Will this discovery reverberate around the world?! The "N-Spec Egypt" team
General / Prologue to air in March 2024 / An unknown space is discovered in the Pyramid of Khufu through "X-ray vision." We get a glimpse into its interior. The latest episode, "New Discovery! Secrets of the Pyramid and the Royal Family," is scheduled to air on August 19th. Actor Masato Sakai will be the host.
We are continuously producing programs in which we install "X-ray devices" packed with Japanese science and technology in Egyptian pyramids and view the insides of the pyramids like an X-ray.
The results of the investigation were published in the scientific journal Nature, making it international news. Long-term international scientific investigations are full of problems, but they can be overcome with the romantic desire to unravel the mysteries of the pyramids.
A dual wielder of photography and diving! A diving photographer enters underwater caves and sunken ships
General / Broadcast on May 10, 2025 / NHK will attempt to film a gigantic underwater cave beneath Minamidaito Island, located about 360 km east of the main island of Okinawa. The new NHK Special, "A Giant Cave Sleeping in the Deep Ocean: The Amazing Underwater World of Minamidaito Island," is scheduled to air on August 24th.
I am in charge of all underwater filming. NHK is the only Japanese TV station with a diving team. When filming, we work in pairs, sharing the filming and lighting duties. We have developed our own waterproof camera housing.
In order to work as a diving team member, you must undergo three weeks of training, and specialized training is required to enter more dangerous areas, such as depths of 40 meters or more. Thanks to this, there have been zero fatal accidents in the diving team's approximately 60-year history.
There is no correct answer other than on time. The timekeeper of "Kohaku"
"NHK Red and White Song Battle"
General TV / Broadcast every New Year's Eve / National music program. It began on radio in 1951 and on television in 1953. The first three times it was held at the beginning of the year. The highest audience rating ever was 81.4% in 1963. The overall record is 34 wins for the Red Team and 41 wins for the White Team.
My job is to keep track of the progress of the program and keep it within the time limit. I use a stopwatch to measure the length of the segments and VTRs, counting down the seconds, and sharing the details of the show with the staff and performers as they go. When I first started, even the staff would ask me, "What kind of job are you doing?" (laughs).
At "Kohaku," unexpected situations are inevitable, such as talks going on for too long or problems with transitions. Flexible responses and a trusting relationship with the staff are essential.
Don't stop filming even if there's an eruption!? Volcano photographer chasing Nishinoshima
General / Broadcast on August 23, 2015 / A new land mass has been created on Nishinoshima Island due to the eruption of an undersea volcano that continues to spew out unprecedented amounts of lava. Together with leading scientists, we explore the eruption patterns, vegetation, and waterfowl habitats.
The film uses 4K cameras and the latest drones to continuously record the changes in Nishinoshima, a volcanic island in the Ogasawara Islands, and the research being carried out by researchers.
I've photographed many polar regions and remote areas up until now, but Nishinoshima is special in that it's constantly at risk of eruption. It requires the judgement to choose the right frame and the quick thinking to be able to escape at any time. Of course, I kept the camera rolling when I escaped.
Finding a single point in a vast space: A recording engineer for classical music programs
E-TV / Every Sunday from 9pm / A classical music appreciation program focusing on concerts by orchestras such as the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Also includes artist interviews that delve deeper into the appeal of the performances. Sound is 5.1 surround.
My job is to place the microphones in the right places and adjust the recording levels while mixing. In particular, I adjust the main microphone, which determines the final result, by a few centimetres during rehearsals.
Within a tight schedule, we search for the perfect spot in the vast space of the concert hall. We place great importance on reproducing the musical score written by the composer as sound and expressing the music created by the conductor.
A photographer who even develops equipment to capture plant growth
NHK Special "Super Theory of Evolution (1) 'Messages from Plants: The Amazing World that Colors the Earth'"
General / Broadcast on November 6, 2022 / A large-scale series that uses beautiful images to introduce "new evolutionary stories" revealed by cutting-edge science. The first installment is about plants. There is also a drama starring Masato Sakai, Akihiro Tsunoda, and Toshiyuki Nishida. Time lapse is also a big hit!
In addition to working as a photographer, he also develops his own equipment, such as a time-lapse system for capturing indoor footage of plant growth.
To prevent the plants from growing in unintended directions due to the lighting used for photography, we developed a system that controls the timing of three things: the lighting for growing the plants, the lighting used for photography, and the camera shutter. This was an event that allowed us to put our many years of experience into practice.
