Season 3

The process starts with a single sheet of metal. By hammering it becomes a beautiful saucepan form. Toshikazu Himeno, age 58, is the artisan who inherited the technique in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The more it's pounded,…

Catching tiny fish only a couple of centimeters in size called Tanago, or Japanese bitterling, is a passion shared by some fanatical Japanese anglers. Fumihiko Nagatani, a sushi chef with 40 years of experience catching…

Lake Biwa is the largest body of fresh water in Japan. There's a town, Harie in Shiga Prefecture, on its northwestern shore, with a constant sound of water. Canals run throughout the town, as if to surround each house. …

Like all famous movie spies, the ninja had a wide array of spy tools at their disposal, and the Shinobi Rokugu were 6 tools that were considered essential for any mission. These include the Yatate, Inro, Uchitake, Sanja…

Well-versed in astronomy, biology and other fields of natural science, the ninja used their knowledge of botany to create both poison and medicine. Poison's portability and efficacy made it an ideal weapon, and we'll us…

In winter, men and women sheltered in strange shell-like tents patiently wait on the frozen surface of a picturesque mountain lake in central Japan. They come for Japanese pond smelt, a fish as marvelous to look at as i…

The ninja had 2 modes of operation: Innin and Yonin. Innin covered assassinations, sabotage and other covert operations requiring stealth, while Yonin covered operations performed in the open that required cunning. We'l…

Jumping down from 15-meter heights. Running 100 kilometers in a day. These are just some of the feats that the ninja were said to be capable of. And if these are true, how did they acquire their physical strength, agili…

In the over 600-year old form of classical Japanese theater called Noh, wooden masks are worn by the performers. These masks have been made by wood carvers who lived and worked with the performer to create masks specifi…

Shimi-konnyaku is a unique, naturally freeze-dried Japanese food, that would be able to be kept for 50 years. It was developed as a form of preserved food in early Japan. Toshi Nakajima, 89 years old, has been making th…

"The Reversible Destiny Lofts Mitaka" is a colorful group of housing units located in Mitaka, a sleepy Tokyo suburb. Designed by artists Arakawa Shusaku and Madeline Gins in 2005, the buildings function as both art and …

The Taro Okamoto Museum of Art closed for 2 months due to COVID-19, but following Okamoto's words that art is "essential to human life," it found new methods to convey the unique power in his works. It opened the museum…

Tokyo's many waterways are home to the goby, a 10cm fish that's been prized by anglers since the Edo era. Today goby fever is alive and well, attracting enthusiasts wishing to catch their beloved little fish and to do s…

The Hotel Okura Tokyo is one of Japan's leading hotels. In anticipation of demand for the Olympics, the hotel was reopened last September after 5 years of renovation. Due to COVID-19 situation, some of the hotel's facil…

This spring, many schools were forced to close due to COVID-19. Jiyu Gakuen in Tokyo is one of them. Since its foundation in 1921, there's been a tradition at this school for students to cook their own lunches. Growing …

Tokyo International Airport is commonly known as Haneda Airport. It's a crossroads for 49 domestic and 55 international routes. In 2019, travelers using the airport averaged around 240,000 daily - the highest number in …

Just north of Tokyo there's a place where whale fossils have been found on dry land! And the shaved ice desserts in that area taste amazing! Could those 2 facts be related? How can we find out? We'll need to call in an …

Hayama, a seaside resort to the west of Tokyo, is known for its high-quality vegetables and beef ... but not its seafood. But it wasn't always this way. Hatakeyama Akira, born and raised in the town, is determined to re…

The ninja are said to have been capable of remembering extensive details about the estates and castles they infiltrated. To learn how they were able to recall large amounts of information without taking notes, we take a…

Ever since Jiyu Gakuen opened in 1921, students had been preparing school lunches themselves. Preparing and sharing meals together is a valuable opportunity for students to socialize and bond. It's a tradition the schoo…

With 87 million passengers per year, Haneda Airport is one of the world's busiest. But with COVID-19 wiping out most of its sales, it is now struggling to stay afloat. The opening of Haneda Airport Garden, an adjoining …

Although the ninja are known for working in the shadows, the early Edo period found them serving in one-hundred-man units. Join Chris Glenn and Professor Yuji Yamada as they explore Tokyo and visit sites associated with…

6 months after the suspension of inbound tourism, a government domestic tourism campaign saw demand for Tokyo hotels both old and new begin to recover. Alongside banquet sales, particularly for weddings, sales of take-o…