 2014, she became the first female cheesemaker to win a prestigious award from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, before going on to place third out of 3,804 entries in the 2019 World Cheese Awards. This time on FRONTRUNNERS, we follow a cheesemaker with a uniquely Japanese approach to fromage and sustainability.
Master Gardener - Kitayama Yasuo
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 rock garden, involves the careful manipulation of light and shadow. Rocks and pebbles are used to represent water. His final major project is in a city devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. We follow Kitayama as he works hard to create a garden where people can heal, through love for life.
Helicopter Physician - Tsugita Nobuyuki
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 Sagishima lacked their own medical facilities. To address this situation, doctor and air-show exhibition pilot Tsugita opened clinics in both communities, and trained for a helicopter license. He flies between them, providing consultations and home visits as well as round-the-clock emergency care.
Similar Shows
Shows like this one
Recommended for You
Based on this series
