Japan is a robotics superpower. There are approximately 300,000 industrial robots at work in Japan - that's more than any other country, and a quarter of the world total. Japan is also known for its cutting-edge humanoid robots, many of them featuring endearing designs reminiscent of anime characters. On this edition of Japanology Plus, our theme is robots. Our expert guest is Tomotaka Takahashi, a professor and renowned robot creator. And in Plus One, some amazing androids.

With just one plant in one pot, you can create your own personal vision of nature. This is bonsai. Although in Japan it's often regarded as a hobby for old men, bonsai's popularity is growing among younger people and women. On this edition of Japanology Plus, our theme is bonsai. We'll see how these living works of art capture a Japanese view of nature. Our expert guest is Minoru Akiyama, a young star in the world of bonsai growing. And in Plus One, bonsai...with action figures?