Document 72 Hours

Truck Stop: A Break on Life's Journey

Long-haul truckers work and even sleep in their vehicles. A truck stop near a major distribution hub in Kyushu offers drivers a meal, bath and place to relax during grueling journeys across Japan. Truckers taking a break here include a female driver who has decorated her vehicle into what she calls "her home", and 3 work buddies who meet every Friday to go drinking. A former businessman who says that the truck driving job was meant for him, drops in before setting off on a 1,200-kilometer journey. Driving is lonely at times, but at others it offers total freedom. For 3 days, we spoke to the drivers about their passion for the job and their trucks.
Aired: Jun 30, 2017 Genre: DocumentaryRating: 0 Country: Japan Production: NHK
Episodes
01: Lines and Lives at Airport Immigration02: A Cafe Awaits in Omiya03: The Melodies of a Street Piano in Miyazaki04: Beppu: A Century of Hot Springs05: At a park in Yokosuka with a view of warships06: Cheap Underwear: Searching for Warmth07: Wishing Upon Golden Kushikatsu08: A Walking Path Where You Can See Giraffes09: Welcome to Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong10: Tokyo's Crossroads of Life11: New Bags, New Beginnings12: Small Funerals in a Big City13: Mt. Kongo: A Climb to the Webcam14: Yoru no Mori: Sakura Tunnel15: Fabric and Buttons and Me16: I Tried Zen Temple Training17: The Secret Marriage Counseling Room18: The Daily Life of a Tokyo Mosque19: Jellyfish Wonderland20: Truck Stop: A Break on Life's Journey21: Thoughts and Reflections on a Rooftop Ferris Wheel22: Kitakyushu Kokura ‘100 Yen Bar’ Blues23: Giant Housing Complex: Hello and Goodbye at a Secondhand Shop24: The Elderly Care Facility with a View of the Sea25: Mountain Restaurant: Creating and Reliving Memories26: Summer Koshien: Another Youth27: Midsummer Akita: Longing for Baba's Ice Cream28: When a Man Shines His Shoes29: The Base Town Adult Rock Festival30: Born to be Wild: Motorcyclists' Road to Happiness31: Life Without a Smartphone32: Kyoto's Too Quiet Library33: Spain's Canary Islands: Tuna Fishermen's Short Vacation34: “See You Again at the English Conversation School35: Guest House: A 3,000 Yen Per Night Oasis36: Muscle Stiffness37: Printing Shop: Lives in Print38: Ogasawara Islands: Weekly Delivery Service39: Bento Tales from a Northern Fishing Town