Season 5

There are more than 1,300 companies in Japan that have been in business for over 200 years. How have these companies, which have survived challenges such as wars, natural disasters and economic crises, continued to oper…

Babies are about 6 months old when they gradually stop drinking breast milk or formula and start eating solids. It's a precious stage of our lives, but many mothers struggle to find the time to cook weaning food. It nee…

Hara Masaaki makes white charcoal called Kishu Binchotan in the deep forests of Wakayama Prefecture. He thinks of himself as a guardian of the ancient woods. His charcoal provides the country's top chefs with a stable, …

Three generations of the Tomi family have been producing a unique kind of handmade washi paper that is blackish-brown instead of the customary white. This is achieved by something that otherwise had just gone to waste. …

There are more than 1,300 companies in Japan that have been in business for over 200 years. How have these companies, which have survived challenges such as wars, natural disasters and economic crises, continued to oper…

There are more than 1,300 companies in Japan that have been in business for over 200 years. How have these companies, which have survived challenges such as wars, natural disasters and economic crises, continued to oper…

Best known for its beef, the city of Kobe is also a long-standing powerhouse in the world of sake. There's one small corner of the city that's provided the distinctively mineral-rich water used in sake brewing here for …

Analogue items once considered obsolete are being embraced by young people as new finds and making a comeback. Using a drama format, we examine the appeal and history of these items from the perspective of 3 generations…

One of Japan's most prized textiles comes from a subtropical island where the makers still hew to the methods of 1,300 years ago. Using indigenous plants and ponds of iron-rich mud, the artisans of Amami-Oshima create l…

The Chin kiln of Kagoshima has been turning out intricate pottery for more than 400 years. The signature openwork and fine detailing was a sensation at the Paris Exposition of 1900. Now the current, 15th-generation head…

While the ninja moved unseen throughout Japan, Iga, in present-day Mie Prefecture, has been called the birthplace of the ninja arts. Join Chris Glenn and Professor Yuji Yamada as they explore Iga and trace the Iga peopl…

The ninja art of escape, or Tonsojutsu, frequently took advantage of the human psyche. We examine some ninja tactics and get a psychologist's perspective on them. In the latter half, we recreate a Torinoko, a ninja tool…

Harry runs an old-fashioned coffee shop that he took over from his grandfather. During a year-end cleaning, he finds a disposable camera with a few shots remaining. He shows it to Ei, a university student studying Japan…

In Japanese, "do" means "the way." Though often used for martial arts, for some anglers, there is also the "way of fishing," particularly embodied in the art of catching white crucian carp. Though it's easily accessible…

Rows of black ceramic pots sit in the sun as rice and koji malt ferment inside. For more than a year, the enzymes will turn the mash into prized amber vinegar with only the gentlest interventions from the brewers. "Ever…

The Bansenshukai is a compilation of ninja techniques from 49 Iga and Koka ninja schools. It covers everything from ninja principles to various ninja techniques and tools. However, the ninja passed it on from master to …

Ninja tools of clay and stone were unearthed at sixteenth-century archaeological sites. They were clay Makibishi and stone Tsubute. However, iron-working techniques were already well established by this time. So why did…

On this episode, we visit scenic Ise Shima in Mie Prefecture to meet an angler who loves to catch the beautiful blackhead seabream. He employs a strategy that begins with bait shaped into a ball of paste in which he hid…

Sushi has gone global. So people around the world know familiar light green wasabi as a condiment with a kick that's indispensable to the sushi and sashimi experience. The Izu Peninsula is one of the leading wasabi farm…

If you duck under tree branches, wade up a stream and climb over rocks, you will find a secret place of wasabi patches, tended by the Tsunoi brothers. Farmers have long cultivated wasabi over Okutama's stone terraces―st…

For everyone wishing they could travel overseas but just isn't able, we invite you on a very special journey through the air. Take a virtual excursion via passenger jet from Tokyo Haneda to regional airports all over Ja…

Along with Iga, the Koka region is synonymous with ninja. The Koka Ninja are often depicted in anime and movies as the arch rivals of the Iga Ninja or as villains. But what were they really like? In this episode, we exp…

Ninja have often been depicted flying on large kites in manga and anime. Was such a feat really possible? With the help of an expert in fluid dynamics as well as a traditional Japanese kite maker, we'll put this legend …

Anda Yuko, owner-chef of a Tokyo restaurant, has a singular philosophy. On first glance her food looks like unfussy, prosaic home cooking. But fans become hooked on the way she extracts the maximum flavors of her ingred…

Fishing for common octopi in Tokyo Bay is booming among anglers. The delicious taste of the octopus that dwells there has earned it the nickname of Jewel of the Bay, and it's been a prized delicacy throughout history. L…

Ito Chimomo leads a wonderfully rustic life in the picturesque town of Hayama, close to the sea and surrounded by nature. Her garden is filled with all sorts of herbs and fruit, which she harvests all year round. Good f…

Fly over northern Japan in autumn! Hop onboard and see the beautiful mountains in full autumnal foliage. Flying from Haneda Airport to New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido Prefecture, we're treated to special takeoff and lan…

Professor Simon Wallis, AKA "The Ground Detective," unravels the mysteries behind Japan's fascinating food culture from the ground up. This time, he heads for Minamisanriku after learning from a French chef about the ta…

The Tokyo area is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Very small properties have long been a feature of the urban landscape, but many modern "kyosho jutaku" showcase the expertise with which architec…

The Tokyo area is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Very small properties have long been a feature of the urban landscape, but many modern "kyosho jutaku" showcase the expertise with which architec…