Chasing Life - First Season

I'M ANA CABRERA IN NEW YORK. THE PREMIER OF "CHASING LIFE"

BEGINS NOW. JAPAN.

IT'S ALWAYS FELT TO ME LIKE A LIVING, BREATHING ORGANISM WITH

EVERY SINCE I CAME HERE 30 YEARS AGO, I HAVE BEEN INTRIGUED BY

THE JAPANESE CONCEPT OF KI, THE LIFE FORCE THAT FLOWS THROUGH

OUR BODIES. THERE WAS A SENSE OF HARMNYONY

HERE THAT I FELT AND NEVER FORGOT.

BUT NOW THE STRESS OF THE MODERN WORLD IS THROWING THAT KI OUT OF

BALANCE. THEY RULED THE DEATH OF THE

24-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WAS DUE TO OVERWORK.

AND IT'S TRULY BECOME A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH.

ACCOUNT JAPANESE RECONNECT WITH THEIR ANCIENT TRADITIONS TO FIND

BALANCE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE? I WANT THE SAME THING YOU DO.

THE SECRET TO LIVING LONGER, HEALTHIER, AND HAPPIER.

BUT WHERE DO WE FIND IT? I'M CHASING LIFE.

MORNING RUSH HOUR. A SEA OF 40 MILLION COMMUTERS.

WHEN IT COMES TO WORKING HARD, THE INHABITANTS OF THIS ISLAND

NATION PUT THE REST OF US TO SHAME.

HOURS OF COMMUTING, LONG WORKDAYS, AND ENDLESS UNPAID

OVERTIME. THE RESULT?

LOTS AND LOTS OF STRESS. BUT WHAT DOES ALL THAT STRESS

MEAN FOR OUR BODIES? THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE STRESS

ITSELF. IT'S WHEN THE STRESS DOESN'T

STOP. THAT'S WHEN STRESS CAN TURN INTO

A DEADLY DISEASE. WHEN YOU'RE STRESSED OUT,

CHEMICALS LIKE ADRENALINE, COURT SOL FLOOD YOUR SYSTEM AND CAN

PUT A STRAIN ON YOUR HEART, WHICH CAN CAUSE ANYTHING FROM

ANXIETY TO A PANIC ATTACK. HERE IN JAPAN THERE ARE PEOPLE

WHO DIE FROM OVERWORK. THERE'S EVEN A NAME FOR THIS.

IT'S CALLED KAROSHI. I NEVER HEARD THIS TERM BEFORE.

I GUESS I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT A WORD LIKE THAT EVEN

EXISTS. I'M TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD

AROUND THIS CONCEPT OF WORKING YOURSELF TO DEATH, SO I'M

MEETING WITH A MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST WHO STUDIES

KAROSHI. FOR A DEATH TO BE RECOGNIZED

AS KAROSHI A WORKER HAS TO WORK OVER 100 HOURS OF OVERTIME.

THAT'S BASICALLY A 65-HOUR WORKWEEK, WHICH IS FLIGHTINGLY

CLOSE TO WHAT A LOT OF US WORK BACK HOME.

WHAT'S HANG HERE? I WAS IN MEDICAL TRAINING AND

THERE WERE TIMES YOU WORKED REALLY HARKED YOU MAYD.

YOU MAY BE WORKING 100 HOURS A WEEK, BUT THERE'S NO KAROSHI.

MY FATHER, FOR INSTANCE, WOULD WORK 160 HOURS OF OVERTIME

AT ONCE, BUT HE COULD DO IT PARTLY BECAUSE ECONOMICALLY

JAPAN WAS REALLY GOING UP. JAPAN'S DEDICATION TO THE JOB

CAN BE PARTLY TRACED BACK TO WORLD WAR II.

THE DEVASTATION REQUIRED MASSIVE RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS AND

EVERYONE HAD TO PITCH IN. IT PAID OFF FOR HER FATHER AND

MILLIONS OF OTHERS. BY THE 1960s, JAPAN WAS BEING

CALLED THE MIRACLE ECONOMY, THE SECOND LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

BY THE 1990s IT CAME CRASHING DOWN.

AND HARD. COMPANIES CUT EMPLOYMENT,

INCREASING THE PRESSURE ON WORKING MEN AND WOMEN.

NOW WORKERS FEEL THAT THEY HAVE TO PROVE THEMSELVES IN

ORDER TO HOLD ON TO THEIR POSITION.

THEY ARE WILLING TO TAKE MORE OVERTIME.

WILLING TO DO MORE WORK. SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS YOUR

WHOLE BODY AND YOUR MIND AS WELL.

THE GOTH RECENTLY PUBLISHED A REPORT THAT WORKERS IN 20% OF

THE COMPANIES HERE ARE AT RISK OF KAROSHI.

AGAIN, LITERALLY WORKING THEMSELVES TO DEATH.

IT'S STILL HARD TO COMPREHEND OW THAT HAPPENS.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER DIMENSION TO THE PROBLEM THAT'S DEEPENING THE

CRISIS, THE STIGMA OF TALKING ABOUT IT.

HER SON WAS 24 YEARS OLD AND

WORKING AT LEAST 100 HOURS OVERTIME MONTH OF MONTH AT A

TOKYO FIRM. IT STARTED TO TAKE IT TOLL.

I'M A FATHER. I HAVE THREE KIDS MYSELF, AND I

JUST WONDER, WHAT DO YOU DO AS A PARENT?

WHAT DID YOU TRY DO AS A MOTHER?

ONE NIGHT AFTER WORKING A STRAIGHT 22-HOUR SHIFT, KOTO WAS

DRIVING A HOME ON HIS MOTOR CYCLE.

HE CRASHED AND TRAGICALLY DIED. SHE BELIEVES IT WAS DUE TO

OVERWORK.

SHE IS NOW FIGHTING IN THE COURTS TO HAVE HER SON'S DEATH

RECOGNIZED AS KAROSHI. IN 2015 THERE WERE MORE THAN

1,400 LEGAL CLAIMS OF DEATH BY KAROSHI.

CAUSED BY HEART ATTACKS, STROKES, ACCIDENTS AND SUICIDE.

ONE HIGH PROFILE CASE BEGAN MAKING HEADLINES.

24-YEAR-OLD EMPLOYEE COMMITTED SUICIDE BECAUSE OF

OVERWORK IN DECEMBER. HER DEATH REIGNITED A

DISCUSSION ABOUT JAPAN'S WORK CULTURE OF EXCESSIVELY LONG

HOURS. I WANT TO KNOW - WHAT'S IT

FEEL LIKE TO WORK UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?

SO I FOUND A GROUP OF ACTIVISTS WILLING TO OPENLY SHARE THEIR

STORIES. WE AGREED NOT TO SHOW THEIR

FACES TO PROTECT THEIR IDENTITIES.

THE ORGANIZER OF THIS GROUP

TELLS ME HE WANTS TO PUBLICLY SHAME JAPAN'S BLACK COMPANIES,

EMPLOYERS WHO PUSH THEIR WORKERS TO THE BREAKING POINT.

WHAT'S IT GOING TAKE TO CHANGE THINGS HERE IN JAPAN?

BLACK COMPANIES, KAROSHI, STRESS, IT'S CLEAR SOMETHING IS

OUT OF ORDER HERE IN JAPAN AND I'M

MORNING CAL STENICES HAVE BEEN PRACTICED BY WORKERS IN

JAPAN FOR OVER 80 YEARS. I TOTALLY GET THE NEED TO

I LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE I'M CONSTANTLY ON CALL.

WHETHER JETTING ACROSS THE GLOBE COVER THE NEXT MEDICAL EMERGENCY

OR THE DEMANDS OF MY WORK AS A TRAUMA NEUROSURGEON.

I LOVE WHAT I DO SO MUCH BUT I DON'T ALWAYS FEEL IN CONTROL.

THAT'S PROBABLY MY BIGGEST SOURCE OF STRESS.

HERE PEOPLE ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO UNWIND AND

DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES.

SMASH ROOMS. CRYING.

ADULT SWADDLING. AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGMENT, I'M

GOING TRY TO LATEST TREND. THOSE ARE REAL OWLS.

THIS IS ONE OF AT LEAST TEN OWL CAVES IN TOKYO, WHERE CUSTOMERS

GET TO UNWIND BY WATCHING, PETTING THESE BIRDS OF PREY.

I'M NOT SCARED OF A LOT OF THINGS BUT BIRDS CREEP ME OUT A

LITTLE BIT. THESE ARE RAPTORS.

THESE CUTE LITTLE GUY WILLS RIP YOUR EYES OUT IF THEY COULD.

SOMEHOW THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO MELT AWAY YOUR STRESS.

LIKE THIS? OKAY.

HE'S TIED TO ME, GREAT. GAIA.

HER NAME IS GAIA? OKAY.

GAIA. BE NICE, GAIA.

PERHAPS THE OWL IS REALLY CUTE AND THEREFORE IT'S SUPPOSED TO

RELIEVE YOUR STRESS. ALL I SEE IS A BIRD OF PREY.

I FEEL LIKE IT'S LOOKING AT ME RIGHT NOW.

I'M HOLDING AN OWL. ITS NAME IS GAIA.

I CAN FEEL THESE SHARP TALL ALONES SLOWLY START TO PENETRATE

MY GLOVE. OH, JEEZ.

NOT RELAXING AT ALL. THERE'S GOT TO BE A SIMPLER

WAY TO RELIEVE STRESS THAN BEING ONE WITH THE OWLS, SO I'M

JOINING A GROUCH JOUNGYOUNG PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE HEADING

OUT OF TOWN. WHAER ABOUT TO DO SHINRIN YOKU.

FORTH BATHING REALLY JUST MEANS SPENDING TIME IN NATURE, BUT THE

JAPANESE TAKE IT VERY SERIOUSLY AND HAVE SPENT MILLIONS

RESEARCHING THE BENEFITS. IT'S BECOME SO POPULAR THAT A

QUARTER OF THE POPULATION HAS GIVEN IT A TRY.

SHINRIN YOKU IS FAR MORE SCIENTIFIC THAN I WOULD GUESS.

IT STARTS WITH A COUPLE OF TESTS SO WE HAVE A BASELINE FOR

MEASURING OUR STRESS LEVELS. THE MOST COMMON IS BLOOD

PRESSURE. YOU THINK YOUR NUMBER IS GOING

TO BE HIGH? PRETTY HIGH?

YOU GOT CALM DOWN. ANOTHER STRESS INDICATOR,

SALIVARY SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS.

IT'S A HORMONE PRODUCED BY YOUR ADREENLE GLAND.

WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER? 37.

MY NUMBER IS 134. THAT'S PRETTY HIGH.

I'M EITHER EXCITED OR STRESSED.

OKAY. LET'S DO A LITTLE EXERCISE.

STRETCH YOUR BODY LIKE A TREE. BEFORE WE DIP INTO THE

FOREST, THE RANGER PUTS US THROUGH A QUICK WARMUP.

OKAY, LIKE MAJOR LEAGUER ICHIRO SUZUKI.

IS THIS IT? ARE WE FOREST BATHING NOW?

YES. OKAY.

WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE SO STRESSED IN JAPAN?

PEOPLE LIVING IN TOKYO IN THE LIFE OF HUSTLE AND BUSTLE, THEY

WORK TOO HARD, SO THEY ARE VERY TIRED.

YOU KNOW, KAROSHI, OVERWORKING DEATHS.

DOES FOREST BATHING REALLY STEAM HELP?

I THINK SO. YEAH?

YEAH. IT SHOULDN'T COME AS A

SURPRISE TO ANYONE THAT BEING IN NATURE IS GOOD FOR YOU.

WHEN YOU'RE OUTSIDE YOU'RE BREATHING IN THE AROMA OF THE

FOREST YOU'RE EXPOSING YOURSELF TO PHYTONCIDES.

THE AFFECTS CANS LAST FOR A MONTH.

TEVIN OCCASIONAL WALK IN THE WOODS CAN DO YOU A LOT OF GOODS.

NOW RELAX YOURSELF. CLOSE YOUR EYES.

INHALE FROM YOUR NOSE. SEVEN SECONDS.

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN.

STANDING IN THESE MOUNTAINS, I FEEL COMPLETELY RELAXED.

HUMANS EVOLVED IN NATURE, SO IT MAKES SENSE THAT OUR NERVOUS

SYSTEMS RESPOND TO NATURAL CHEMICALS.

THE AROMA OF THE FOREST. BUT CAN IT REALLY BE THAT

SIMPLE? IT'S TIME TO FIND OUT.

YOU FEEL MORE RELAXED? YEAH.

IMPROVE A LITTLE? MINE IMPROVED A LITTLE BIT.

MINE DID TOO. I SHOULD COME HERE EVERY

WEEKEND. MY CORTISOL LEVEL CAME DOWN

TO 89 FROM 134. HI HEART RATE

SO TOKYO-ITS GET A CHANCE TO UNWIND SIMPLY BY ESCAPING THE

CITY, BUT PEOPLE LIVE WHERE THEY LIVE AND WORK WHERE THEY WORK.

HOW DO YOU FIND BALANCE INSIDE WITH YOUR KI?

TO FIND OUT, I'M VISITING SHUHOL TANANUCHI.

HE'S A MASTER ACUPUNCTURIST. HE'S A HIGHLY RESPECTED TEACHER.

HE ALSO CAN'T SEE. I THINK LIKE MOST PEOPLE I WAS A

LITTLE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT ACUPUNCTURE IS PERFORMED BY

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND. HOW DID THIS START FOR YOU?

50 YEARS, WOW.

SHOULD I BE NERVOUS AT ALL? TRAINING THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

TO WORK WITH NEEDLES DATES BACK TO THE 17th CENTURY.

TODAY NEARLY 20% OF JAPANESE PRACTITIONERS ARE BLIND.

WHEN ONE OF OUR SENSES IS LOST, THE BRAIN REWIRES ITSELF, OFTEN

ENHANCING OUR OTHER SENSES LIKE TOUCH.

PRACTITIONERS LIKE HIM ARE KNOWN FOR BEING SKILLED AND HIGHLY

PERCEPTIVE. HE TELLS ME HE CAN SEE RIVERS OF

KI RUNNING IN MY BODY AND WHERE THEY'RE DISRUPTED.

I DO. YOU ZEROED IN ON PROBABLY MY

BIGGEST COMPLAINT. LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHEN I'M

STRESSED I TEND TO HOLD THAT TENSION IN MY NECK AND

SHOULDERS. IS IT TRUE, YOU THINK

ACUPUNCTURE CAN REALLY HELP ME WITH MY STRESS?

IT'S AMAZING HE'S BLIND YET

HE SEEMS TO HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER EVERYTHING.

HE'S JUST FOUND THIS SPOT THEY

FORGOT THAT I HAD. A LITTLE PAIN IN MY RIGHT LOWER

LEG. HE FOUND IT AND IS NOW RELEASING

THE KRKI, THE BAD KI. I FEEL MY HAND GETTING WARM.

IS THAT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN? IS MY HAND SUPPOSED TO GET WARM?

WITH THIS GOOD KI BEGINNING TO FLOW, HE MAKES HIS WAY BACK