On March 19th, Lexus will releases the longest documentary ever made — 60,000 hours of film that explores the art of Japanese craftsmanship in a world increasingly built by robots:
Made by Chef’s Table director Clay Jeter, the film looks at the Japanese concept of Takumi:
In the West it’s often considered that it takes 10,000 hours of study for the average person to become an expert in their subject. But in Japan you’re not considered a master of your craft until you’ve spent 60,000 hours refining your skills. That’s the equivalent of working eight hours a day, 250 days a year for 30 years.
Takumi: A 60,000-Hour Story on the Survival of Human Craft follows four Japanese artisans: a double Michelin-starred chef, a traditional paper-cutting artist, an automotive master craftsman and a carpenter for one of the oldest construction companies in the world.
The full 60,000-hour version loops scenes of each artisan repeating the essential skills of their craft over and over again, and will be released online through a dedicated Lexus website. A more reasonable 54-minute version will be available on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and iTunes on March 19th.