Hometown Stories S06E26 · Cakes on Wheels

Overview

Takashi Aramoto has been selling his cakes by bicycle for 30 years in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The 62-year-old has no problem riding well over 20 kilometers a day to bring the baked goods to his customers. Rain or shine, brutal winter or scorching summer, Takashi is hard at work. As a result, he's built up a faithful clientele who love his cakes and respect his work ethic. In return, he's loyal to them, including those who lost everything in the disastrous Kumamoto earthquakes in 2016. We'll head out to discover the source of his power and motivation.

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1. 1 1. Melody of Daisen2017-01-29Mt. Daisen, a peak in central Japan, is celebrating its 80th anniversary as a national park. 5th and 6th graders at the Daisen Elementary School took recording devices and video ca
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3. 3 3. Our Waves, Our Dreams2017-02-26At the southern end of the Kujukurihama coastline in Chiba Prefecture is Ichinomiya, one of Japan's top surfing spots, and home to many surf devotees. Here, local teenagers take to
4. 4 4. Misako's All-Night Diner2017-03-04In Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture is a little diner that opened shortly after World War II. 70 years on, it's still going strong, 24 hours a day. The owner, 91-year-old Misako Mi
5. 5 5. Looking Back, Moving On2017-03-26More than 5 years after the tsunami caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake swept away thousands of homes, physical evidence of the communities that existed before the disas
6. 6 6. The Calligraphy Boys2017-04-09In Japan, where calligraphy is mainly a girls' pastime, a group of students at an all-boys school belongs to a calligraphy club. Classmates call them nerds, and have labeled them "
7. 7 7. Designs on Life2017-04-16Takahiro Endo is a 28-year-old architect working in Ishinomaki in northeast Japan. As the city takes shape again following the 2011 tsunami and earthquake, Endo dismantles, designs
8. 8 8. Another 'Home': A Boy Traces His Roots2017-04-23In the years before and after World War II, some 400,000 people emigrated from Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan, including a man who moved to Bolivia. His descendants include a
9. 9 9. Shoeshine Star2017-05-07Gaku Sato opened his own shoeshine shop at age 22. With his sharp fashion sense and a chic shop decor, he is exploring a new, stylish image for the shoeshine trade. Sato believes t
10. 10 10. The Three Grannies' Cookie Challenge2017-05-14How do you revitalize a hamlet with only 3 grannies? By hand-made cookies! This is a story of how 3 hard working grannies all over 86 take on a challenge of coming up with a new pr
11. 11 11. Pioneer Villages: Forgotten Postwar History2017-05-21Before and during World War II, 270,000 Japanese relocated to Manchuria in China, which was controlled by Japan. After the war, the Japanese government created settlements, where r
12. 12 12. Wrestling with a New Job2017-06-04This time we meet a member of staff working behind the scenes for a women's pro-wrestling promotion in Sendai, northeast Japan. Sendai Girls' Pro-Wrestling or "Senjo", as it is kno
13. 13 13. Sharing Life Together: An 81-Year-Old Caregiver2017-06-11In graying Japan, a growing number of elderly people living alone require nursing care at home. Yukiko Senpuku, 81, is a sought-after homecare helper in Osaka who brightens the liv
14. 14 14. Grandma's Picture Cards2017-06-18They say giving opens doors. And one grandma knows that well. 80-year-old Hiroko Sogo makes picture cards with simple, warm illustrations and thoughtful messages. When people find
15. 15 15. Kasuga Taisha: A Divine Shrine for Daily Life2017-07-02From ancient times, Japan's imperial court and shogunate have supported and protected Kasuga Taisha in Nara Prefecture as a means of praying for national peace and security. Known
16. 16 16. Island of Compassion2017-07-16The remote island of Nasake is a sanctuary for children forced to live away from their parents because of poverty, abuse, and other problems. But this spring, their foster home was
17. 17 17. A Hands-on Designer2017-07-23Katsunobu Yoshida is a 28-year-old graphic designer who makes leaflets, posters and logos by hand, avoiding computers whenever he can. He draws inspiration from elderly locals who
18. 18 18. What Brought You to Hiroshima?2017-08-06In May 2016, Barack Obama made a memorable visit to Hiroshima -- the first sitting US president to do so. That year, a record number of foreign tourists came to the city, the large
19. 19 19. Carving out a New Path with Wood2017-08-13Yuki Sakaguchi, 28 years old, once led a busy city life working for an international company, but this left him feeling exhausted and ill. He made up his mind to go back home to To
20. 20 20. The High-Rises We Build2017-08-20A construction boom in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is changing the face of Japan's capital. The unsung heroes of this transformation are the skyscraper construction worke
21. 21 21. Countdown to Business Lift-off!2017-09-10Takahiro Inagawa, 29 years old, heads a start-up company that is developing low-cost rockets. He and a staff of 13 are creating small rockets to carry miniaturized satellites into
22. 22 22. Our Town's Bookstore2017-09-17Rumoi in northern Japan was once a flourishing town, but economic stagnation and a shrinking population have taken their toll. 7 years ago, Rumoi even lost its last bookstore. But
23. 23 23. One Heart, One Beat2017-09-24For years, the Kodo Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble has been spreading the magic of Japanese "taiko" drumming to the world. It's a small group made up of 30 members. This spring, 9
24. 24 24. Hooked on a New Fishing Career2017-10-01Susumu Hidaka, 29 years old, is a fisherman in training. He is learning the trade from a well experienced master in a fishing port in Cape Sada on the western tip of Shikoku Island
25. 25 25. Our Flower Field2017-10-22Back when flower nurseries covered its slopes, Shishijima in western Japan was known as "flower island". Today it's home to only about 20 people, including 82-year-old Takako Takas
26. 26 26. Cakes on Wheels2017-10-29Takashi Aramoto has been selling his cakes by bicycle for 30 years in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The 62-year-old has no problem riding well over 20 kilometers a day to bring the b
27. 27 27. A Journey in Design2017-11-05Tomohiko Yukihashi, 28 years old, is a clothing designer based in Beppu city in southwest Japan. For more than 3 years he'd been driving about the country, calling himself the "tra
28. 28 28. Joining Hands with Newcomers2017-11-12Recently, a growing number of foreign investors have been opening inns and hotels in a two-century old hot spring resort town in Japan. They've been successful largely due to the f
29. 29 29. Like a Trusty Garden Hoe2017-11-19Tetsuyo Ishii, 97, is the oldest person in Minogo, a mountain town in western Japan. Her secret to staying alert and active is to remain "rust-free", like her trusty garden hoe. Sh
30. 30 30. A Passion for Fashion2017-12-17Ayumu Shimokuni, better known as Muyua, is a shop assistant and a star in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku district. The 19-year-old works at a used-clothing store popular with teenage girl
31. 31 31. Hitoshi's Bento Shop2017-12-24On Japan's Amami-oshima island, 29-year-old Hitoshi Ijuin runs a small lunch box shop. Many of his customers are elderly and live alone. The village has no supermarket or convenien
32. 32 32. Finding My Way on the Okugakemichi2017-12-31This program follows people who, facing difficult times, have flocked to a World Heritage Site in Japan to try to turn their lives around. The setting is the Omine Okugakemichi, a