Document 72 Hours: 2016
Season 7 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 6.
- 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 7 Progress Shield
Yokohama All Night Tonkatsu
Jan 8, 2016 · 25 min
The stage is set at a 24-hour tonkatsu restaurant in Yokohama's entertainment district. From early morning to late at night, people from all walks of life come to scarf down the me
Kappabashi: Tokyo's Kitchen Capital
Jan 15, 2016 · 25 min
Kappabashi Street in Tokyo is a place like no other in the world, with 170 shops that stock everything from cooking utensils to tableware. Here professional chefs inspect knife bla
Christmas at the Bus Terminal
Jan 22, 2016 · 25 min
As Christmas approaches, people flock to Sapporo's terminal for expressway buses that connect this major city with destinations across the vast prefecture of Hokkaido. From early m
The First Dream at Tokyo Tower
Jan 29, 2016 · 25 min
Tokyo Tower, where the New Year's Eve has arrived, is the stage for this episode. Many people come to the observatory to pray for the first sunrise and make wishes at the shrine on
Benches and People: An Osaka Shopping Arcade
Feb 19, 2016 · 25 min
In Osaka you'll find Tenjinbashi-suji, one of the longest shopping arcades in Japan. At the end of the bustling, 2.6-kilometer arcade is a row of benches. We took our cameras there
Tokyo in the middle of winter, the name is ”Hanako“
Feb 26, 2016 · 25 min
In a small zoo in Kichijoji, Tokyo, there is the oldest elephant in Japan. Her name is "Hanako. At 69 years old, Hanako is visited by all sorts of people. They all have their heart
Winter, Tsugaru at the 100 Yen Onsen
Mar 4, 2016 · 25 min
In the middle of rice fields in the snowy Tsugaru plain, there is a public bathhouse “100 yen Onsen” where you can enter for only 100 yen. The rule here is to show the coin to the
Valentine's Day at the Shrine
Mar 18, 2016 · 25 min
In Fukuoka Prefecture, there is a unique shrine dedicated to a deity of love. The approach to the shrine and its gate are adorned with hearts, and it has become a magnet for people
72 Hours Japan-Korea Comparison SP
Apr 1, 2016 · 72 min
In Korea, there is a fixed-point observation program similar to “Documentary 72 Hours” in Japan. The name of the program is “Documentary 3 Days”. This time, the program is a collab
Drawn to Showa Songs
Apr 8, 2016 · 25 min
The stage is set at a store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, that specializes in Showa-era songs. The store is visited by a wide variety of people, including middle-aged and older adults who ha
Daitokai: Dog and Cat Shelter in the Big City
Apr 15, 2016 · 25 min
In a small building in Yoyogi, Tokyo, there is an “animal shelter” that takes in dogs and cats from public health centers and protects them. So far, they have sheltered 1,300 anima
Farewell Funabashi Auto
Apr 22, 2016 · 25 min
Auto race is a sport in Japan where motorcycles without brakes compete on asphalt tracks at speeds up to 150 km/h. In this episode we visit the Funabashi Auto, the sport's birthpla
Akita: In front of a vending machine in midwinter, a regretful farewell
Apr 29, 2016 · 30 min
A udon vending machine for 200yen per cup at a store in Akita Port. In March, he introduced the 72nd hour of the human condition of the people who gathered there, and the response
Tales Over Rice Bowls
May 6, 2016 · 25 min
The slogan of a 24-hour restaurant in Sendai, in northeastern Japan, is "born and raised on rice". For people fond of rice, this is a paradise. Serving rice in large bowls that hol
Carrying a Stamp in a Foreign Country
May 13, 2016 · 25 min
The stage is a long-established stamp store in the Korean town of Shin-Okubo. Most of the customers are foreigners. In Japan, hanko are used in many situations. In April, when new
At the Food Court
May 20, 2016 · 25 min
In the countryside town of Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, among flat fields that go on for miles, there is a gigantic shopping mall. In this episode we visit the mall's most bustling a
Route 439: Japan's Last Frontier
Jun 3, 2016 · 25 min
Route 439 is a national highway that cuts across the mountainous island of Shikoku, in southwestern Japan. In some spots, it is barely 2 meters wide and poorly maintained. People c
The Ferry to Volcano Island
Jun 17, 2016 · 25 min
In this episode we take a ride on a ferry to Sakurajima, an island with an active volcano just off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture. It makes the 15-minute journey all day and nig
A Nostalgic Roller Coaster Ride
Jun 24, 2016 · 25 min
For 62 years, a rickety roller coaster that has a top speed of just 42 kilometers per hour has been a popular attraction at Hanayashiki, an amusement park steeped in history in Tok
Kyoto's Kamo River Delta
Jul 1, 2016 · 25 min
When the locals in Kyoto want to relax, they stroll upstream along the Kamo River to a spot called the "Delta". This scenic area apart from Kyoto's tourist attractions has served a
Trapped in the Magic of Go
Jul 8, 2016 · 25 min
In Shinjuku Kabukicho, the largest entertainment district in Japan, there is a 24-hour Go club, which is rare in Japan. It has been in business for 34 years, and the sound of Go st
Hiroshima: On the Street Corner Waiting for the President
Jul 15, 2016 · 25 min
In May, U.S. President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima for the first time as the incumbent president. How did the people of Hiroshima feel as they welcomed him on this day that caug
Relaxing in a Nagoya Café
Jul 22, 2016 · 25 min
From reasonable breakfasts to ice cream sodas to sweet bean paste on toast, our stage this time is a Nagoya café. Tea culture has thrived in Nagoya from the days of old, and cafés
Faces Behind an Online Auction
Jul 28, 2016 · 30 min
From a second-hand ambulance to someone who will visit a grave for you, almost every imaginable item and service is sold and bought on online auctions. Since these sites were launc
Brazil: Prayer-Filled Secret Sanctuary
Aug 4, 2016 · 28 min
Brazil is booming with the hosting of the Olympic Games, a symbol of modern capitalism. Behind the backdrop of a developing society, people are said to be entrusting various wishes
A Women's Prison: Up-Close and Personal
Sep 16, 2016 · 25 min
For crimes ranging from drugs to murder, the number of women being sent to prison has multiplied in Japan over the last 20 years. How do they spend their days? What is on their min
Obon with a Bang in Nagasaki
Sep 23, 2016 · 25 min
In mid-August, families across Japan get together to celebrate Obon, when it is believed the spirits of their ancestors return to visit. In Nagasaki Prefecture, this traditional ev
Fukui: Unattended Ice Shop in Midsummer
Sep 30, 2016 · 25 min
An ice shop in Fukui that is open 24 hours a day, a rarity in Japan. The slowly frozen ice, ranging from huge sheets of ice to ice scraps, has a reputation for being "delicious and
People-Watching at a Monster Hotspot
Oct 7, 2016 · 25 min
There's a monster-catching smartphone game that took the world by storm in the summer of 2016. And a park in the Kinshicho area of Tokyo has become the go-to spot for players looki
Where Cultures and Meat Meet
Oct 14, 2016 · 25 min
From the outside, this butcher shop in Hiratsuka, a city just southwest of Tokyo, looks like any other. But lining its shelves are many kinds of meat rarely seen for sale in Japan,
The Little Station and the Sea
Oct 21, 2016 · 25 min
An hour's train ride from Ehime Prefecture's capital, you'll find Shimonada Station. This tiny, unmanned rail stop on the Seto Inland Sea coast is a serene but popular destination.
Golf Driving Range: Slices of Life
Oct 28, 2016 · 25 min
A golf driving range in Tokyo's Adachi Ward is one of the largest in the city and is open around the clock throughout the year. Golf has a reputation for being a "rich man's sport"
Art Supply Heaven in Tokyo
Nov 4, 2016 · 25 min
There's a huge art supply store in Tokyo with Japan's largest selection. From 50-cent pencils to necessities for painting and sculptures, its 5 floors are filled with everything an
Starlit Tales from a Nagano Tent Village
Nov 11, 2016 · 25 min
When the autumn leaves are at their finest, a huge tent village pops up in a valley in the Northern Alps in Nagano Prefecture. At night, lights inside these seemingly countless ten
Daycare Center in Fukuoka's Nightlife District
Nov 18, 2016 · 25 min
Nakasu in Fukuoka Prefecture is one of Japan's largest nightlife districts. Tucked away among the 2,600 dining and entertainment establishments, here is a daycare center open from
The Traveling Ballot Box
Nov 25, 2016 · 25 min
In October 2016, an unusual mayor election was held for Iitate Village in Fukushima Prefecture. A ballot box was taken on a journey to reach the villagers, who had evacuated to sca
Behind the Masks: Halloween in Roppongi
Dec 2, 2016 · 25 min
At the end of October, 20,000 people of all ages and nationalities descend on the main intersection of Tokyo's Roppongi district to join in the Halloween festivities. Their costume
From Okinawa to the World and Back
Dec 16, 2016 · 25 min
In the streets of Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, the air is filled with a dozen foreign languages as people dance the samba and hula in the "Worldwide Uchinanchu (Okinawan) Festival". A