Document 72 Hours: 2015
Season 6 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 5.
- 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 6 Progress Shield
Birth Rush! Japan's Best Obstetrics and Gynecology
Jan 9, 2015 · 25 min
3,400 babies per year. In Kumamoto Prefecture, well known for Kumamon, there is an obstetrics and gynecology clinic that boasts the highest number of births in Japan. Mothers fight
Farewell! Bowling Alley in the Center of Tokyo
Jan 16, 2015 · 25 min
At the end of last year, the long-established bowling alley “Milano Bowl” in front of the Shinjuku Koma Theater closed its 47-year history. It had gained popularity for its all-nig
Lost and Found in Nagoya: Left Behind on a Holy Night
Jan 23, 2015 · 25 min
At Christmastime in Sakae, a busy district of Nagoya, people are rushing to an unexpected place: the lost and found office, where items left on buses and subways are collected. Eac
Student Dormitories in the Northern Land
Jan 30, 2015 · 25 min
Awake, my lost dream, wake up." The residents of the student dormitory at Hokkaido University, which has a history of more than 100 years and is home to 400 students, are one of th
A Discounted Ticket to Happiness
Feb 6, 2015 · 25 min
Since Japan's bubble economy burst in the early 1990's, saving money has become an established part of life for many people. Shops selling discount coupons and cheap tickets are a
Handyman, Running in the City
Feb 13, 2015 · 25 min
Slugs in the bathroom.“ ”Assemble the plastic model by tomorrow!" Calls for help ring out throughout the night from a Tokyo handyman, who receives 300 requests a day, many of which
A Standing Oden Bar in Tokyo
Feb 20, 2015 · 25 min
The Akabane region of Tokyo is a "sacred ground" for drinking, with inexpensive bars and pubs lining the streets. On one corner stands a small shop that serves oden, a winter stew
Kobe, January, See you at Pai-Yama
Feb 27, 2015 · 25 min
Pai-yama," as it is commonly known, is located in front of Sannomiya Station in the heart of Kobe. An object resembling a boob in the center of the square has become a landmark for
A Taste of Home: A Soba & Udon Vending Machine
Mar 6, 2015 · 25 min
For 40 years, a vending machine has stood in a quiet corner of Akita Port, in northern Japan. Even when a winter snowstorm batters the area in mid-January, a constant trickle of cu
A Driving School: The Start of Many Journeys
Mar 13, 2015 · 25 min
There's a driving school in a suburb east of Tokyo that prepares learners for all kinds of vehicle licenses, from cars, trucks and buses to construction equipment. Each spring the
Tanning Salon: The Reason for the Wheat Color
Mar 20, 2015 · 25 min
Men lying naked in the blue light.... A cold wind blows in February in Ikebukuro. In a tanning salon inside a multi-tenant building, men in wheat-colored tanning suits are sweating
Tokyo Capsule Hotel: Encapsulating Life
Apr 3, 2015 · 25 min
Capsule hotels have quite suddenly become a popular choice of accommodation nowadays in Japan. Travelers from around the world have become fascinated with capsule hotels as word ge
Taxi Honest Conversation - Fukushima Iwaki Version
Apr 10, 2015 · 25 min
Four years have passed since “that day” in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. In this episode, we listen to the unpretentious conversations between passengers and drivers that take
A Building Exclusively for Cosplay: Their Dream Castle
Apr 17, 2015 · 30 min
A study, a ritual room, a school infirmary.... People dressed in anime and game cosplay pose and shutter each other in various settings. The cosplay building in Koto-ku has 80,000
A Used Car, A New Life
Apr 24, 2015 · 25 min
It's spring, a time for new beginnings. And what better way to start a new stage in life than with a new set of wheels. This is Auto District Avenue, a mile-long stretch of a natio
Following the Cherry Blossoms Upstream: A Three-Day Trip Along the Tama River
May 1, 2015 · 25 min
In April, Kanto was intoxicated by a blizzard of flowers. One of the most “famous places for secret cherry blossom viewing” is the Tama River, which runs 138 kilometers from Haneda
Yakushima: Island of the Mystical Tree
May 8, 2015 · 25 min
Thousands of years old giant trees tower in the forests of Yakushima, a World Heritage Site. Many people from all over Japan are now visiting the island to see the “Jomon cedars,”
Candy Store: Children's Small Universe
May 15, 2015 · 25 min
“I won gum!” How was your class change?" The lively voices of children echo in a candy shop in Hyogo Ward, downtown Kobe, where a girl, clutching a 10-yen coin, ponders what to buy
A Kebab Restaurant in Roppongi
May 22, 2015 · 25 min
A stone's throw from Tokyo Tower and the main Roppongi intersection is a 24-hour Turkish kebab restaurant whose clientele hails from every corner of the globe. Cheap, fast and conv
Mt. Takao, Why wander into the mountains of the city?
May 29, 2015 · 25 min
Three days in Mt. Takao, an “easy mountain” that can be reached in an hour from central Tokyo. During the season of fresh green leaves, the summit is crowded with people who have e
Container Karaoke in a Seaside Town
Jun 5, 2015 · 25 min
In April, a huge container was brought into a small port town in Iwate, where bare land from the tsunami was noticeable. It is an impromptu mobile karaoke box loved by the locals w
Dreams to be drawn at a video rental store on a major holiday weekend
Jun 12, 2015 · 25 min
The May holidays were a time of excitement in Japan, with people traveling abroad and returning home. In the residential areas of central Tokyo, where the number of people had decr
A Drive-In Restaurant in Okinawa: Hometown Flavor, American Style
Jun 19, 2015 · 25 min
Oldies playing from the jukebox. An old lady chomping down on steak and an American soldier chomping down on fried rice. This is an old drive-in along Route 58, which runs through
The Lucky Cat at the Shopping Street
Jun 26, 2015 · 25 min
At a little shop in Ibaraki Prefecture, there's a goofy but adorable cat with thick black "eyebrows". She's called Hachi for her distinctive marks that resemble the Chinese charact
“Hanacaba” Life Theater
Jul 3, 2015 · 25 min
Along the national highway in Hitachi City, the castle town of a giant corporation, there is a mysterious retro space that seems to have slipped back to the Showa period. It is com
Tonkotsu Ramen Restaurant: Bowls for the Soul
Jul 10, 2015 · 25 min
Kurume is the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen. There is a ramen restaurant along the national highway that is visited by 3,000 people every day. On holidays, a couple always sips “mor
Dance Hall for Men and Women in Downtown Tokyo
Jul 17, 2015 · 25 min
Gentlemen and ladies dance gracefully to the sensual melodies played by a live band. The stage for this program is a dance hall in downtown Tokyo, where the heat of the Showa perio
Rocking on the Streetcar
Jul 24, 2015 · 25 min
Hiroshima's streetcars are still active in people's daily lives and boast the highest number of users in Japan. People with various dramas ride the streetcars, which run slowly at
Oasis Hotel in the Rice Paddies
Jul 31, 2015 · 25 min
There is an old-fashioned but very popular hotel for men in the middle of rice fields in the Niigata Plain. Its charm is not only its cheap price. The first floor is a 24-hour driv
New York: Laundromat Theater
Aug 21, 2015 · 25 min
The first overseas feature on "72 Hours! The setting is a 24-hour laundromat in a corner of New York City. Many people of different races and nationalities come to New York, where
Dalian, China - At a Japanese Foods Supermarket
Aug 28, 2015 · 25 min
This is the program's first overseas feature! The second installment is a Japanese food supermarket in Dalian, China. Many Japanese companies have established operations in Dalian,
In a Cemetery Looking Up at the Great Buddha
Sep 4, 2015 · 25 min
The 120-meter-high Daibutsu (Great Buddha) is located in Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture. One of the largest cemeteries in the Kanto region spreads out at its foot. During Obon, ma
Summer Comic! Japan's “Best” Convenience Store.
Sep 18, 2015 · 25 min
The setting is a convenience store that attracts the largest number of customers in Japan among a certain chain of stores for three days in mid-summer. Many people are on their way
Voices in Front of the Diet
Oct 2, 2015 · 25 min
Streets in front of the National Diet Building are the stage for numerous protests. People opposed to national security bills and nuclear power, among other causes, assemble to exp
An Iconic Hotel: Until We Meet Again
Oct 9, 2015 · 25 min
The main building of a long-established hotel in Tokyo, which has been loved by both domestic and foreign guests, has been closed for reconstruction. The Hotel Okura, which has ser
Life on the Squid Hunt
Oct 23, 2015 · 25 min
There is a port where fishermen gather from all over Japan in pursuit of the finest squid. It is the port of Kottoi in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The squid caught offshore is known for
Deep Tokyo: In a Corner of Little Manila
Oct 30, 2015 · 25 min
There is a town in Tokyo called "Little Manila. It is a corner of Takenotsuka, Adachi-ku, where about 50 Filipino pubs are concentrated. There is a famous one that is open 19 hours
A Video Transfer Shop: Replaying the Past
Nov 6, 2015 · 25 min
In Tokyo there's an audio and video transfer shop, where people bring old film reels, VHS tapes and cassettes they can no longer play and have them brought back to life as CDs and
Up and Away with Low-Cost Carriers
Nov 13, 2015 · 25 min
Kansai International Airport is a 24-hour gateway to western Japan. 16 low-cost carriers operate out of this airport in Osaka, making it Japan's largest hub for budget airlines. Ch
Kabukicho Midnight Dispensing Pharmacy
Nov 27, 2015 · 25 min
In Kabukicho, Shinjuku, there is a dispensing pharmacy that is open only at night. People rush in one after another to the store, which stocks everything from nutritional drinks to
Welcome to the World's Largest Labyrinth of Old Books
Dec 4, 2015 · 25 min
The world's largest antiquarian bookstore district in Kanda, Tokyo, is home to more than 160 stores, where you can find amazing treasures such as medieval books priced at 10 millio
Fortune Teller's House: Crossroads of Fate
Dec 11, 2015 · 25 min
Fortune tellers are said to draw long lines in times of anxiety. People from all walks of life come to the store in the heart of the city to have their future predicted based on th
A Secret Workshop in Akihabara
Dec 18, 2015 · 25 min
A mood-detecting dog collar? A wind instrument with a keyboard? You'll never believe the ideas blooming at this workshop in Akihabara. For around $120 a month, members get space to