About
This program visits places across Japan to introduce the charms of their local daily life and festivals fostered by the nation's long history.
Seasons
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Season 12
Season 13
Episodes
Season 1
Kyoto: Coloring the Season
Kariyasu, kuchinashi, and moegi -all are Japanese words for colors. The Japanese language has a lot of words for expressing subtle tints. Many have their origin in Kyoto and are still very much alive in the speech of the former capital. Historians suggest the Japanese did not make such rigid color distinctions in ancient times but the change began when imports arrived from China and Korea, and the Japanese sensitivity to color then blossomed as a variety of new tints were produced here as well.
Kakunodate: Stories of Old Families
Kakunodate is the "Little Kyoto" of Tohoku, a castle town and popular tourist destination where the streets are lined with traditional-style buildings dating from the Edo Period (17th to mid-19th century). We meet people who adhere to the old ways of life, such as descendents of an old samurai family who still dwell in the Ishiguro Manor, a centuries old samurai house now open to public, and a lady descended from the Satake Kita clan that once ruled Kakunodate. The town is liveliest during the autumn festival when great floats are made to clash against each other in the parade. The bearers need power, courage and skill to triumph. We recorded the lives and traditions of samurai, merchant, farmer and lordly families on a 6 month sojourn in a place where distinctive old customs are still very much alive.
Spirited Away to Tono
The folklorist, Kunio Yanagita, wrote his "Tono Monogatari" (Tales of Tono) about a century ago. The book related how mysterious beings such as the kappa river goblins, the zashikiwarashi child spirits, mountain gods and ghosts had their willful way, reporting the events as eye-witness accounts and present-day happenings. It led its readers - mostly dwellers of the plains facing the first waves of modernization - to the psychological heart of the humble Japanese people, hemmed in as they were by mountains and rivers. Today, though, 100 years later, what has become of those old beliefs in the amazing creatures and gods described in the book? We follow the lives of people in Tono for a year, from their faith in the tutelary Oshirasama gods made from staves of mulberry wood to the rites of the Bon Festival of the Dead, rediscovering the old Japanese ways of thinking and reverence for the things that surpass human powers.
Japanese Towers, Memories Past and Present
Towers that reach to the skies. Towering tourist attractions around the country have precursors in the stupas of Buddhism. Since the late nineteenth century, they have been built as windows on the new age and symbols of local pride. The Japanese still love towers that pierce the heavens. We report on the people and local stories of Japan's towers, including the Tokyo Sky Tree that opens on May 22nd, 2012, discovering insights to the Japanese people's religious belief, love of their birthplace and also construction skills.
Matsushima: Islands of Beauty and Prayer
The beautiful islands of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture are known as one of the three great scenic spots of Japan. The view of the more than 260 islands dotting the placid waters was left amazingly unspoiled even by the Great East Japan Earthquake last year.
Suwa: A Celebration Down Through Time
Suwa was a center of culture in Japan in the Jomon period before rice cultivation arrived. It is said that in those ancient times, too, people transported many great tree trunks for erection at their sacred places in much the same way as we see at the Suwa shrines today. The environment was harsh and life and death so close for the people of Jomon times. Their spirit lives on in Suwa today. We introduce people who preserve a faith at the roots of Japanese prayer.
Niyodo River: Living with Japan's Clearest River
With its glass-like translucency, the River Niyodo on Shikoku is renowned for possessing the clearest water in Japan. 124km long, it has its source in the highest mountains of Western Japan and, swelled by many tributaries, flows out eventually into the Pacific Ocean. The river supports rich plant- and wildlife and has also nurtured a distinctive river-based culture for the people who live among the sounds of the flowing water. On the upper reaches, there are cherry blossoms in spring and then the fishermen arrive when the sweetfish season opens in early summer. The children love to leap into the water from the highest possible boulders. Nearer the mouth, there is a town that flourished making tengujoshi, the very thinnest Japanese paper (washi) of all. We meet a young craftsman who has inherited the techniques from his forebears and still proudly makes paper beside the Niyodo today. Crystal-clear waters and riverine scenery... we depict the people and places of this great river.
Mt. Fuji
Mt. Fuji is Japan's highest peak at 3776m. Its magnificence and beauty have impressed the Japanese over the millennia. Climbers flock there each night once it has been formally opened for climbing in July each year and walk up to witness the dawn at the summit. Mt. Fuji is more than a symbol of beauty to the Japanese - it represents the greatness of nature and is also an object of mystical faith. In stunning pictures, we introduce the various faces of Mt. Fuji through the four seasons, the sacred, ethereal scenery and the words of people whose lives have revolved around the mountain over the years. Discover the allure of the mountain that has gripped the minds of Japanese people for thousands of years.
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