Discovery Channel SUPER JAPAN Specials air tonight!

Get to know more about the land of the rising sun by watching these two episodes...

Arigato, Ramen, Animé, Manga, Kamikaze. What do these words have in common? Yes, they're all from the "land of the rising sun", Japan. The country whose known for fast-paced environment, advancement in technology and quality brands and products!

The land of the rising sun is an amazing convergence of old and new; a place where ancient traditions, culture and history are well-preserved but in harmony with ever-evolving cultural progressions and state-of-the-art technologies. SUPER JAPAN – five documentaries by the winners of Discovery Channel’s First Time Filmmakers (FTFM) Japan – celebrates the evolvement of Japan into the global powerhouse it is today.  

Super Japan

Premiere works of passionate first time international film producers, these films document the country’s progressions, obsessions and pays tribute to some of the things they do best. The last two episodes of SUPER JAPAN – “Sea Whisperers” and “POPcorn Dreams” -  air back-to-back on Wednesday, 19 March, from 7:00 p.m. (1900 hrs) SIN/HK/MNL.

FTFM Japan – a partnership between Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan (MIC) – is a project designed to help develop the documentary storytelling skills of Japanese filmmakers while providing them a platform for their talent and bring the globe on a journey that reveals what makes contemporary Japan tick.

Episode Guide

Episode 4: Sea Whisperers (Ama Divers - JCTV)

Director: Masashi "Sho" Matsuhashi, Japan Cable Television Ltd

     It is thought the culture of Japan’s female free-divers, or Ama, goes back 5,000 years. The key to their culture is their identity as women free-divers who understand the need to live in harmony with nature if future generations are to continue their way of life. This means they refuse to use scuba tanks because that would make it too easy to over harvest the abalone and turban shells which they depend on for a living. With environmental changes threatening their livelihoods and most Ama now more than 65 years old, their future, as free-diving champion Ai Futaki discovers, is far from secure. 

Episode 5: POPcorn Dreams (AK48 – TV Asahi)

Director: Naoto Ueda, TV Asahi

AKB48

This episode showcases the global expansion of the J-POP idol group, AKB48 from Akihabara, Tokyo, and examines its first overseas venture, sister group, JKT48 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Follow Melody Nurramdhani Laksani, a local JKT48 member as she hones her performing skills to become a pop idol sensation in Indonesia and Haruka Nakagawa, a Japanese girl who transferred from AKB48 to JKT48 to help the Indonesian girls replicate the AKB songs and dance moves – and whose character and efforts to learn the local language is attracting a growing fan base.  Also featuring Yasushi Akimoto, the producer who invented the AKB formula, this episode offers a unique insight into Japan’s pop idol culture.

We're pretty sure that you want to know more aside from watching their addictive Animé and Manga stories. So make sure you tune in 7PM sharp and enjoy these two episodes of Super Japan airing tonight!

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