This week's "Sunday Big Special" (TV Tokyo; tonight, 7 p.m.) revisits six families it has featured in the past on its occasional "Back to Nature" specials. These programs explore the burgeoning self-sufficiency movement by profiling families that have given up the rat race and moved to isolated rural areas where they grow their own food. The main theme is "dreaming is easy, making it reality is difficult."
The greatest success story of the six is the Ohashi family, who moved to the mountains of Nagano from Tokyo in 1991. Mr. Ohashi specifically wanted to learn how to make furniture, but without an initial income in Nagano, the family also had to grow its own food.
Mr. Ohashi has not only learned his craft well, he has progressed to the point where he now has his own apprentice. In addition, the family vegetable garden has grown to include more than 30 different crops. They also make their own soy sauce and miso paste. The most interesting development, however, may be the eldest Ohashi boy, who has become the local repairman. The self-taught teenager can fix anything, from furniture to electrical household appliances.