As Japanese tea grows in popularity around the world, more and more people from overseas are being drawn to a plantation on the outskirts of Kyoto. From a base in Wazuka, an area famed for high-quality ujicha tea, Akihiro Kita runs a business that sells to 65 countries around the world. The firm uses online content, seminars, and a 3-month intern program that offers the chance to get hands-on experience of tea-picking and tasting to spread the appeal of Japanese tea around the world.

With Japan's population aging, around 2 million adults now use diapers, and incontinence management is a major burden for many elderly citizens and their carers. We follow the work of professional carer Yoshimi Ui, who is developing a bed sheet equipped with odor sensors and wireless technology to automatically monitor discharge within a patient's diaper. By relaying regular updates to carers, this revolutionary device removes the need to regularly check a patient's undergarments directly.

To many in Japan, industrial waste disposal carries an image tarnished by practices such as illegal dumping. Since inheriting her family recycling business aged 30, Noriko Ishizaka has overseen reforms intended to transform the firm's reputation. A new eco-friendly plant, an employee training drive, superb recycling technology and a commitment to regreening have won praise in Japan and overseas, and earned the trust of local residents. We follow this company's change from pariah to paragon.