Season 9 (2018)

Traces of History: Exploring Around Hiroshima
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January 9, 2018 • 28m

Hiroshima is home to two World Heritage Sites, the Atomic Bomb Dome and Miyajima Island. Other buildings of architectural signific...Read more

Yokkaichi: Bringing Back the Skies
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February 6, 2018 • 28m

On this journey, we visit Yokkaichi in northern Mie, central Japan. This industrial city, with a population of just over 300,000, ...Read more

Tsubakuro-dake: New Year High Up in the Northern Alps
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February 13, 2018 • 28m

The Northern Alps, which has many mountains over 3,000-meters in height, is located in central Japan. It attracts many mountaineer...Read more

Oita: Rest and Recuperation, Onsen Style
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February 20, 2018 • 28m

Oita Prefecture in Kyushu is one of Japan's best known places for onsen - or hot springs. The city of Beppu is especially famous f...Read more

Fukuoka: City of Food and Flavor
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February 27, 2018 • 28m

Fukuoka is the largest city in southern Japan, and the political and economic hub for all of Kyushu. For more than a thousand year...Read more

Takada: Community and Tradition in Snow Country
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March 6, 2018 • 28m

Joetsu City in Niigata Prefecture is famous for its harsh winters and heavy snowfalls. Since the Edo Period (1603-1868), people he...Read more

A Winter Wonderland of Ice: Eastern Hokkaido
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March 27, 2018 • 28m

Every year from February to March, ice floes from Russia's Amur River float across the Okhotsk Sea to the shores of eastern Hokkai...Read more

Hachinohe: Warmth in Winter
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April 3, 2018 • 28m

In Hachinohe city, on the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, nature has not always been kind to the people. Rice cultivation has ...Read more

Makabe: A Promise of Spring
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April 10, 2018 • 28m

The charming old castle town of Makabe is located in the foothills of Mt. Tsukuba, not far from Tokyo. It flourished as a regional...Read more

Toyama: A Food Culture Rich in Umami
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April 24, 2018 • 28m

Kombu (kelp) seaweed has been an essential ingredient in the Japanese diet for over a thousand years. It is used to make the savor...Read more

Following a Samurai Tea Master
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May 8, 2018 • 28m

The distinctive style of pottery known as Oribe ware made its appearance in Japan towards the end of the 16th century. With its un...Read more

Okumusashi: Spring Forest Feast
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June 5, 2018 • 28m

Only 50 kilometers away from the capital the mountainous area offers historic scenery and gentle trekking courses. Local residents...Read more

Agano River: Green Foliage and Spring Rituals
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June 12, 2018 • 28m

The Agano River flows through northern Niigata Prefecture, about 200 kilometers to the north of Tokyo. It runs from snow-covered m...Read more

Ashikaga and Tochigi: Cultivating Nature and Tradition
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June 19, 2018 • 28m

In the old days, the cities of Ashikaga and Tochigi were post towns along the highway that led to the famous Nikko Toshogu Shrine,...Read more

Atami: The Spa Revival
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June 26, 2018 • 28m

Atami, in Shizuoka prefecture, is one of Japan's leading hot spring resorts and is only 45 minutes from Tokyo. The city, which has...Read more

Nikko: Contemplating Its Architectural Jewels
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July 3, 2018 • 28m

Nikko, which is a leading tourist destination in Japan, has long been venerated as a sacred place of mountain worship. It is home ...Read more

Tsugaru: Amateur Sumo, Indomitable Tradition
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July 10, 2018 • 28m

The Tsugaru area of Aomori Prefecture has long been known as one of Japan's top districts for developing sumo wrestlers. Since the...Read more

Tsuwano: Painted Past, Vividly Present
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July 17, 2018 • 28m

One hundred drawings portray the customs and scenery of 150 years ago. These scenes are still remarkably visible in the old castle...Read more

Remote Ojika Island: Portal to the Past
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July 24, 2018 • 28m

Tiny Ojika is part of the Goto Islands of Nagasaki Prefecture, which lies one thousand kilometers west of Tokyo. The population is...Read more

Misugi: Taking it Slow in the Mountains
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July 30, 2018 • 28m

The town of Misugi is located deep in the mountains of Mie Prefecture, central Japan. 90% of the town is covered with forests, and...Read more

Tobishima: Living Life on Island Time
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August 6, 2018 • 28m

The island of Tobishima lies off the coast of Yamagata Prefecture in the Sea of Japan. It is about 10 kilometers in circumference,...Read more

Yuki & Oyama: Neighbors with Interwoven Tradition
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August 14, 2018 • 28m

Yuki (in Ibaraki Prefecture) and neighboring Oyama (Tochigi Prefecture) are famous throughout Japan as the home of traditional han...Read more

Mt. Fuji: Climbing to the Sacred Realm
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August 21, 2018 • 28m

Mt. Fuji is the most famous peak in Japan. It is also a place of worship, and for centuries pilgrims have made their way to the su...Read more

Kita-Akita: Deep Connections with Nature
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August 28, 2018 • 28m

Kita-Akita City lies in the north of Akita Prefecture. It is a land of mountains and thick forests. The Akita Nairiku Line runs no...Read more

Okushiri Island: Secret Gem Off Hokkaido
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September 18, 2018 • 28m

Okushiri Island-about 84 kilometers in circumference-is located southwest of Hokkaido in remarkably blue and transparent waters. T...Read more

Totsukawa: A Spiritually Charged Place of Beauty
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September 25, 2018 • 28m

Totsukawa, in southern Nara Prefecture, is nestled deep in the mountains. The village's isolation from most of Japan for centuries...Read more

Iki: Island of Beauty and Promise
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October 9, 2018 • 28m

The island of Iki lies off the coast of Kyushu, facing out towards the Korean Peninsula. In ancient times, Iki was an important cr...Read more

The Lost Pirates of the Seto Inland Sea
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October 16, 2018 • 28m

The Seto Inland Sea in western Japan has been a major sea route since ancient times. The Geiyo Archipelago, of large and small isl...Read more

Kitayama Village: A Community with Unique Charms
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October 23, 2018 • 28m

Kitayama Village lies deep in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula in central Japan. It is a small village, with a population of abo...Read more

Mt. Gozaisho: Going Extreme
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November 6, 2018 • 28m

Mount Gozaisho is a popular tourist destination located on the border of Mie and Shiga prefectures, and easily accessible by car f...Read more

Fukuoka: A City of Two Faces
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November 13, 2018 • 28m

Fukuoka, the largest city in southern Japan, was a merchant town in ancient times that prospered with foreign trade. It gained two...Read more

Houki-cho: Preserving the Past for the Future
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November 27, 2018 • 28m

The Houki-cho district lies in the west of Tottori Prefecture close to the foot of volcanic Mt. Daisen. It has a population of aro...Read more

Kanazawa: A Legacy of Color
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December 18, 2018 • 28m

Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture developed as a castle town of the Kaga Domain under the Maeda Clan's rule. For about 300 year...Read more

Iriomote Island: A Small Piece of Paradise
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December 25, 2018 • 28m

Iriomote is 2,000 kilometers southwest of Tokyo in an ocean of corals. The subtropical island enjoys year-round temperature of ove...Read more