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.

With Isabella Bird: On the Road to Nikko

Tochigi: Destinations of Timeless Calm

Midsummer with the Ancestors: Wakasa Town

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.

Yamanobe no Michi: Strolling Back Into the Past

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.

Hamamatsu: From Local Expertise to Global Renown

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.

Matsusaka: Legacy of Samurai, Merchants, Artisan

JAPOW. It's the incredibly fluffy and abundant powder snow that attracts skiers from all over the world. This time, we take you backcountry for floating down thrilling terrain in Hokkaido, Nagano, Niigata and Aomori Prefectures.

JAPOW Magical Backcountry Ski Tour

Since the old days, many festivals have been held across Japan to mark the changing seasons and reflect the agricultural cycle. Most autumn festivals are an expression of gratitude for the harvest, and celebrate the return to the mountains of the god of the fields. Winter festivals take place in the off season. And spring festivals are held before the start of farming work, to pray for their crops. In this episode of Journeys in Japan, we revisit 3 festivals held from fall to early spring — festivals that usher in the beginning of spring.

—Festivals— A Harbinger of Spring

Since ancient times, people in Japan have felt a profound veneration for the bedrock of their land. Quarried and mined, this rock has been skillfully used to create the stone walls of castles and buildings. It is also the base material for statues carved as an expression of religious faith. And in some places, there is a strong belief in the spiritual power of those forms in stone. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, we travel to 4 sites — in Okayama, Tochigi, Oita and Aomori Prefectures — to discover this deep, mysterious relationship.

Hearing the Silent Voice of the Bedrock

On this episode, we look back at our architecture features and pick up some wondrous, inspiring shapes and their place in the landscape. In Hiroshima Prefecture, the Itsukushima Shrine literally sits on the ocean. In Kagawa Prefecture, an island dedicates itself to art and architecture. And in Nagoya, a merchant's residence, which inspired a world-renowned architect, has been preserved. Let's unravel their secrets.

Eyeing Architectural Wonders

In the third of our programs introducing Japan to active wheelchair travelers, Ryoko Nakajima and Shizuka Anderson explore Nagasaki City. 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 episode of Journeys in Japan, Ryoko and Shizuka explore the city, conquer the challenging terrain and pray for peace.

Nagasaki: City of Hills and Hope

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.

Eternally Radiant Himeji Castle

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. 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. In this episode of Journeys in Japan, Michael Keida visits Maniwa to explore the history and the future of Japan's wood culture. (Excerpt)

Maniwa: Living from the Forest

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.

Breathing New Life into Iwaki

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.

Exploring the Mudflats of the Ariake Sea in Saga

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.

Yamagata: Communing with the Living and the Dead

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.

Suzuka: City with a Racing Circuit

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.

Iriomote: Pursuing the Elusive Jungle Cat

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.

Shinhama, Sendai: A Green Sea Wall for the Future

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.

Tamba-Sasayama: Inn to the Heart of a Village

We look at Okinawa Prefecture through its stunning textiles. The island chain is a treasure trove of "somemono" (piece-dyed cloth) and "orimono" (thread-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.

Okinawa: Weaving Culture

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.

Peak Pleasure in the Northern Alps

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.

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. In 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.

Spirited Away to Tono

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.

Hakone Hachiri: Highway Back in Time

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.

Kumamoto: Castle Town Loves Its Past with Eye on the Future

Journeys in Japan provides an eye-opening look at the many unique places to visit in Japan. English-speaking visitors travel the length of the country, exploring the culture, meeting the local people, visiting historic sites and offering travel hints rarely found in guidebooks.

With Isabella Bird: On the Road to Nikko

Seasons17

Season 13 Episodes25

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