Season 4 (2011)

Mochi Rice Cake
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January 13, 2011 • 28m

Mochi, a glutinous dough made from steamed rice, is a favorite food among the Japanese. At least two people are required to make m...Read more

Watches and Clocks
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January 20, 2011 • 28m

Episode 2 of Season 4 premiered on January 20, 2011

Fugu Blowfish
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January 27, 2011 • 28m

Episode 3 of Season 4 premiered on January 27, 2011

Haneda Airport
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February 3, 2011 • 28m

Episode 4 of Season 4 premiered on February 3, 2011

Kagura Dances
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February 10, 2011 • 28m

Episode 5 of Season 4 premiered on February 10, 2011

Snow
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February 17, 2011 • 28m

Around 20 million people live in Japan's "snow zone," where a single winter brings at least five meters of snow altogether. Japan ...Read more

Pollen Allergy
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March 3, 2011 • 28m

Episode 7 of Season 4 premiered on March 3, 2011

Sashimono Woodwork
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March 10, 2011 • 28m

In Japan, traditional wooden furniture is assembled without using a single nail. Advanced sashimono joinery techniques have been p...Read more

Cranes
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April 7, 2011 • 28m

Cranes have been revered throughout Japan since ancient times. Forming almost inseparable mating pairs, cranes are a symbol of har...Read more

Kitchen Knives
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April 14, 2011 • 28m

Knives for culinary purposes have been made in Japan for centuries, using a technique perfected by Japanese swordsmiths. The blade...Read more

Fishing
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April 21, 2011 • 28m

People of all ages have long been drawn to Japan's seas, rivers, and lakes to enjoy fishing. Over the centuries, the Japanese have...Read more

Armour
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April 28, 2011 • 28m

Japanese armour was developed to offer protection from spears, arrows, and swords, while allowing agile movement on rough terrain ...Read more

Judo
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May 5, 2011 • 28m

Judo is practiced by around eight million people in 199 countries and regions, making it the most widely played sport that was dev...Read more

The Life of Taro Okamoto
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May 12, 2011 • 28m

Taro Okamoto was Japan's leading avant-garde artist of the 20th century. His memorable phrase "Art is an explosion!" became a well...Read more

The Life of Osamu Dazai
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May 19, 2011 • 28m

Osamu Dazai (1909-48) was one of Japan's preeminent modern novelists. Born in wealthy circumstances that he later rejected, Dazai ...Read more

The Life of Kenzo Tange
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May 26, 2011 • 28m

Kenzo Tange laid the foundations of modern architecture in Japan. On August 6, 1945, the day the U.S. detonated an atomic bomb ove...Read more

The Life of Hideko Maehata
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June 2, 2011 • 28m

As a child, Maehata studied traditional swimming techniques passed down from the days of the samurai. At 18, competing in the 200 ...Read more

Toilets
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June 9, 2011 • 28m

Japan is famous for its high-tech toilets with water spray functions and lots more, and toilet technology continues to evolve in u...Read more

Lifts
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June 16, 2011 • 28m

Japan leads the world in building ever-faster and ever-quieter lifts, or elevators. In 2004, Japan's long history of engineering k...Read more

Motorcycles
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June 23, 2011 • 28m

Japan is the largest producer of motorcycles in the world. It has proudly held this title since 1960. Today, Japan produces all si...Read more

Unagi Eel
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June 30, 2011 • 28m

Japan is the world's number one consumer of eels, or unagi. Grilled, glazed unagi ranks alongside sushi and tempura as one of the ...Read more

Japanophiles - Ilan Yanizky
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July 7, 2011 • 28m

This month, we present a special talk-show series called Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in Japan...Read more

Japanophiles - Silvain Guignard
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July 14, 2011 • 28m

This month, we present a special talk-show series called Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in Japan...Read more

Japanophiles - Stéphane Danton
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July 21, 2011 • 28m

This month, we present a special talk-show series called Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in Japan...Read more

Japanophiles - Dorothy Feibleman
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July 28, 2011 • 28m

This month, we present a special talk-show series called Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in Japan...Read more

Plastic Food Samples
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August 18, 2011 • 28m

In Japan, scrumptious looking dishes like marbled beef, spaghetti, and fluffy omelets often sit in restaurant windows tilted at gr...Read more

Insects
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August 25, 2011 • 28m

Japan is home to over 30,000 insect species, and insects are a familiar part of Japanese life. For centuries, staging battles betw...Read more

Traditional Japanese Mathematics
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September 1, 2011 • 28m

Imagine that you have two equally-sized square sheets of paper. How would you cut each sheet of paper so that the pieces could be ...Read more

Bicycles
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September 8, 2011 • 28m

In Japan, more and more people are riding bicycles to go shopping, to commute, for exercise, and for leisure. Gunsmiths pioneered ...Read more

Chusonji
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September 15, 2011 • 28m

In June 2011, the structures and artifacts of Hiraizumi, a town in earthquake-devastated Iwate Prefecture, were collectively decla...Read more

Seaweed
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September 29, 2011 • 28m

From time immemorial, Japan has reaped the bounty of the sea that surrounds it. Fish, yes, but just as important is seaweed. It's ...Read more

Charcoal
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October 6, 2011 • 28m

For centuries, charcoal was a key resource in everyday Japanese life, and it is still used in a great variety of ways today. For J...Read more

Rain
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October 13, 2011 • 28m

Japan gets a lot of rain, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Rain falls year-round in Japan, but differs from season to sea...Read more

Golf
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October 20, 2011 • 28m

Japan loves golf. The number of golfers in Japan is around 10 million - 1 in every 13 people. But playing golf in Japan can be exp...Read more

Shipbuilding
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October 27, 2011 • 28m

Japan is a shipbuilding superpower. About one-fifth of all the world's ships are made here. From advanced luxury cruise ships to g...Read more

Japanophiles - Bruce Huebner
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November 3, 2011 • 28m

This month, we present a special talk-show series called Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in Japan...Read more

Japanophiles - Noelke Muho
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November 10, 2011 • 28m

This month, we present a special talk-show series called Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in Japan...Read more

Japanophiles - Matt Alt
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November 17, 2011 • 28m

This month, we present a special talk-show series called Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in Japan...Read more

Karaoke
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November 24, 2011 • 28m

Karaoke is one of Japan's best-known forms of entertainment. You choose your favorite songs and sing along anyway you like. There ...Read more

Holidays
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December 1, 2011 • 28m

The world sees the Japanese as workaholics. Believe it or not, Japan has the most public holidays in the industrialized world. But...Read more

Red Sea Bream
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December 8, 2011 • 28m

The red sea bream is one of Japan's favorite fish. People have been eating it since ancient times. Long considered a lucky fish, r...Read more

Shopping Streets
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December 15, 2011 • 28m

From food to clothing to daily necessities, you can find anything you need at a Japanese shopping street, a long road lined with a...Read more

Chickens and Eggs
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December 22, 2011 • 28m

The chicken was long regarded as sacred in Japan. Today, the bird has lost that mystique, but it remains an essential part of Japa...Read more