Lunch ON!

Episode 1

Monthly Pork Soup at the Waste Management Company

The workers at a waste management company in the city of Niigata, Japan, all look forward to the pork soup day that comes around once a month. Office worker Ms. Horikawa cooks this soup for the men who go out every morning, despite any weather. They gather garbage from more than 100 collection points, scattered across the city. The soup not only warms up the workers' bodies, but their hearts as well. In another segment, we visit a factory in Osaka that produces windows and doors. The factory hires Vietnamese interns. 3 times a week, the company president's mother-in-law cooks staff lunch for all workers. And she does so with a hint of Vietnamese cuisine, to treat the interns with a taste of home.

Episode 2

Lunchtime for the Bus Tour Guide

We tag along with a bus tour guide in Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan, to see what her job is all about and also what she does for lunch. While the tourists are busy enjoying local delicacies, the veteran tour guide often orders delivery lunch and has it with the bus driver. In another segment, photographer Satoru Abe visits a factory in Ibaraki Prefecture, central Japan that produces 100 thousand utility poles every year. Inside the factory, we get an in-depth look at the skilled craftsmanship that makes it possible to create safe and reliable poles. When it's lunchtime, we take a look at the homemade bento lunch people bring from home.

Episode 3

Japanese Lunch Session in Okinawa

Episode 4

Catch-and-Eat Lunch of the Underwater Photographer

Ryu Uchiyama, who lives in Wakayama Prefecture, south of Osaka, Japan, is an unusual type of underwater photographer, as he specializes in shooting freshwater wildlife. He's loved rivers since he was a child, and today, he spends over 6 months every year diving in rivers. Since the best time to take photos is around noon, when the sun is directly overhead, Mr. Uchiyama always has lunch past 2 o'clock. But before he eats, he goes into the river again to catch his lunch. In another segment, we visit the Wakayama Electric Railway's Kishigawa Line. The feline stationmaster of the line's Idakiso Station does an excellent job of charming customers. When the train company's employees have lunch, they always discuss new ideas to vitalize the areas around their line.

Episode 5

Lunch in the Dark at the Patent Office

The patent office in Japan receives more than 300 thousand patent applications every year, and those applications are reviewed by examiners. There are about 1,900 examiners, and each one goes through about one application a day. Although the job is naturally tough, as it demands a thorough understanding of some very scientific and technical things, the examiners seem to be enjoying their job. In fact, they enjoy it so much that they get together to watch technology-related videos during lunch break a few times a month. In another segment, we visit the Minato City Hall in Tokyo. As we hang around in the cafeteria, we get to talk to city hall employees of various sections, each with different tasks.

Episode 6

Lunchtime for the Fire Knife Dancers

Episode 7

Barrel Crafters at the Whisky Distillery

Episode 8

The Pineapple Farm on Ishigaki Island

We go to Ishigaki Island of Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan, to visit a pineapple farm. The island's pineapple farming industry once flourished, but today, it is faced with tough competition. However, the pineapple farmer we meet keeps producing tasty pineapples. Harvesting the fruits under the scorching sun is extremely hard work, but the farmers keep going as they hydrate themselves with the juicy pineapples they grow. When they sit down for lunch, we see the farmers all eat a unique local specialty. In a different segment, photographer Satoru Abe visits a mosquito coil plant in Wakayama Prefecture, which is located south of Osaka. For 120 years, the plant has produced mosquito coils, and although many of the production processes are today automated, there are still some things that are done the old-fashioned way: with gentle human hands. And at lunchtime, the break room is full of smiles and delicious-looking bento lunches.

Episode 9

Staff Lunch at the Insurance Company

Episode 10

Lunchtime for the Wheat Harvesters

Episode 11

The Unique Staff Cafeteria at the Publishing Company

We visit the staff cafeteria of a publishing company in Tokyo, where every day, lunch is prepared for 280 employees. Although the cafeteria only offers the very inexpensive daily special, it comes with a variety of all-you-can-eat side dishes. The hungry employees can't help themselves from piling on huge portions on their plates, and many testify that the cafeteria has made them gain weight. In another segment, we visit a plant near Tokyo that produces traditional Japanese socks called tabi. An 18-year-old rookie is now training to master the most difficult part of the sewing process, as the plant feels the urgent need to pass the skill down to the youngest generation. The rookie lady makes her own bento, and so does her coach, who is 40 years older than her.

Episode 12

First Task of the Afternoon at the Cattle Ranch

Episode 13

Rookie Girl at the Tombstone Shop

Episode 14

The Salesman at the Harbor

Episode 15

Cafeteria Debut for the Rookies

Episode 16

Staff Lunch at the Manga Comic Studio

Episode 17

First Afternoon Task of the Interior Renovators

Episode 18

The Factory That Makes Rice Ball Machines

Episode 19

The Magazine Editor's Test Dish

Episode 20

The Last Hearty Lunch

Episode 21

Warm Lunch for the Snow Sculpture Artists

Episode 22

The American Sake Brewer

Episode 23

Lunchtime for the Specimen Specialist

Episode 24

First Afternoon Task of the Interior Renovators

Episode 25

Staff Lunch at the Cookware Shop

Episode 26

Lunch at the Aquarium

Episode 27

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Cooking Contest

Episode 28

The Monthly Barbecue at the Tire Service Shop

Episode 29

The Magazine Editor's Test Dish

Episode 30

Lunchtime at the Cardboard Box Manufacturer

We go to Kawaguchi City, near Tokyo, to visit a company that boasts the biggest share of cardboard boxes in Japan. Cardboard boxes come in a variety of types, as different clients demand different features. Designers at the packaging technology department work restlessly to develop boxes, but when they get hungry at lunchtime, they eat heartily at the cafeteria. In another segment, we go to Fukuoka Prefecture, southwest Japan, to meet a group of men who are farmers by day and handball players by night.

Episode 31

Number One in the Cafeteria

We visit a major information services company near Tokyo Station. And come lunchtime, we go to their cafeteria to investigate who or what is number one in a variety of categories. Who gets to the cafeteria first? Which meal is the most popular? And who is the last to come to the cafeteria? In a different segment, we go down to Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, to see how a seaweed called mozuku is farmed and harvested. For lunch, the fishermen eat homemade, tasty mozuku rice balls on their boat.

Episode 32

Staff Lunch at the Cookware Shop

Episode 33

The 79-year-old Hunter

Episode 34

Three's a Crowd for Hot Pot Lunch

Episode 35

Lunchtime for the Sauce Magnate

Episode 36

Salad Lunch for the Pastry Makers

Episode 37

Employee's Lunch by the Company President

Episode 38

Silent Lunchtime at the Auto Race Academy

Episode 39

Food Pro Power Lunch

Episode 40

The Chef of the Art University Cafeteria