Document 72 Hours: 2023
Season 14 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Document 72 Hours Season 13.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 14 Progress Shield
University Art Festival: Portrait of Campus Days
Jan 6, 2023 · 30 min
In the fall of 2022, Musashino Art University in Tokyo welcomed the public to its annual art festival for the first time in three years to see paintings, sculptures and other artwo
Osaka: In an Apartment Building from the Showa Era
Jan 13, 2023 · 30 min
Three old apartment buildings lined up near the Port of Osaka. Built in 1965, when the shipbuilding industry was thriving, about 70 households still live in these buildings. The ap
At a Small Kobe Okonomiyaki Shop
Jan 20, 2023 · 30 min
A small shop selling okonomiyaki savory pancakes and obanyaki cakes has become a staple for locals in a part of Kobe devastated by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. Among
A Quiet Pier in Minamiboso
Jan 27, 2023 · 30 min
A simple pier, almost at water level, extends 160 meters out into Tokyo Bay from a beach in Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture. In the early 1900s the pier was used for landing fish, but
Amami Oshima: On the Radio
Feb 3, 2023 · 30 min
A cheerful greeting rings out over the radio in an island dialect: "Ugamin shoran! (Hello!)" This time, we visit a station broadcasting in Amami Oshima, Kagoshima Prefecture. Many
Fukushima - At a mountain lodge in the dead of winter
Feb 10, 2023 · 30 min
A 60-year-old mountain lodge located 1,350 meters above sea level on Mount Adatara in Fukushima Prefecture. Adatara at 1,350 meters above sea level in Fukushima Prefecture. Climber
Ringing in the New Year at a Fukuoka Bus Terminal
Feb 17, 2023 · 30 min
In the final days of 2022, an expressway bus terminal in Fukuoka Prefecture heaves with passengers traveling on over 1,000 buses that arrive or depart here daily. The people at the
Winter Stories of Ramen Stalls in Nagoya
Feb 24, 2023 · 30 min
Outside in winter. People sipping ramen in the bitter cold. This time, a ramen stall on a street corner in Osu, Nagoya, attracts many people to its four seats for a bowl of ramen f
Qualification Examination Preparatory School: My Path Forward
Mar 3, 2023 · 30 min
Judicial scrivener, condominium manager, state civil servant, social insurance worker labor consultant ... Lots of qualification exams. The stage is a major preparatory school wher
The Convenience Store in a Midwinter Hokkaido Village
Mar 10, 2023 · 30 min
The Hokkaido village of Shosanbetsu is home to about 1,000 people and a single convenience store. Residents rely on this store as a source of fresh food and basic necessities, espe
Akihabara Doll Store
Apr 7, 2023 · 30 min
Beautiful eyes so elaborate that they could be mistaken for human eyes. The market for dolls is said to be worth as much as 10 billion yen. In Akihabara, there are several stores s
At a 24-Hour Roadside Restaurant in Okayama
Apr 14, 2023 · 30 min
A large parking lot and hearty servings make a 24-hour restaurant a haven for truckers in Okayama Prefecture. For three days, we spoke to diners taking a break before hitting the r
Behind the Headlines at Ofunato's Local Newspaper
Apr 21, 2023 · 30 min
A small newspaper company with 30 employees in the city of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, which was devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, has been a valuable
Saying Farewell to Once-Loved Dolls at Hofu Tenmangu Shrine
Apr 28, 2023 · 30 min
Each year, Hofu Tenmangu shrine in Yamaguchi Prefecture holds a "doll appreciation festival" at which people can give their now-unwanted dolls a proper farewell. Among the shrine's
Harajuku, 100 yen store, in spring
May 5, 2023 · 30 min
Takeshita Street in Harajuku, a trend-setting area. The stage is set at a 100-yen store along the street. The shop sells 18,000 items, including daily necessities, cosmetics, and m
Sakura in the Seto Inland Sea
May 19, 2023 · 30 min
Each spring, Iwagi, an island in the Seto Inland Sea is painted pink with sakura cherry blossoms. It's home to some 4,000 cherry trees. Highlights include Mt. Sekizen, at the cente
Osaka Post Office, in spring
May 26, 2023 · 30 min
Rush documents overseas. Packages to my family at home. Moving procedures. This time, the setting is a post office on a street corner in Minami, downtown Osaka. Every day, many peo
The Aomori Shrine Where "Umineko" Soar
Jun 2, 2023 · 30 min
Each spring, about 30,000 black-tailed gulls flock to a nesting site around a shrine in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. The gulls, which are called umineko or "sea cats" because of t
Okinawa All Night Bento Lunch
Jun 23, 2023 · 30 min
A 24-hour bento store in Ginowan City, Okinawa, serving everything from 120 yen per bowl of Okinawa soba noodles to taco rice, pork cutlet bowls, tebichi, and sataa and ghee. Local
At a Hospital Roof Garden
Jun 30, 2023 · 30 min
A garden with seasonal flowers and a clear view of the sky. Its location? The roof of a hospital in Ochanomizu, Tokyo. Patients and family members stop by this peaceful garden. A f
Nishinomiya's "Manbow Tunnel" Under the Tracks
Jul 7, 2023 · 30 min
The ceiling of a narrow tunnel under a railway line in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, is so low that adults must stoop over to pass through. Despite this, what locals have nickname
Early Summer on the Kisoji
Jul 14, 2023 · 30 min
An old stone-paved road in dappled sunlight. We take a walk on the Kisoji, a mountain road connecting Nagano and Gifu Prefectures. A key route during the Edo period, today it attra
Saraba, Nombe Yokocho (Farewell, Drinking Alley)
Jul 28, 2023 · 30 min
Izakaya (Japanese-style pubs), snack bars, small restaurants, and bars. In August 2023, the curtain will come down on 70 years of history of “Drinking Alley” in the back alleys of
National Udon Vending Machine Trip - Gunma
Aug 4, 2023 · 30 min
About 300 yen per cup. Warm udon noodles from an old machine. This is a trip to visit the dwindling number of “udon vending machines” throughout Japan. This time, we will visit the
See You in Osaka's Korea Town
Sep 1, 2023 · 30 min
Osaka Prefecture's Ikuno Ward is home to Osaka Korea Town, a neighborhood packed with shops selling Korean food and other items. Inspired by a recent boom in South Korean pop cultu
At a Tokyo Insect Store
Sep 8, 2023 · 30 min
Many insect fans are drawn to a store in Tokyo, Japan, that sells about 100 different species and equipment for keeping them. For three days, we explored why people adore these tin
Fuji Rock On the long-awaited summer day
Sep 15, 2023 · 30 min
Fuji Rock Festival, Japan's largest music event, was held normally for the first time in four years this summer with more than 200 musicians and a total audience of over 110,000 pe
Part-time High School Koshien
Sep 22, 2023 · 30 min
It depicts various thoughts that cross the day of destiny. A new documentary program sent by the "72h" production team, which shoots an event at the same time with multiple cameras
Yomotsu Hirasaka: Between This World and The Next
Oct 6, 2023 · 30 min
We visit "Yomotsu Hirasaka" in Shimane Prefecture. It's a place linked to the underworld, referenced in Japanese mythology. For 3 days, we spoke with those drawn to this special pl
At a Standing Bar Beside Fukuoka's Boat Racing Stadium
Oct 13, 2023 · 30 min
With betting tickets in hand, customers at a no-frills bar near a motorboat racing stadium in Fukuoka, ride the ups and downs of the exciting races. For three days, we followed the
Kabukicho, Shinjuku, at the hair salon that never sleeps.
Oct 27, 2023 · 30 min
Kabukicho, Shinjuku, a nighttime district of glittering neon lights. The story takes place in a 24-hour beauty parlor located in a corner of the town. The town is regaining its pre
Nagano: Watching for Hawks
Nov 10, 2023 · 30 min
At Shirakaba Pass in Nagano Prefecture, many are gathered here to watch hawks as they migrate to Southeast Asia. We find out what these watchers feel as they gaze at the hawks over
Farewell to a Hyogo Chairlift
Dec 8, 2023 · 30 min
A beloved old chairlift on Mt. Myoken in Hyogo Prefecture. People flock here before the facilities close permanently in December 2023. What do the visitors feel as they ride the li
24-Hour Chinese Restaurant in Tokyo Suburbs
Dec 15, 2023 · 30 min
The menu at a 24-hour Chinese restaurant in western Tokyo includes ramen, gyoza dumplings and a wide range of set meals. For three days, we asked customers why they come here to fi