Season 14 (2023)

Nagoya: Exploring with Insiders
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January 3, 2023 • 28m

The city of Nagoya is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and the hub of Japan's third largest metropolitan region. Located midway bet...Read more

Ozu: Castle Town Looking to the Future
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January 17, 2023 • 28m

Ozu lies in the heart of Ehime Prefecture surrounded by unspoiled forested mountains. Ozu Castle stands in the center of the old t...Read more

Kyushu: On the Trail of Shoyu
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January 31, 2023 • 28m

Shoyu, or soy sauce, is a condiment at the heart of Japanese cuisine. In Kyushu it evolved into an array of flavors and aromas wit...Read more

Yasugi: Discoveries Along the Iron Road
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February 7, 2023 • 28m

Jonathan Senior discovers Japan's iron history in Yasugi, a transport hub from long ago. He learns about the old clay tatara furna...Read more

Matsue: The World of Wagashi
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February 14, 2023 • 28m

Matsue, in Shimane Prefecture, is renowned as a center for wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets). Around the 18th century, more th...Read more

Kochi: Into the Luminous Darkness
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February 28, 2023 • 28m

John Moore travels into the darkness and light of Kochi Prefecture, taking in paintings by lantern and night fishing by flickering lights.

Winter Along the Mogami River
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March 7, 2023 • 28m

The Mogami River is one of the most important waterways in northern Japan. It runs for 229 kilometers through Yamagata Prefecture,...Read more

Live Long, Live Well in Northern Nagano
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March 14, 2023 • 28m

Nagano Prefecture, surrounded by beautiful nature, has some of the longest life expectancies in all of Japan. What's behind this? ...Read more

Akita, Yamagata, Niigata: The Textiles and Traditions of Winter
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March 21, 2023 • 28m

Akita, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures are known for their bitterly cold winter weather, with very heavy snowfall. In the old day...Read more

Sapporo: Ski Mountaineering Tradition
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April 11, 2023 • 28m

In Hokkaido Prefecture, the sport of ski mountaineering has a long history. Making your way up into the mountains is possible when...Read more

Rambling Around Secluded Yanbaru
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April 25, 2023 • 28m

Yanbaru is an area in the north of Okinawa Prefecture's main island. Covered by subtropical evergreen forest, it is home to a dive...Read more

Onomichi: Vistas, Cats and Steep Hillsides
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May 2, 2023 • 28m

Onomichi lies on the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture, overlooking the tranquil Seto Inland Sea. Because there is very little flat la...Read more

Tobishima Kaido: Taking It Slow on Golden Isles
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May 16, 2023 • 28m

The Tobishima Kaido is a network of bridges linking seven Seto Inland Sea islands. The route starts in Shimo-kamagari near Kure in...Read more

With Isabella Bird — Part 2: On the Road to Tsugawa
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June 6, 2023 • 28m

British explorer and writer Isabella Bird arrived in Japan in 1878, a mere 10 years after the country opened its doors to the West...Read more

On the Sugar Road from Nagasaki to Saga
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June 13, 2023 • 28m

The Nagasaki Kaido Road connects the port of Nagasaki Prefecture, the only point open to overseas trade during Japan's period of i...Read more

Nibutani the Ainu, Living with Kamuy
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June 27, 2023 • 28m

The Ainu people are the indigenous people of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan's northernmost main island. They developed their own disti...Read more

The Wild Life in One-of-a-Kind Amami
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July 4, 2023 • 28m

Amami Oshima Islands, designated as a Natural World Heritage site in 2021, is home to rich biodiversity, including many endemic sp...Read more

Amami Oshima: Beauty in the Rain
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July 11, 2023 • 28m

Amami Oshima Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture receives one of the largest amounts of rain in Japan. Its rainy season, which runs fr...Read more

Owase: City of Abundant Rain
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July 25, 2023 • 28m

The city of Owase, in Mie Prefecture, is known as one of the rainiest places in Japan and the people living there have developed t...Read more

Discovering the Wonders of Iya Valley
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August 15, 2023 • 28m

Deep in the mountains of Shikoku lies Iya, which is home to a few small settlements. The steep, narrow and misty valley is the stu...Read more

Tsuruga Castle, Where the Past Meets the Present
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September 19, 2023 • 28m

Tsuruga Castle in the city of Aizuwakamatsu (Fukushima Prefecture) played a decisive role in Japan's transition from the feudal sa...Read more

Gujo-Hachiman: Dancing the Night Away
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September 26, 2023 • 28m

The Gujo Odori, one of Japan's largest Bon dances, is a spectacle with the scores of revelers, as well as the live festival music ...Read more

With Isabella Bird — Part 3: On the Road to Yamagata
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October 31, 2023 • 28m

British explorer and writer Isabella Bird arrived in Japan in 1878, a mere 10 years after the country opened its doors to the West...Read more

Koyasan: In Pursuit of Enlightenment
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November 7, 2023 • 28m

Koyasan, in the mountains of Wakayama Prefecture, is a sacred site of Shingon Buddhism. It was founded by the visionary monk, Kuka...Read more

From Ise to the Source of the Sacred River
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November 14, 2023 • 28m

The Miyagawa River originates in the pristine heights of Mount Odaigahara, in the center of the Kii Peninsula, and flows down to I...Read more

The Soaring Dragons of Chichibu
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November 28, 2023 • 28m

Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture is a charming, rustic spot not far from Tokyo. It is known for its hundreds of annual festivals. Th...Read more

Kyushu: On the Shoyu Trail: Nagasaki – Kumamoto – Miyazaki
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December 5, 2023 • 28m

Soy sauce, or shoyu, is one of the essential seasonings that underpin Japanese cuisine. In Kyushu (southwestern Japan), various ty...Read more

Handa: Savoring a Canal City's Delights
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December 12, 2023 • 28m

Handa City, in Aichi Prefecture, is known for its brewing industry and festivals with towering floats. Jennifer Julien, a wine pro...Read more

Yakushima Awakenings
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December 26, 2023 • 28m

Yakushima, off Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, is a magical island of primeval forest, rare micro-climate and pristine nature. It ...Read more