In the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture lost 30% of its civil servants, the highest proportion for any affected municipality. The local government was blasted for its handling of the crisis, and bereaved families were left with painful questions. For a long time, most employees who lived through that day remained silent. Then, the town publishes a record of the disaster that includes first-hand accounts by surviving workers. For a community struggling to find closure, this could be a turning point.

For Japan's aging apple farmers, finding someone to succeed them is a struggle. In Hirosaki City, a community in Japan's leading apple-producing prefecture of Aomori, more than 500 growers have called it quits over the past 5 years. Now, one man is on a mission to change things. Takahashi Satoshi is working to help farmers pass on their precious orchards to a new generation. He calls it "connecting" the trees to a successor. Teaching aspiring farmers all the required skills isn't easy. But Satoshi is hopeful that his efforts will bear fruit.