Seasoning the Seasons

Spirited Away to Tono

The folklorist, Kunio Yanagita, wrote his "Tono Monogatari" (Tales of Tono) about a century ago. The book related how mysterious beings such as the kappa river goblins, the zashikiwarashi child spirits, mountain gods and ghosts had their willful way, reporting the events as eye-witness accounts and present-day happenings. It led its readers - mostly dwellers of the plains facing the first waves of modernization - to the psychological heart of the humble Japanese people, hemmed in as they were by mountains and rivers. Today, though, 100 years later, what has become of those old beliefs in the amazing creatures and gods described in the book? We follow the lives of people in Tono for a year, from their faith in the tutelary Oshirasama gods made from staves of mulberry wood to the rites of the Bon Festival of the Dead, rediscovering the old Japanese ways of thinking and reverence for the things that surpass human powers.

Japanese Towers, Memories Past and Present

Towers that reach to the skies. Towering tourist attractions around the country have precursors in the stupas of Buddhism. Since the late nineteenth century, they have been built as windows on the new age and symbols of local pride. The Japanese still love towers that pierce the heavens. We report on the people and local stories of Japan's towers, including the Tokyo Sky Tree that opens on May 22nd, 2012, discovering insights to the Japanese people's religious belief, love of their birthplace and also construction skills.

Matsushima: Islands of Beauty and Prayer

The beautiful islands of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture are known as one of the three great scenic spots of Japan. The view of the more than 260 islands dotting the placid waters was left amazingly unspoiled even by the Great East Japan Earthquake last year.

Suwa: A Celebration Down Through Time

Suwa was a center of culture in Japan in the Jomon period before rice cultivation arrived. It is said that in those ancient times, too, people transported many great tree trunks for erection at their sacred places in much the same way as we see at the Suwa shrines today. The environment was harsh and life and death so close for the people of Jomon times. Their spirit lives on in Suwa today. We introduce people who preserve a faith at the roots of Japanese prayer.

Niyodo River: Living with Japan's Clearest River

With its glass-like translucency, the River Niyodo on Shikoku is renowned for possessing the clearest water in Japan. 124km long, it has its source in the highest mountains of Western Japan and, swelled by many tributaries, flows out eventually into the Pacific Ocean. The river supports rich plant- and wildlife and has also nurtured a distinctive river-based culture for the people who live among the sounds of the flowing water. On the upper reaches, there are cherry blossoms in spring and then the fishermen arrive when the sweetfish season opens in early summer. The children love to leap into the water from the highest possible boulders. Nearer the mouth, there is a town that flourished making tengujoshi, the very thinnest Japanese paper (washi) of all. We meet a young craftsman who has inherited the techniques from his forebears and still proudly makes paper beside the Niyodo today. Crystal-clear waters and riverine scenery... we depict the people and places of this great river.

Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji is Japan's highest peak at 3776m. Its magnificence and beauty have impressed the Japanese over the millennia. Climbers flock there each night once it has been formally opened for climbing in July each year and walk up to witness the dawn at the summit. Mt. Fuji is more than a symbol of beauty to the Japanese - it represents the greatness of nature and is also an object of mystical faith. In stunning pictures, we introduce the various faces of Mt. Fuji through the four seasons, the sacred, ethereal scenery and the words of people whose lives have revolved around the mountain over the years. Discover the allure of the mountain that has gripped the minds of Japanese people for thousands of years.

Awa Dance: Obon Festival with 100,000 Dancers

The Awa Odori dance is the highlight of the 4-day Obon Festival of the Dead in Tokushima, Shikoku, in August each year. About 100,000 people join in the dancing and 1.3 million come to watch this most popular of all Bon dances in Japan. The dance's original purpose, of course, is to honor the souls of the dead, but it has also developed as a thrilling affirmation of the joys of life, and both the costumes and music are highly distinctive. We remember back to the people who started dancing again in the post-war ruins in the cotton kimonos of summer that had somehow survived the flames, meet a woman who has elevated the dance into the realm of art, and also youngsters dancing for the first time this year. The video images capture the full festive passion.

Kamakura - Samurai and Zen

30 min

Kamakura, like the two old capital cities of Nara and Kyoto, also served at one stage as the nation's political center. Minamoto no Yoritomo chose Kamakura as the seat of Japan's first shogunate or military government in the 12th Century. It very much retains the flavor and ideological legacy of the warrior class. We go on a tour of the place that laid the spiritual foundations and led to the flowering of Japanese culture, showing why it continues to attract so many visitors. The itinerary includes the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, a spiritual pillar for the warrior class; the Great Buddha, which is Kamakura's most famous landmark; and Kenchoji Temple, an important center of Zen Buddhism.

Itsukushima, Island of the Gods

Miyajima, an island 30 km around in the Seto Inland Sea, is known as one of the 3 most beautiful spots in Japan. It has been thronging with more than 3.4 million tourists a year ever since the Itsukushima Shrine was registered as a World Heritage Site. Worshiped as a sacred isle since ancient times, this is a place of rich nature, food culture and other diverse customs and traditions.

Hand-Made in Japan

Our theme this time is traditional crafts. The Japanese have a long history of making good handicraft use of natural materials. From pottery and woodwork to textiles and metalwork, the Japanese have employed fire, water and sometimes also the wind to create everyday utensils that are beautiful and easy to use. Muneyoshi Yanagi, the father of the Japanese folkcraft movement, called Japan "a land of the hand" and described handicrafts as one of the forces which "provide enormous power for the preservation of Japan". The program follows the handicraft theme in paper, knives, lacquer, ship's chests, abaca cloth and other fields to depict the power of Japan's traditional crafts as well as the climate that nurtured them.