Japan documentaries 2018 episode 1/15: The old house – free for everyone – News

teasers

Crowdfunding for the 2022 Japan documentary is underway. On this occasion, we are gradually making the 15 episodes of the Japan documentaries 2018 freely available in 1080p. Episode 01: The old house.

Since 2018, the Japan documentaries 2018 were only available to crowdfunders and buyers. We are now releasing the 1080p versions free for everyone (however, the making of is subject to a fee). If you like them, join the crowdfunding for the Japan documentary 2022 – and get all 2022 episodes for the special price of €10 (only until the start of travel!).

If you want, you can also Buy 2018 documentaries in 4K, including numerous extras. Also the extra-long Making Of (Episode 16)

In the first episode of Japan documentaries 2018, Jörg stayed in an old Japanese house. Although he calls it “apartment building” in the opening credits, he actually means “multi-generational house” – because what seems so large and spacious is likely to be put into perspective very quickly when it is occupied by at least parents, children and grandparents…

The house is by no means a tourist hotspot, but a completely normal, older domicile in the middle of a somewhat sleepy residential area in the Adachi district in northern Tokyo. Jörg leads you through the rooms, tries out typical Japanese specialties such as futon (a thin sleeping mattress) or kotatsu (a table top that is placed on a large, warm blanket, which in turn hangs over a heating plate). But there are also those that are directly related to the “old” in the old house – such as the virtually non-existent insulation or the not necessarily completely harmless (or quiet) kerosene heaters. Jörg also draws the (video) comparison to a modern Japanese apartment.

fun fact: Just the night Jörg arrived in Japan (and stayed in the old house), i.e. at the end of March, it got pretty cold in northern Tokyo. Just imagine staying in a tent and you’re about the same temperature as the old house. Jörg woke up shivering after midnight, let the loud air conditioner blare upstairs in the bedroom while he hung in the living room, half comatose, under the covers of the kotatsu, with a jacket over his shoulders. In the middle of the night he didn’t dare to use the kerosene heater because, despite the drafty indoor climate, he was still worried that he might accidentally die from carbon monoxide poisoning. The fact that you see him lying fully clothed on the futon in the documentary is not only for aesthetic reasons for the video, but also corresponded to the icy truth. By the way: The morning shower was a special thrill: water heated by a gas boiler, no heating in the bathroom, no door, but a large, non-closable hole (probably intended for ventilation) in the outer wall.