Season 4

A city known for its soy sauce production, Choshi lies 100km east of Tokyo, in Chiba Prefecture. Soy sauce production began during Japan's Edo era, although it was widely used on sushi and tempura before then. But why C…

Appearing at festivals and weddings, the red sea bream is an auspicious fish in Japan. A freshly caught sea bream isn't simply red; its scales also have a beautiful opalescent blue sheen. Anglers who wish to catch it mu…

The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, or the "Watari-um," is a privately-owned museum in Tokyo's central Shibuya Ward. In 1990, it was constructed from a design by architect Mario Botta in a uniquely triangular shape. …

Deep in the countryside is the peaceful area of Maru-bashira in Iga in southern-central Japan. This tiny village of only about 650 people has long been known for a type of pottery called Iga ware. Even today, several po…

"It's kami (gods) that have helped us for generations." So says Sato Akihito (82), a 19th-generation Ai, or indigo, producer. Digging into a hot mound of Ai, he immediately knows what the Ai "wants." Ai makes an almost …

Yamamoto Yasuo (age 48), a 5th-generation soy sauce producer on Shodoshima Island in western Japan, started crafting wooden barrels himself. This was to preserve the traditional wooden barrel brewing method of soy sauce…

The threat of COVID-19 infection is just around the corner. Anyone can be infected at any time. If someone was infected in the school, what should the students do? The students in Jiyu Gakuen, have begun to think about …

Last December, the Hawaii state government decided to accept Japanese tourists, and flights to Hawaii were resumed. The airline industry in Japan was filled with hope for a bright future. However, in January 2021, the s…

The fall 2020 campaign to boost domestic travel helped bring old and new hotels back to life. But late in the year, infection figures surged and Tokyo issued a second state of emergency. At one long-established hotel, a…

At the foot of the Nikko mountains lives Yamamoto Yuichiro (age 70) and his son Jin-ichiro (45), who, without relying on any machines, produce the hardest natural ice in Japan. The season begins in late fall when they a…

Summer in Japan is the season to catch a prized river dweller called Sweetfish, and the method to do so is quite unique. Instead of bait or a lure, anglers actually attach a Sweetfish to their line to hook the wild ones…

Since ninja were engaged in espionage, they had to gather information and accurately convey it without anyone knowing. Typical means of information transmission included smoke signals, a cipher using knots in a rope, an…

The Hojo clan was a warrior clan that ruled the Kanto region from the 15th to 16th century. Supporting their efforts to defeat enemies and maintain control was a mysterious group called the Fuma ninja. Their leader, Fum…

The clear waters of the Akigawa River course through a verdant gorge, just 90 minutes west of Tokyo. They are home to a treasured fish that has been enjoyed for centuries -- the Ayu or Sweetfish. We meet 2 men who cheri…

The Ground Detective is back! In this episode, he travels to Kagawa Prefecture on Shikoku Island. People come here from all around to enjoy its many udon noodle shops, numbering over 500. What is it about the local area…

Japan's world-famous lacquerware is prized for its versatility, beauty and shine, which is due to the varnish made from the sap of Urushi trees. This sap is harvested by hand in small amounts through a meticulous proces…

We venture to the sandy coastline southwest of Tokyo where the water remains shallow far into the sea - perfect conditions for surf fishing enthusiasts. To catch a variety of tasty local fish, they pivot and swing their…