Journeys in Japan 5

Murakami: City of Salmon and Sake (2014)

Murakami, in Niigata Prefecture, northwestern Japan, has a long history of catching and processing salmon from the Miomote River that runs through the city. Over the centuries, the area has developed many customs and traditions, as well as numerous recipes for preparing the fish. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, George Bourdaniotis watches salmon being caught by the local fishermen.

Hiroshima: The City of Hope (2014)

This episode of Journeys in Japan travels to Hiroshima, a city attracting attention as a treasure trove of quality architecture. Now nearly 70 years since the devastation of the atomic bomb, the program visits the city sights from the 3 viewpoints of architecture, war and tourism, exploring the city's history of urban development and architecture as it was rebuilt after the world's first nuclear attack.

A Passion for Mechanical Magic: Aichi (2014)

On this episode, an architect James Lambiasi travels to Inuyama City and Nagoya City in Aichi Prefecture, on a trip to discover the origin of the spirit of "making things" in Japan. On this trip, we learn about the spirit and values of "making things" passed on from old times to the current age in Japan.

Kobe: Neighborhoods Reborn (2014)

On January 17, 1995, the Kansai region of Western Japan was hit by a massive earthquake. The city of Kobe suffered massive damage, and many neighborhoods were completely flattened. 19 years later, the city has been rebuilt and there is a whole generation of young people who have no memory of the disaster. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, copperplate print artist Peter Miller visits Kobe to see how the city has changed, to meet with the local people and to attend a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake.

Tochigi: Secret World of Samurai and Hot Spring (2014)

The hot spring resort of Yunishigawa is associated with an historic episode from the 12th century. Defeated in the Dan-no-Ura Battle, a group of fleeing Heike samurai settled deep in the mountains of present-day Tochigi Prefecture, where they found a source of hot springs. On Journeys in Japan, model and reporter Akane Nakajima visits the village. Interested in martial arts and the way of the samurai, she tries to identify with the samurai spirit through exchanges with Heike descendants.