Direct Talk - Season 10 / Year 2025

Season 10 / Year 2025

Episodes

Preserving Memories Through Fiction: Julie Otsuka / Novelist

Marvelous Marmalade from Japan: Enami Noriyuki / Citrus Farmer, Marmalade Artisan

Creating Never-Before-Seen Landscapes: Ishigami Junya / Architect

Impassioned Ceramics: Muta Yoca / Artist, Ceramicist

Journalism for Justice: Ian Yee / Journalist, Co-Founder of The Fourth

Walking for Peace: Satish Kumar / Activist

Face the Mountains, Face Yourself: Watanabe Naoko / Mountaineer, Nurse

Cultivating Myanmar's Future Through Agriculture: Imoto Katsuyuki / Vice-Chairman, Greater Mekong Center

Revealing Myanmar's Unseen Reality: Bo Kyi / Co-Founder and Joint Secretary, Assistance Association

Kabuki - Passion for Tradition and Innovation: Nakamura Kazutaro / Kabuki Actor

Spreading the Joy of Music to All: Erika Colon / Artistic Director, White Hands Chorus Nippon

Women Leading Sumatra's Forest Protection: Farwiza Farhan / Forest Conservationist Executive Director of HAkA (Forest, Nature, and Environment Aceh Foundation)

Making Documentaries Like Dramatic Movies: Hara Kazuo / Film Director

Drawing Wartime in the Attic: Chiba Tetsuya / Manga Artist

Shaping Our Culinary Future: René Redzepi / Chef and Co-Owner, Noma

A Fairer World Through Microfinance: Taejun Shin / Founder and CEO, Gojo & Company

Manga Education Goes to College: Kofi Bazzell-Smith / College Instructor, Manga Artist

Traditional Soy Sauce for the World: Yamamoto Yasuo / Fifth-Generation Soy Sauce Producer

Listening to the Voices of the Wounded: Ishiuchi Miyako / Photographer

Telling Stories of Hope and Resilience: Julian Sedgwick / Author

Transforming Education - The Challenge To Leave No One Behind: Aoki Kenta / Executive Director of the Certified NPO SALASUSU

Your Smile Is My Smile: Shigeaki Aso / Baseball Glove Master Craftsman

Mitigating Disasters Saves Lives: Tomita Hiroshi / Founder, Chairman and Representative Director, Geo Search

The Beauty and Art of Watchmaking: Makihara Daizoh / Watchmaker

Reconnecting Hikikomori to Society: Tadaaki Furuhashi / Psychiatrist, Associate Professor, Nagoya University

A Genocide Survivor Confronts Memories: Rithy Panh / Film Director

Unearthing Hidden Treasure in Kyrgyzstan's Farming Villages: Haraguchi Akihisa / JICA Chief Advisor

New Life for the Samurai Genre: Yasuda Junichi / Film Director, Rice Farmer

Helping Para-Athletes Fulfill Their Dreams: Nakajima Hiromitsu / Engineer

Meaning of Memory: Cannon Hersey / Artist, Community Builder

Various Circumstances: Mayunkiki / Artist

Reclaiming Opera With New Perspectives: Matthew Ozawa / Stage Director

Overcoming Infertility Together: Yamauchi Anna / Founder and CEO, Reproductive Health Consultation

A Home That Transcends Language and Identity: Afuso Michie / President, ABC Japan

Tradition and Innovation in Sake Brewing: Noguchi Naohiko / Sake Master Brewer

Being Bicultural in Hollywood: Miyagawa Eriko / Film & TV Producer

Shaping the Future of Coffee With Direct Trade: Goto Masashi / CEO of TYPICA

Bamboo for Revitalization: Singgih Susilo Kartono / Founder and Designer, Spedagi

Sculpting Hope Beyond Centuries: Sotoo Etsuro / Sculptor of the Sagrada Familia

Fight for Me, Fight for All Women: Clarisse Agbegnenou / Judoka

Journalism for Humanity: Lesley Blume / Journalist and Author

Tech to Predict Crime: Kajita Mami / Founder & CEO of Singular Perturbations

Cracking the Complexity of Long COVID: Akiko Iwasaki / Professor of Immunobiology, Yale University

Training Dogs to Save Lives Around the World: Murase Hidehiro / IRO Representative of Asia

Picture Books for Children and Adults Alike: Miyakoshi Akiko / Picture Book Author

Music That Nourishes the Soul: Yoshida Hirofumi / Conductor

Connecting the Past and Future: Sekiguchi Itaru / Organ Builder

The Heart of the Sutra Remixed: Akasaka Yogetsu / Meditation Music Artist, Zen Buddhist Priest

A Suitcase that Leads the Way: Asakawa Chieko / Computer Scientist

Illuminating the World with Hanabi: Saito Kentaro / Pyrotechnician

Capturing Movement and Sense of Touch: Mizushiri Yoriko / Animation Artist
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