I watched this 13-part series shortly before visiting Japan in 1990. Each episode, hosted by Dick Cavett, profiles a Japanese person from a different walk of life: journalist, fashion model, doctor, shipyard worker, soldier, assistant director, puppeteer apprentice, etc., resulting in a cross-section of Japanese life.
The series is more than 20 years old, which probably accounts for its unavailability in video or DVD. This is sad. Much about Japan has NOT changed since the 1980s (for example, the phenomenon of the 'ronin', or students who have failed their college entrance exams), and 'Faces of Japan' offers striking glimpses at many facets of Japanese society.
If you are planning a trip to Japan, the series is well worth looking for. I happened to see the series on videos that happened to be on loan to our town library in the few months before my visit. They haven't returned. I guess I was just lucky.