Journeys in Japan

One of Japan's oldest roads, the Yamanobe no Michi runs about 25 kilometers along the foot of the mountains in the Nara basin, linking Sakurai and Nara Cities. Agriculture prospers along the route, which is also dotted with many significant shrines and ancient burial mounds. Michael Keida, an American actor who also farms, heads down the southern stretch, visiting historical places and meeting people who live close to the land.

The city of Hamamatsu lies in Shizuoka Prefecture, midway between Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture. Since the old days, the area has thrived as a key point on the route connecting eastern and western Japan. Nowadays it is known as a hub for manufacturing. Many companies in Hamamatsu started off as small factories but have now grown into global brands, especially in the fields of motorcycles and musical instruments. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, we visit some of these companies, to spotlight their remarkable level of craftsmanship.

Matsusaka City of Mie Prefecture is famous for its premium Matsusaka Beef. In the Edo period (1603-1868), it prospered as a merchant town owing to its location on the pilgrimage route to nearby Ise Shrine. Various goods, information and people concentrated here, eventually producing Japan's leading merchants. Lena Yamaguchi from Germany explores Matsusaka where traces of the castle and merchant town remain.

In the third of our programs introducing Japan to active wheelchair travelers, Ryoko Nakajima and Shizuka Anderson explore Nagasaki Prefecture. It is one of the hilliest cities in Japan, with more than 40% of it built on hillsides. They find a community with deep religious faith and also dark memories of war. They meet with an atomic bomb survivor, and also 2 singers from Ukraine. On this edition of Journeys in Japan, Ryoko and Shizuka explore the city, conquer the challenging terrain and pray for peace.

Himeji Castle is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century castle architecture in Japan, with its main keep intact for 4 hundred years. For its soaring elegance and color, it is fondly called the White Heron Castle. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, we introduce not only the beauty and history of Himeji Castle, but also the culture and tradition of the town surrounding it.

Around 70 percent of Japan's landmass is covered by forest, and this has given rise to the country's distinctive wood-based culture. Nowhere is this more visible than around Maniwa, in northern Okayama Prefecture. For centuries, this area has been one of Japan's leading producers of timber, with extensive plantations devoted to Sugi (cedar) and hinoki (cypress) trees covering the surrounding mountains.

Wood merchants from all over the country gather in the historic Katsuyama district in the center of Maniwa, to attend the timber market held 3 times a month. In the old days, the logs used to be transported by boat down the Asahi River, and the former loading wharf can still be seen. The traditional townscape in Katsuyama has changed little over the past 2 centuries, and many shops line the scenic streets, each with its own traditional Noren shop curtain dyed from hinoki bark.

The town has also come up with creative new ways for using its timber. Wood chips generate electricity in a biomass power plant. And cross laminated timber (CLT) panels have been developed as an all-natural building material for contemporary architecture. In this episode of Journeys in Japan, Michael Keida visits Maniwa to explore the history and the future of Japan's wood culture.

Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture has been making steady progress in its reconstruction efforts since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck 11 years ago. But catches of seafood have not recovered to pre-disaster levels. Also, the city's mountainous districts have faced rapid depopulation. These days, young people in the city have been taking matters into their own hands. They are working hard to revive communities, driven by their passion to try something new while preserving tradition. On this episode, Ebony Bowens goes up to Iwaki to meet some of these bold individuals.

The Ariake Sea borders lies in the northwest of Kyushu, bordering on 4 prefectures: Nagasaki, Saga, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto. Its huge tidal range, as much as 6 meters, is the largest in Japan. Low tide reveals massive mudflats stretching out some 7 kilometers from the shore. This ecosystem is home to some very unusual creatures, and since the old days it has provided a rich bounty of seafood for the local people. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, we explore this unique environment, its history and culture.

Japan's indigenous belief called Shinto worships 8 million deities. Its imported Buddhism addresses the afterlife. Throughout the ages, people have turned to different gods for different occasions. On Journeys in Japan, we encounter rare religious objects venerated in the Murayama region of Yamagata Prefecture.

The Suzuka Circuit is one of the most famous racing tracks in all Japan. For that reason, Suzuka City (Mie Prefecture) is often known as the "City of Motorsports." The area is also a hub for engineering and manufacturing, especially in the field of motorsports. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, Jennifer Julien from France visits Suzuka and discovers that it also has a long history of traditional craftsmanship.

A father and daughter head to Iriomote, the largest of the Yaeyama Islands far away in southwestern waters. Covered 90% by subtropical jungle, its rich ecosystem earned the World Natural Heritage site status in 2021. The duo is on a quest to encounter its famous, endemic Iriomote cat. Along the way, they kayak, hike, snorkel and meet wonderful people connected to the island's nature.

Along the shoreline of northeast Japan, a 400-kilometer sea wall has been built to protect people living in the region from future tsunami disasters. In the coastal community of Shinhama, Sendai City, this sea wall is already being transformed into a sand dune, with plants starting to grow over it. For countless generations, people in Shinhama have coexisted with the seafront environment. Although the massive tsunami of 2011 devastated their area, the natural environment has started to recover at a speed that has surprised the experts. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, Catrina Sugita from Switzerland, visits Shinhama to meet the local residents and to find out why nature has rebounded so strongly in this area.

If you venture up north from Hyogo Prefecture's castle town Tamba-Sasayama, you will arrive in a picturesque village from another time. This is Maruyama, which until recently faced extinction, but was reborn as a village inn. On this journey, Canadian hotelier Vincent Ng explores the village, meeting its residents and discovering the story of its revival.

We look at Okinawa Prefecture through its stunning textiles. The island chain is a treasure trove of "somemono" (thread-dyed cloth) and "orimono" (piece-dyed cloth). The subtropical climate nurtures diverse plants, offering an abundance of fibers and natural dyes. Okinawa was a maritime trading hub in Asia for hundreds of years, ushering in sophisticated culture and advanced techniques, which in turn nurtured distinctive fabric styles. In this episode of Journeys in Japan, we discover this cultural legacy.

One of the attractions of hiking in the mountains of Japan is the chance to experience the thrill of traversing. Japan is one of the few places in the world where hikers have the opportunity to walk along ridge lines connecting mountain peaks at high altitude. A major factor that has boosted the popularity of hiking in Japan is the presence of mountain huts along major trails. Because they supply bedding and food, people can traverse the mountains for several days at a time without needing to carry heavy camping equipment with them. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, Hayashi Emiri follows one of the finest trails in all Japan — traversing the Jonen Mountain range in Japan's Northern Alps — together with Hirakawa Yoichiro, a mountaineer and guide with extensive experience. As well as enjoying the breathtaking views, she also discovers how the mountain huts have coped during the coronavirus pandemic.

The town of Wakasa-cho lies on the coast of Fukui Prefecture, looking out on the Sea of Japan. In the old days, the town thrived as a key hub on a highway connecting the region with Kyoto. Each year in August, a traditional dance known as Rokusai Nenbutsu is performed by people in this town. The ceremony, which dates back over 700 years, is held to mark the midsummer Obon holiday, when the ancestors are believed to return to their former homes. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, rakugo artist Cyril Coppini meets the local people who are keeping alive this tradition, to ensure that generations to come will continue to welcome the spirits of their forebears.

Isabella Bird explored Japan in 1878, a mere ten years after the country had opened its doors to the West. She was accompanied by just one young man who served as both her interpreter and attendant. Unbeaten Tracks in Japan is her highly praised travelogue of that journey. Riki Ohkanda, a media personality well versed in Japanese culture, follows a length of the route that Isabella traveled from Yokohama to Nikko.

Lake Chuzenji lies in the highlands of northwest Tochigi Prefecture, above the city of Nikko. Thanks to its altitude, it became a popular summer resort for foreign embassy officials during the Meiji Period (1868-1912). One of the first to discover its beautiful scenery was Ernest Satow, a British diplomat and linguist who had a major influence on Japan as it opened up to the world. Satow built his villa on the lakeshore, and often visited in search of recreation and relaxation. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, Alfie Goodrich explores Lake Chuzenji in the guise of Ernest Satow. He visits some of the locations that Satow would have known, and also travels to other areas in Tochigi where modern-day approaches to recreation and relaxation have taken root.

Tono is the setting for the Legends of Tono, often dubbed the Grimms' Fairy Tales of the East. The book, compiled by leading folklorist Yanagita Kunio about 110 years ago, consists of the wondrous folktales Yanagita heard from Tono-native Sasaki Kizen. On Journeys in Japan, Jonathan Senior travels north to Iwate Prefecture and a remote hamlet where the pages of the Legends of Tono come to life.

For centuries, the ancient Tokaido highway was the most important road in all Japan. It linked Kyoto, the emperor's capital, with Edo, the city of the shoguns, now known as Tokyo. These days, the old road has mostly been paved over for modern traffic. But there's still a long section where visitors can walk along the original route. Known as Hakone Hachiri, it runs between Odawara (in Kanagawa Prefecture) and Mishima (Shizuoka Prefecture) and it offers many glimpses of the history and traditions of Japan's feudal period. Visitors will see the original stones paving the road; giant cedar trees lining the route; a centuries-old tea house; traditional crafts shops; and hot springs where weary travelers still stop to ease their aching legs. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, Michael Keida discovers many reminders of old Japan, while hiking along Hakone Hachiri.

Kumamoto Castle was built by the feudal lord Kato Kiyomasa. The construction began in the late 16th century and was completed in the 17th century. Designated as a National Special Historic Site, it is also known as Ginnan Castle (ginkgo castle) because of a great ginkgo tree near the main tower. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, James Lambiasi explores the legacy of the sprawling castle, meeting local people and learning about the reconstruction efforts after the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake.