Atsunori Kawamura

The Tibetan Book of the Dead remains an essential teaching in the Buddhist cultures of the Himalayas.

Narrated by Leonard Cohen, this two-part series explores ancient teachings on death and dying and boldly visualises the afterlife according to Tibetan philosophy. Tibetan Buddhists believe that after a person dies, they enter a state of "bardo" for 49 days until a rebirth. Program 1, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life documents the history of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, tracing the book's acceptance and use in Europe and North America. Program 2, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation observes an old Buddhist lama and a 13-year-old novice monk as they guide a deceased person into the afterlife.

This documentary delves into the origins of the “soup of life” made by chef and essayist Yoshiko Tatsumi, which she originally created as a nourishing food for her bed-ridden father. Tatsumi, a popular TV personality (Kyo no Ryori) and writer, works with local food producers to ensure the most wholesome ingredients, and shares her wisdom and experience in popular cooking classes held at her home.

A documentary exploring all fourteen panels of The Battle of Okinawa, painted in the 1980s by husband-and-wife artists Iri and Toshi Maruki. Known for their searing anti-war works such as The Hiroshima Panels and The Nanjing Massacre, the Marukis spent six years in Okinawa gathering testimonies from survivors and visiting former battle sites. Their paintings confront the brutality of ground warfare while honoring the Okinawan belief of nuchi du takara — “life is a treasure.” Directed by Atsunori Kawamura.

Tsuneko Sasamoto and Takeji Muno are 101-year-old journalists. Sasamoto writes about accomplished people both famous and unknown. Her photographs have always reflected ever-changing times, vividly depicting women during and after WWII. Muno, an extraordinary journalist, resigned from his newspaper job on the day Japan lost the war, out of remorse for writing pro-war articles. He left Tokyo for his hometown and founded "Taimatsu (Torch)" to keep his journalism alive. At 101 Sasamoto claims her life is ongoing. Muno says he’s at the pinnacle of his life. We have a lot to learn from their optimism.