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00:04Japan.
00:05Michael, welcome to Japan, a railway paradise.
00:08Its huge population spread over Long Islands lives by its railways.
00:13I feel like I'm driving.
00:14My new adventure takes me through the land that launched the high-speed train.
00:19I love Shinkansen.
00:21Where millions of journeys are made each day through some of the most bustling stations on earth.
00:27Busy city.
00:28I'll ride Japan's vast railway network to uncover a land of bold innovation.
00:35Haven't quite got the hang of it yet.
00:37A place of enduring traditions, volatile geology and remarkable people.
00:44Kanpai.
00:45Join me on an excursion like no other.
00:48I'm too excited to sit down.
01:13Japan is a country of enigmatic contrasts.
01:17From its dazzling high-tech cities to its breathtaking natural landscapes, steeped in history and ritual, these islands strive to
01:27surge forward with technologies of the future.
01:31I'm beginning a long journey exploring Japan by train.
01:36From the devastation of the Second World War and by the qualities of its people, Japan became, in the 1970s,
01:44the second largest economy in the world.
01:46And its bullet train or Shinkansen offered proof to the world of its engineering excellence.
01:53In brash cities and spiritual mountains, I will investigate the Japanese, who value the elderly, nature, tradition, religions and the
02:07literature and painting of their past.
02:09As I search for the soul of Japan.
02:18I start on the largest of Japan's four main islands, Honshu.
02:23Using its world-famous bullet trains, regional trains, underground trains and trams, I'll take in the cities of Kyoto, Osaka,
02:33Hiroshima and the capital Tokyo, as well as visiting the Japanese Alps.
02:37I'll cross the southern island of Kyushu before finishing in the northern region of Hokkaido.
02:50I begin, not in the capital Tokyo, but in Japan's dynamic second city.
02:58My journey in Japan will take me to Osaka, known as the nation's kitchen, both as a centre for trading
03:05rice and a great place to eat.
03:09I'll then ride on the route of the very first high-speed railway in the world to Nagoya.
03:15And there I'll lift the lid on a product that is flooding the Japanese market.
03:22Osaka is vibrant, a thrilling metropolis.
03:25It's home to 2.8 million people and is known for its nightlife, its food and its friendly locals.
03:32An important port since the sixth century, it's long been a key centre of trade and today is an economic
03:40powerhouse.
03:41This cityscape is a mixture of old and new.
03:45During heavy bombing by the US Air Force during the Second World War, around a third of the city was
03:51levelled.
03:55Osaka Castle, first constructed in 1585 by the powerful warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was damaged but survived and is now one
04:05of Japan's most famous landmarks.
04:11The skyline is also punctuated by modern architectural statements such as the 40-storey arch of the Umeda Sky Building.
04:25To explore the city, I'll make the most of its extensive metro system.
04:36Osaka is a city of approaching 3 million people. Along with Kyoto and Kobe, that forms a metropolitan area of
04:43getting on for 19 million.
04:45So for a long time it was clear they needed underground railways.
04:48They now have a subway system that was begun in the 1930s that covers eight underground lines, a one tram
04:55line, 134 stations.
05:00For more � MINUTE FRIENDS
05:01For more Khmer to visit the deposition of the US Air Force, in the US Air Force, the East Sea
05:01and the North Korean crowns were gifted,
05:13and the US Air Force is the most of its own events.
05:14On the US Air Force, the US Air Force has been built by the East Sea and the U.S.
05:18Air Force.
05:19For more than one time is more than one time.
05:21While Japanese-written characters are daunting for Western visitors,
05:26it's very simple to follow the coloured lines on the map and you'll see that they have been a bit
05:30more heavy and sharp.
05:30and to identify stations by their number.
05:33I'll be alighting at M22, otherwise known as Dobutsenmaye.
05:50I'm starting in one of Osaka's most colorful and lively areas.
06:00This rather crazy district of Osaka is called Shinsekai and it was based around the site
06:07of the National Industrial Exposition of 1903 and that in turn featured recreations of Coney
06:16Island in Brooklyn and Paris, hence the Eiffel Tower, sort of.
06:22Well after the Second World War this became a pretty run-down and unapproachable district
06:27but it's certainly now revived.
06:29It now has a speciality in battered and deep-fried food.
06:34So not exactly a health farm.
06:43Street food is a huge part of Osaka life and I'm intrigued to try the city's signature dish.
06:50Thank you very much.
06:52Hello.
06:53Takoyaki, please.
06:55Six-piece.
06:55Six-piece.
06:56Yeah.
06:57Thank you very much.
06:59Fried in a specially molded grill, takoyaki are octopus-filled balls of batter and originated
07:07in Osaka in the early 1900s.
07:13Arigato.
07:13Well, so these are my takoyaki.
07:16On top we've got some mayonnaise with some seaweed and some bonito flakes.
07:21I'm warned they're going to be very, very hot.
07:24So I'll dig a hole.
07:36Well, it's the creamiest octopus I ever came across.
07:44And it's like seafood meets doughnut.
07:47It's a very good formula.
08:00Shinsekai is a showcase for a cartoon-like artistic style that's unmistakably Japanese.
08:07It developed during the 20th century.
08:15I'm heading northwest to the city, to Takarasuka, on the trail of an artist who took this uniquely
08:22Japanese aesthetic to readers around the world.
08:27After the Second World War, Japan made an amazing recovery in which exports were important,
08:33remarkably including exports of culture, notably manga, which are comic books or illustrated
08:42novels. They won devoted fans in the West, despite the fact that they were evidently rooted
08:48in Japanese culture. Amongst the creators and authors of manga, the outstanding name was
08:55Tezuka Osamu. Hailed as the godfather of manga, here in his hometown, a museum is dedicated
09:03to the man's imagination. Yasuchi Mizuno runs it.
09:08Welcome, everyone.
09:11Mizuno-san, I'm Michael. I've seen photographs of Tezuka Osamu, and he wore a beret like you.
09:19Are you dressed like him?
09:22Yes. Tezuka Osamu.
09:25And tell me what you're wearing around your neck.
09:29Tezuka Osamu is called Astroboy.
09:36Created in 1951, Astroboy was set 50 years in the future and featured a kind-hearted and
09:44adventurous robot boy who battled against discrimination and injustice. He became a worldwide phenomenon
09:51in the post-war era, yet he was just one of the many characters that Tezuka created
09:56in the more than 700 manga that he produced.
10:00Please tell me, who was Mr. Tezuka? Tell me a little bit about his childhood.
10:06Tezuka Osamu was born in the first time.
10:08Tezuka Osamu was born in Osaka, but he was 5 years old.
10:16He was 5 years old. He was a kid.
10:27He was a kid. He was a kid. He was a kid.
10:36He was a kid.
10:41He was a medical doctor.
10:43Tezuka Osamu was the father of the doctor.
10:45Tezuka Osamu was the father of the doctor and his doctor in his room.
10:51He had a medical doctor.
11:01He brought his medical background to bear in his manga series Black Jack in which a brilliant, unlicensed surgeon operates
11:09outside the medical establishment.
11:12Using sci-fi and supernatural elements, it explores themes of life, death and ethics.
11:18What was different about Tezuka?
11:20Yes. The most important part of this is to create a message with a lot of messages.
11:29In this case, he has made a lot of messages in this manga.
11:36Although Tezuka died long ago in 1989 at the age of 60, his work remains a huge influence on today's
11:44generation of manga artists.
11:46Hello. Hello. Nice to meet you.
11:48What a pleasure. May I sit with you?
11:52Sun Nwanshin came from China to study manga at Kyotoseka University.
11:59Sun, were you inspired by Tezuka?
12:02Yes, allowed. He had a medical background and so do I.
12:09And the medical background really drives me to create works, create stories that bring people comfort and celebrate the joy
12:22of life.
12:22Tezuka is called the father or the god of Japanese manga. Why does he have that title?
12:28It's because of how he brought cinematic techniques into manga, such as powerful close-ups and dramatic perspectives.
12:41Some of the techniques might feel normal to us now, but back then they were really revolutionary.
12:49Yes, and the stories are not just entertaining, but also meaningful.
12:55Tell me a little about your own work. May I see some of your work, please?
12:59Oh, okay. Actually, I bring my very first original manga.
13:04Oh. Yes, it's in Chinese.
13:08This story is about dissociative amnesia, a condition where people lose memories after trauma.
13:17Yes. Yes.
13:18The story is about this guy, a magician, who can erase other people's painful memories.
13:28So it's about if we could erase our painful memories, would that make us happier?
13:36Or are we defined by the memories we have?
13:41A very good question. It's fantastic.
13:44Do you think I could make a manga character?
13:47Of course, of course.
13:51Actually, it's the first time I draw a real person, so I'm a little nervous.
13:56But I'll do my best.
14:00Cute nose.
14:02It's quite a big nose, actually.
14:04Big and cute.
14:08Is there anything you want to add to this drawing?
14:13I travel a lot by train.
14:15Oh, okay. A train behind you, is that okay?
14:19A train behind me would be perfect.
14:22In traditional Japanese manga, we don't do colors.
14:27Finished.
14:29Oh, that's very good.
14:31It's called chibi characters, means small and cute.
14:35Oh, thank you. You've made me small and cute.
14:37You are cute.
14:49You are cute.
14:54I'm returning to Osaka Station to continue my journey on one of the nation's iconic high-speed Shinkansen.
15:01At this station, two Shinkansen lines intersect.
15:15Magnificent beast.
15:20One line heads west towards the island of Kyushu, and the other east to connect to the capital, Tokyo.
15:28The first Shinkansen, or bullet train, began operation in 1964, just a few days before the start of the Tokyo
15:36Olympics.
15:37It ran between Osaka and Tokyo.
15:40It was called the Tokaido Line, because it ran along the route of a Pacific road that was very historic,
15:47littered with inns.
15:49The impact of the railway was tremendous.
15:52Within a year, it had cut the journey time between Tokyo and Osaka from seven hours to three hours and
15:59ten minutes.
16:00There are now seven Shinkansen lines, and with each new generation of train, they've simply become faster, and the journey
16:08times shorter.
16:19I'm travelling along the original Tokaido Line connecting Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo.
16:25Each day, there are a staggering 432,000 passenger journeys along this line.
16:33Today, I've been given access to a Shinkansen that has no passengers.
16:39It's being repositioned between cities.
16:42There is an advantage to that, because it's thought impolite to raise your voice on a Shinkansen.
16:49And when I'm enjoying my journey, I tend to speak very enthusiastically.
16:57Accompanying me on this journey is Naoyuki Ueno, an engineer and senior executive at Central Japan Railway Company.
17:05Mr Ueno.
17:07Hello.
17:08How lovely to see you.
17:09Hello, nice to see you.
17:10On this beautiful Shinkansen.
17:13Ah, thank you very much.
17:14Mr Ueno, when did you first become involved with the Shinkansen?
17:17So, I joined my company in 1996, and so I started my career as a driver.
17:23So, that's almost 30 years.
17:26Now, how did it feel to drive a Shinkansen?
17:28Well, it was wonderful, because the speed is, you know, 285 km an hour.
17:34I have not experienced that.
17:36I was so excited, because I wanted to be a driver when I was a child, but I finally made
17:42it.
17:45How long did you continue to drive Shinkansen?
17:47Ah, just only four, so six months or so.
17:51My background is in mechanical engineering, so I was involved in designing the Shinkansen train.
17:56So, that's just a kind of experience.
17:58Tell me about the changes.
18:00What have been the big advances since the first Shinkansen?
18:03OK, so firstly, the speed was 210 km per hour.
18:10But now, the speed is 285 km per hour.
18:15We use an aluminium alloy body, so instead of using the steel, for example.
18:21It is light, lighter than before, and everything is energy efficient.
18:25Quite a lot of improvements.
18:28The first model of Shinkansen was the Series Zero.
18:32With its distinctive aerodynamic nose and futuristic styling, it was the world's first high-speed train.
18:39It strikes me it must have been an enormous boost to national self-confidence, self-esteem.
18:45In the 1950s, to produce this sort of train.
18:49At that time, people didn't have confidence after the walk.
18:53But, you know, thanks to Shinkansen, we were proud of this technology.
18:57Because it is very symbolic of the recovery.
19:00We finally made it the first in the world.
19:03It's also very symbolic of Japanese virtues, reliability, safety, total quality control.
19:11I think Shinkansen is not just only a technology, but also it is, you know, operated by humans, right?
19:17So people are well-trained, so they are very punctured, they follow the rule.
19:22Everything should be perfect.
19:24That is the Japanese people's mindset.
19:27Since their inception, Shinkansen trains have transported over six and a half billion passengers.
19:34And the safety record is impeccable.
19:36There have been no fatalities in the history of the service.
19:39Of course, you have seven Shinkansen lines today. Will you have more?
19:44Yeah, so we are constructing the Maglev train.
19:49Of course, it is a high-speed railway system, but we use a different technology.
19:55We use an electrical magnetic system.
19:59Explain the technology of the Maglev to me, please.
20:02At first, the Maglev train lands using the wheel like a conventional train.
20:09But when the speed reaches 150 km per hour, the wheel is so retracted.
20:16And so it is like an aeroplane.
20:18But the power is using the electric magnetic forces.
20:23So, above 150 km per hour, it's essentially flying,
20:28but held in its position by electromagnets.
20:33Yeah.
20:33What speeds will it make possible?
20:35500 km per hour.
20:38500 km per hour.
20:39Yeah, that's correct.
20:40That's amazing.
20:43The first line of this extraordinary service is planned to run between Tokyo and Nagoya,
20:50which is my next stop.
20:51Located in between Osaka and Tokyo, it's right in the centre of Japan.
20:58In addition to the high-speed Shinkansen service,
21:02six other main lines radiate from this station across central Hongshu.
21:08Japan's rail network is one of the best in the world,
21:11and as such, it's enthusiastically used.
21:15Of the 50 busiest stations in the world, 45 are in Japan,
21:20and over a million people pass through Nagoya station each day.
21:23As with many urban stations in Japan,
21:27a vast commercial development rises above the tracks,
21:31built to generate revenue which is reinvested into the railway.
21:35Nagoya station towers over 50 storeys high,
21:39with 410,000 square metres of floor space,
21:44hosting offices, a luxury hotel, and a shopping centre.
21:50This shop caters for the Japanese custom of omiyage,
21:55which means that when you go away, you tend to bring something back,
21:59for your friends, for your neighbours, for your family, for yourself,
22:03for your pet sitter.
22:04And shops like these deal in particularly sweet and savoury treats
22:10already boxed for you to take home on your return.
22:19With a population of around 2.2 million people,
22:23Nagoya is the fourth largest city in Japan.
22:27Originally constructed in the early 1600s,
22:30its castle was rebuilt in 1959 after being damaged during the Second World War.
22:37With its port and network of rivers and canals,
22:41Nagoya is Japan's manufacturing heartland,
22:44a centre for the automotive, aerospace, robotics, IT and AI industries.
22:50This morning I'm heading to a factory behind one of Japan's latest high-tech sensations.
22:57Welcome to the seat of the smart toilet industry.
23:03Oh, thank you very much.
23:07If I were handed this object outside the context of this factory,
23:12I wouldn't know what it was.
23:14It doesn't look anything like the lavatory that I own.
23:17Indeed, I think it probably looks a bit more like my TV.
23:22But this is the product that's being made here,
23:25and this may well take over the world.
23:29Arigato!
23:32Electronic toilets are everywhere in Japan,
23:35thanks in part to TOTO,
23:37a company that's turned the humble loo into a high-tech experience.
23:42Showing me around the factory is Hideki Miyashita,
23:45also known as Andy.
23:49Andy, it's a very impressive factory, a very busy one.
23:52What is the history of your company?
23:53Our company was founded over a century ago, 1917.
23:59Our founder was driven a strong vision,
24:03providing healthy and civilised way of life.
24:07and this founding philosophy to improve public health
24:12through sanitary wear still remains at the core of everything we do now.
24:21Now, you invented a new sort of lavatory.
24:24With a washlet, a spout.
24:27When did that begin?
24:29We started to sell the washlet in 1980.
24:34Did you find that it quickly became popular in Japan?
24:37No.
24:38It takes a long time to selling well, about ten years, even in Japan.
24:47What other developments have there been in the electric-operated lavatory?
24:51The lid is automatically opened, like welcoming you.
24:56The seat is heated when you approach,
25:00and for cleansing, it sprays warm water enriched with air.
25:05When flushed, our tornado flush technology cleans the bowl.
25:10Next, a very important theme for us is wellness.
25:14We start to sell with stool scan equipment.
25:19You can analyse your stool.
25:23Right.
25:24Oh, my goodness.
25:26How much does one of these machines cost in Japan?
25:30Our flagship model, it costs 700,000 Japanese yen.
25:36About 3,500 pounds.
25:40Despite the high price tag, these toilets are not a luxury.
25:44for the uber-rich, but standard in the majority of Japanese homes.
25:49To date, over 60 million have been sold worldwide,
25:53with 3,000 made in this factory every day.
26:01Time to see one in action.
26:09The lid rises to greet me.
26:12And there's a sound here intended to mask any sounds that you make yourself.
26:19And here we have a range of controls.
26:22The seat is warm.
26:24We have things like back wash and front wash and so on.
26:28Whether these become the world standard or not,
26:31that is a question that will be flushed out in coming decades.
26:36This is a food.
26:37It's a coffee shop.
26:40It's a coffee shop.
26:40I mean, the water's not required to give them.
26:45It's so good.
26:52The air, the air.
27:00What's the matter is?
27:02It's so good.
27:03It's not easy.
27:04It's impossible for me.
27:05It's a coffee shop.
27:05That's heavy.
27:08The inauguration of the Shinkansen in the 1960s symbolised the spectacular post-war recovery
27:16of Japan. But since the 1990s, the economy has slowed and during this century, the population
27:22has been shrinking. And in the field of cultural exports, the leave that Japan once enjoyed
27:29with the manga of Tezuka Uzammu has been lost. But perhaps Japan will recapture the world's
27:37attention with the new generation of Shinkansen flying along at 300 miles per hour.
27:48Next time, from our dedicated track, we've now moved on to the streets of the city where
27:55the driver has to compete with the traffic.
28:00The look, it's beginning to look like an umbrella.
28:11How very elegant.
28:36The look, it's beginning to look like an umbrella.
28:39The look, it's beginning to look like an umbrella.
28:41The look, it's beginning to look like an umbrella.
28:43The look, it's beginning to look like an umbrella.
28:44The look, it's beginning to look like an umbrella.
28:44The look, it's beginning to look like an umbrella.
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