Producers: Exploration Production Inc.

Day two of Daily Planet Goes to Japan conquers the mysteries of the natural world – from snow to space – then goes high-tech and test-drives the latest in electric cars. Highlights include: Snow fence – At the Nagoaka Institute of Snow and Ice Studies scientists study severe snow and ice disasters. Subaru Telescope – Ivan Semeniuk, Daily Planet’s astronomy expert, visits Japan’s largest astronomical observatory. Eliica car – Find out what makes the electric Eliica car work. Kobe earthquake – Learn how engineers at Japan’s Building Research Institute are using data from the devastating 1995 Kobe earthquake to prevent buildings from collapsing in a future quake. Ai, the counting chimp – Meet the professor who has been working with Ai, a counting chimpanzee for 25 years. The Science of Sake and virtual studio.

Stillwell and Ingram go quintessentially Japan – but with a scientific twist, of course. Highlights include: Text messaging. Sushi delivery. Kimonos – Stunningly beautiful silk kimonos are traditional Japanese clothing. Sumo – Daily Planet studies the science of sumo. Pedestrian Dummies, a Talking Robot and 3D animation.

From satellites to the space station – the lengths scientists will go to gather data to enlighten the world around us is in the spotlight of today’s episode. Highlights include: Earth Simulator – One of the fastest computers on earth and as large as four tennis courts. Japanese astronaut, Android Science, Reassembling Robot, Tokyo Design, HDTV, Macaques and “Akihabara” (Electric City – Tokyo’s electronics shopping district).

Daily Planet Goes to Japan winds up with a look at what makes the earth move and sushi that only looks good enough to eat. Highlights include: Earthquake Science – Japan lies in one of the most active earthquake regions of the world. Smart Car – Buckle up! Asteroid mission – Semeniuk follows an ambitious Japanese space mission to chase an asteroid. Anime – We visit Production IG, the anime house that produced Ghost in the Shell .Stone Play.Plastic Sushi – This “Behind the Scenes” segment examines how plastic food is made for sushi displays.