(317) The Making of Elevators

This edition of the series of programs explaining the technology used to produce items that are familiar in our daily life features 'Elevators'. An elevator incorporates various mechanisms to ensure that passengers and freight are carried safely. The four rails it runs on must be straight and distortion-free. The 'car' people ride in is an assembly of components made from large steel plates. The program introduces the rarely seen production process of electronic devices, such as the 'control panel' and the 'operation panel'.

(316) The Making of a Jersey Milk Candy

This edition of the series of programs explaining the technology used to produce items that are familiar in our daily life features 'a Jersey Milk Candy'. Jersey milk is milked from rare dairy cows called Jersey cows. Its milk contains high fat content and lots of proteins. This program introduces the production process of how boiled ingredients turn into a small candy, and answers to questions like why candy melts when put into mouth.

(315) The Making of a Pair of Sneakers

This edition of the series of programs explaining the technology used to produce items that are familiar in our daily life features 'A Pair of Sneakers'. To make the upper part of a sneaker, fabric is cut out into parts which are then sewn together. The sole is made of rubber. The upper part and the sole are bonded using rubber parts. Rubber containing sulfur is strengthened by adding heat and pressure in a process called 'vulcanization'. The program introduces the production of a pair of sneakers using the vulcanization process.

(314) The Making of Steel Balls

This edition of the series of programs explaining the technology used to produce items that are familiar in our daily life features 'Steel Balls'. A bicycle wheel spins smoothly because the wheel axle contains ball bearings. The steel balls inside the ball bearing must be close to perfectly spherical. The program introduces the production method of high-precision steel balls with a margin of error of less than 0.1 micrometers.

(313) The Making of a Railroad Car

This edition of the series of programs explaining the technology used to produce items that are familiar in our daily life features 'Railroad Cars'. A railroad car body, called 'the frame', is made by connecting aluminum alloy members. Various pieces of equipment are then installed inside this frame and the completed car is tested for about three weeks to check all the equipment before shipment. Besides the production process, the program introduces the wheels and the braking system.

(312) The Making of　Spaghetti and Macaroni

This edition of the series of programs explaining the technology used to produce items that are familiar in our daily life features 'Spaghetti and Macaroni'. The 'durum semolina' flour that is used exclusively for pasta is mixed with water in a mixer to produce dough, which is pushed out through a mold called a 'die', shaped, and dried. The program introduces the whole pasta-making process through to wrapping and shipping. From start to finish, the products are never touched by human hand.

(311) The Making of Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

This edition of the series of programs explaining the technology used to produce items that are familiar in our daily life features 'Toothbrushes and Toothpaste'. A toothbrush is made by mounting fine nylon fiber bristles on to a handle. The bristles are then cut in a zigzag shape and their ends are rounded. The program introduces the whole toothbrush and toothpaste production processes, including packing and filling tubes with toothpaste. From start to finish, the products are never touched by human hand.

(310) The Making of an Ice Cream Puff

This edition of the series of programs explaining the technology used to produce items that are familiar in our daily life features 'An Ice Cream Puff'. To produce an ice cream puff, the ice cream 'Mix' is first made and then added to baked puff shells, which are frozen instantly. How is the hollow formed inside the puff shells, and how is the mix added to the puff shells? The program presents the answers to questions like these.

(289) The Making of Chocolate

This series follows the technology used to make products we regularly come in contact with. In this episode we introduce chocolate. Chocolate is made from the cocoa bean grown in South America and Africa. Grinding beans that have been roasted for about one hour creates a gooey chocolate paste. Add ingredients like sugar, pour it into molds, cool it and solidify it, and now you have the chocolate that we're all accustomed to.

(271) The Making of Gold Leaf

This series follows the technology used to make products we regularly come in contact with, explaining its contents and related science and technology. In this episode we introduce gold leaf. In order to make the gold leaf easy to stretch, silver and copper is mixed with gold by melting it at 1,300 degrees Celsius. After the gold alloy is thinned by running it through rollers, it is placed between sheets of special Japanese washi paper, and then pounded and thinned out until it's thinned to a width of one ten-thousandth of a millimeter.

(269) The Making of Matcha and Bamboo Tea Whisks

This series follows the technology used to make products we regularly come in contact with, explaining its contents and related science and technology. In this episode we introduce bamboo tea whisks and matcha. To make matcha, tea leaves are grinded with stone mills. The tool used to stir matcha with hot water in a tea ceremony is called a bamboo tea whisk. The material used, a pliable type of bamboo, is split into very thin pieces. The ends are finally checked by hand for thinness.

(264) The Making of Candles

“The Making” series. This series follows the technology used to make products we regularly come in contact with, explaining its contents and related science and technology. In this episode we introduce candles. We cover two types of candles, Japanese candles, resistant to wind and producing little soot, and western candles, that can easily be made into different shapes. Japanese candles are made by applying wax found in the nuts of a Japanese wax tree, by hand. Western candles are made by melting paraffin, which comes from petroleum, and shaped in molds.

(263) The Making of a Hina Doll

This series follows the technology used to make products we regularly come in contact with, explaining its contents and related science and technology. In this episode we introduce the “hina” doll. The head master craftsman and hair master craftsman together make the head, and the dresser dresses the doll with a Nishijin weaved costume.