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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.
01:11This morning I'm taking a train that's more than just a vehicle, it's an experience.
01:20I am on the delightful Shimakaze train, which links together some of the most culturally important places in Japan.
01:28This will be my opportunity to visit the first capital, Nara, and to consider the two religions that infuse the
01:36Japanese outlook, Shintoism and Buddhism.
01:39Along the way I'll encounter both deer and oysters, each of them precious in their own way.
01:50I'm on the largest of Japan's four main islands, Honshu.
01:55And having taken in the bright modern metropolises of Osaka and Nagoya, as well as the historic city of Kyoto,
02:02I'm now heading to the shimmering seas at Ago Bay.
02:06I'll visit Nara, Japan's first capital, and end this leg in the beautiful Japanese Alps.
02:16My Shimakaze train is one of Japan's independent, limited express services, iconic luxury trains, which serve routes to more rural
02:25or culturally important areas.
02:28I'm travelling with its head of tourism, Yuichiro Shibatani.
02:33Yuichiro-san, I'm Michael.
02:36I'm Yuichiro.
02:38How lovely to see you.
02:39And this beautiful train.
02:42Tell me a little about the Shimakaze.
02:44Who operates this train?
02:46Well, Shimakaze is operated by Kintetsu Railway, which is kind of private railway company in Kansai region.
02:52Describe some of the features to me.
02:54I mean, I noticed we have these wonderful big windows.
02:56So this train is for sightseeing.
02:59So we look forward to the customers to enjoy these sceneries.
03:03This seat is made of the leather, and we do have massage functions in each seat.
03:10So we can be massaged as we travel.
03:12So press the button, you can enjoy the massage.
03:17That's funny.
03:17What sorts of customer uses this train?
03:21Yes.
03:21So this is for the tourists, but it's not well known for the foreign customers.
03:26So that's why over 90% of customers who onboard the Shimakaze train is Japanese.
03:35What's the history of the Kintetsu Railway?
03:37Firstly, established in 1910 between Osaka and Nara, but actually started during operation in 1914.
03:47And the reason why is that between Osaka and Nara prefectures, there are lots of mountains.
03:52We had to dig a tunnel, and it's about three kilometers.
03:58That was a tough job.
03:59It seems to me the Kintetsu Railway links up places like Nara, the ancient capital, Kyoto, the capital for a
04:09thousand years, Ishii Jingu.
04:12All these places are tremendously important culturally to the Japanese people, aren't they?
04:16Yes, actually.
04:17So the Kansai area is pretty historically important.
04:20And Isshima is very important for the Japanese culture and history.
04:24And one of the biggest important things in Isshima area is that there is a Issei Jingu, which is a
04:30top-tier Shinto shrine in Japan.
04:33And it's commonly said for the Japanese people is that we should go to Issei Jingu once in their lifetime.
04:46On the way to the sacred sites of the region, it's clear that to make the most of the journey
04:51is as important as to arrive at the destination.
05:05You don't always find a refreshment car on a Japanese train.
05:10And so having this delightful restaurant here is a great luxury.
05:14In fact, demand for food and drink is so great that this restaurant car stretches over two storeys.
05:21There must be lots of hungry pilgrims.
05:27My train will take me to Issei, the access point for the Issei Jingu shrine, and the Issei Shima National
05:34Park, which covers much of the coastal headland.
05:39From the station easiest already, I國家 have branded men.
05:43It serves a small town to anotherater.
05:50It speaks of both mushrooms and memories, and is so new.
05:52That was interesting being Maui Beach inside.
05:53And eventually it has been the PLA to make sure that the river has never happened in this state.
06:05From the station, it's not far to the religious site
06:09that attracts so many Japanese visitors.
06:20Issei-jingu is a complex of more than 100 shrines
06:23which celebrate the goddess of the sun,
06:27and they're some of the holiest in all of Japan.
06:29This location draws around 8 million visitors each year.
06:43Close by the shrine is this busy tourist street
06:46selling every kind of merchandise.
06:49I can't say that it feels very holy here,
06:51but if a Japanese person is visiting issei-jingu for once in a lifetime,
06:57he or she cannot be expected to go home without a souvenir.
07:11South of the Issei-jingu shrine is the Issei-shima National Park
07:16which covers many coastal zones of the Shima Peninsula
07:20and includes Argo Bay, my next destination.
07:26The bay encloses around 60 small islands
07:29and is famous for its stunning scenery.
07:33Here, a treasure of the sea was first cultivated over 130 years ago.
07:40The Akoya Pearl is renowned for its lustre and elegance
07:45and the variety of its colourations.
07:49Miwa Tanabe runs Tanabe Pearl Farm.
07:52Hello!
07:53Hello!
07:54A generations-old cultured pearl business.
08:00When was the process of making a cultured pearl invented?
08:05100 years ago,
08:08Miikimoto Koukichi-san,
08:11who was able to make a cultured pearl in the sea in the sea.
08:20Was Miikimoto from close by here?
08:24Yes.
08:25Miikimoto-san,
08:28I was able to make a cultured pearl in the sea in the sea.
08:33Only one in 10,000 oysters will produce a natural pearl,
08:37making them extremely rare and exceptionally expensive.
08:41In 1893, Koukichi Miikimoto became the first person in the world
08:47successfully to culture a pearl,
08:50inserting a small irritant inside the oyster shell
08:53to commence the pearl-making process.
08:57Here, the oysters are grown for two to three years in oyster beds
09:01before being collected and taken to the workshop.
09:16Hello.
09:18Hello.
09:20I didn't realise that you opened the oyster up.
09:24How do you open the oyster?
09:39Once this process is over and you return the oyster to the water,
09:42it will close again naturally?
09:44Yes.
09:45When you return the ocean to the sea,
09:47it will close your mouth and be happy.
09:50And by then, the oyster has forgotten this disagreeable experience.
09:55To create a pearl, a tiny bead is inserted.
10:01The host oyster then produces nacre,
10:04the mineral compound that we call mother of pearl,
10:06to coat the bead.
10:08As the layers accumulate, the pearl forms.
10:12This is like watching surgery in a hospital.
10:17So, it's really a surgery.
10:19Very careful insertion of a needle.
10:22She is a technician.
10:25Why is this red?
10:31It's red.
10:33It's just to help the lady see what she's doing.
10:54It's just to help the lady see what she's doing.
10:58every single one has to be done by hand like this are you going to be a good
11:06oyster and produce a pearl we shall find out around two-thirds of those implanted
11:17will go on to produce a pearl but only two to five percent of those pearls will
11:22be of sufficiently high quality to become earrings or pendants the remainder will
11:28become necklaces it takes at least a year for a pole to form and it's time to find
11:34out what's in these oysters okay they're surprisingly heavy there we go so will
11:49we find pearls it's hint at that I see new at that I see shirai has a kid I don't
11:57know
11:57that game can I just choose one with white edges let's try this one this one
12:02yeah this one okay the shells have to be opened by hand good up
12:28Oh look I have a pearl how good is it seconder land second rank okay okay you can tell straight
12:38away of course
12:39Oh, lovely.
13:04I've come to Matsaka to continue my journey through central Hongshu.
13:09I'm tracking westwards across this historic region
13:13on another luxury Limited Express train.
13:45MUSIC CONTINUES
13:50It had the grandest buildings to perfit the imperial court,
13:54the centre of government and the heart of international diplomacy.
13:58And it's remarkable to think of a city that, in the eighth century,
14:02buzzed with cosmopolitan visitors from China and as far away as India.
14:08It was capital for less than a century,
14:11but it has left rich traces of that era,
14:15which are now being excitedly explored by historians.
14:25MUSIC CONTINUES
14:27Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan.
14:32MUSIC CONTINUES
14:32My express delivers me to its outskirts,
14:35where I change onto the Kintetsu local line.
14:40MUSIC CONTINUES
14:40A train south for Nara is arriving at track 2.
14:47MUSIC CONTINUES
14:49As I head to the centre of Nara,
14:51the railway passes one of the country's great historical sites,
14:55the former imperial palace and heart of government from the Nara period.
15:01MUSIC CONTINUES
15:01The Heizhou Palace,
15:02there was an immense complex of government buildings.
15:06The emperor was surrounded by his ministries
15:09in a recreation of the Chinese model of centralised government.
15:14MUSIC CONTINUES
15:16Still undergoing excavation,
15:19the site has UNESCO World Heritage status.
15:22The buildings are being recreated in line with findings
15:26from the archaeological investigations.
15:44MUSIC CONTINUES
15:46As I live in Nara,
15:47I am struck by how sharply it contrasts
15:49with Japan's larger and busier cities.
15:53It's relatively small, low-rise and blessed with calm.
16:03The cities surrounded by generous green spaces,
16:06including Nara Park,
16:08home to some of Japan's most treasured cultural sites
16:12and also some iconic wildlife.
16:16Across the city in its parks and public gardens,
16:19wild seeker deer roam free.
16:22Long regarded as divine messengers of the gods,
16:25they are fondly protected and deeply revered.
16:29MUSIC CONTINUES
16:32Akagaga-san.
16:35Hello.
16:37Hi.
16:38Very good to see you.
16:40Tell me, why are you carrying a French horn?
16:42If you're carrying a French horn,
16:45you'll be carrying a French horn.
16:48Apparently, this is a tradition,
16:51playing the horn for the deer.
16:52How old a tradition is it?
16:551896 years.
16:57How long have you been blowing the horn for the deer?
17:00I've been doing it for 10 years.
17:02No.
17:0310 years.
17:04Yes.
17:05You must enjoy it.
17:06Oh, yes.
17:07I like animals.
17:09I like animals.
17:10I like this work.
17:11Now, which piece of music do you play for the deer?
17:15Oh, yes.
17:15Oh, yes.
17:16It's called Beethoven's Den-Ei.
17:18It's called Beethoven's Den-Ei.
17:19Would they not come if you played the Mozart?
17:23Yes.
17:24Yes, yes.
17:25Yes, yes.
17:42The deer are arriving in huge numbers.
17:49Lovely, beautiful deer.
17:58There are around 1,400 seeker deer in the park,
18:02and recent studies show they possess a unique genetic lineage
18:06that separates them from seeker deer elsewhere,
18:09possibly because of centuries of protection and isolation.
18:14As such, they are designated natural monuments of Japan.
18:22Time for a spot of lunch.
18:26The deer are rewarded with one of their favourite treats, acorns.
18:32These deer are delightfully tame,
18:35but every now and again, one tramples me,
18:37reminding me that they are actually wild animals.
18:40Get off me!
18:43Oh!
18:47Nara Park is the location of several important religious sites,
18:52dating back over 1,000 years, both Shinto and Buddhist.
18:57Whilst Shinto is indigenous to Japan, Buddhism was imported,
19:02and the two have coexisted for centuries.
19:05To learn more about this blend of religions,
19:08I'm meeting Dr Christopher Harding.
19:11Chris, how good to see you again.
19:13Hello, good to see you.
19:14And what a place to meet on this occasion.
19:16Oh, my goodness, absolutely.
19:17Chris, the gate at Todai-ji is absolutely impressive, isn't it?
19:21Absolutely.
19:22You've got these two fierce guardian deities,
19:25one on either side.
19:27So it's the first stage of protecting the Buddha
19:30that we're about to encounter inside.
19:32How did Buddhism arrive in Japan?
19:35So we think it arrived in the mid-6th century from Korea.
19:40So Japan had diplomatic relations with Korea.
19:42They sent across Buddhist statues,
19:44they sent across some scriptures,
19:46a few Buddhist monks from Korea to help explain
19:49what the statues and the scriptures meant.
19:51And initially, I think it was actually quite rocky.
19:54So Japan already had a tradition we now call Shinto,
19:57so the way of the gods.
19:59So for the first few decades, it was touch and go, I think,
20:01as to whether Buddhism would really take off.
20:03But as we can see here, it made it through.
20:06I mean, the two religions are so absolutely different, aren't they?
20:09Yes.
20:10Shinto has no founder.
20:12Shinto makes no reference to the afterlife.
20:14So Buddhism is introducing very different subjects and themes.
20:19That's right.
20:19I think it became a kind of strength, actually,
20:22because people do want to know about death, afterlife.
20:26They want that bigger cosmic picture.
20:28And Shinto is much more about the here and now, about life.
20:32And so Buddhism is really adding, I think,
20:33quite a lot of cosmological depth to Japan.
20:37I think the other part of its appeal, probably,
20:38is that it's very convenient for the imperial family.
20:41There's a sense, almost a little bit like Europe, I think,
20:43in the same period, that you can have a kind of divine right of kings here.
20:48Buddhism is really good at giving backing to a legitimate ruler.
20:52So I think Japan's emperors found that quite helpful.
20:54Let's venture forth.
20:56Yes.
21:05The Todaiji Temple complex spreads over a vast enclosure.
21:11At its heart is the great Buddha Hall.
21:17Just before we go inside,
21:19tell me a bit about this coexistence between Shintoism and Buddhism.
21:24Would an individual Japanese person feel drawn
21:27both to Shintoism and to Buddhism simultaneously?
21:31Yes.
21:32I think the way it often operates now,
21:33because Shinto is so concerned with this life,
21:36with a kind of divine force coursing through nature,
21:38and Buddhism has much more to say about death and the afterlife,
21:42there's a phrase, the English version of which is,
21:45born Shinto, die Buddhist.
21:47So when women are pregnant, when a child is born,
21:49or when a child is growing up,
21:50there are all sorts of rites, Shinto rites,
21:53that go alongside that for support and protection.
21:56Almost every funeral in Japan
21:58is conducted according to Buddhist rites.
22:03The hall is one of the biggest wooden buildings in the world,
22:07with good reason.
22:09It houses one of the world's largest bronze Buddhas,
22:13which rises 15 metres.
22:19Nothing quite prepares you for the size of this Buddha.
22:22Absolutely.
22:23Even just the Buddha's head is about five metres long.
22:27It's extraordinary.
22:28It is.
22:31The statue is of Vairocana, which means the shining one,
22:36and was commissioned in the 8th century by the Emperor Shomu,
22:40who was a fervent proponent of Buddhism.
22:43How would this extraordinary thing have been received
22:46by the public in the 8th century?
22:48I think one of the most important things to know about this statue
22:51is that, at the time, it was covered in gold.
22:54So they would melt the gold,
22:56and they would apply it with a brush,
22:58so that when you came to see this soon after it was finished,
23:01it really would be, as the name Vairocana suggests,
23:04a shining, luminous Buddha.
23:06It must have been mind-blowing.
23:08It pretty much is today.
23:10Yes.
23:24When Nara was the capital of Japan in the 8th century,
23:28it became a centre for ink production,
23:30which was essential for recording official and religious texts.
23:36Hundreds of years later,
23:37Nara is still the ink capital of Japan.
23:44Japanese calligraphy is a deeply respected art.
23:47Particularly in the age of the text message,
23:50it's beautiful to think how much can be expressed
23:52through the dexterity of the hand.
23:55And the gracious calligrapher needs to start
23:57with the most wonderful ink.
24:02Here in the Nara Machi district of Nara
24:05is Kin Koen, a 150-year-old family business.
24:11Hello.
24:16How do you do?
24:17How do you do?
24:19I'm Michael.
24:21My name is Yoshiter.
24:22Yoshi.
24:23Yoshi.
24:24What a pleasure.
24:25Please.
24:26You are a specialist in calligraphy and in ink.
24:30Yes.
24:30I'm craftsman in the Japanese sumi stick.
24:34This is the sumi stick.
24:35I'm making in here.
24:37This is the proper ink.
24:38This goes back a thousand years.
24:41Sumi sticks are solid ink blocks,
24:44which, when mixed with water,
24:46create the liquid ink that's been used in calligraphy for centuries.
24:5295% of all sumi sticks made in Japan are crafted in Nara.
25:00Sumi stick, about 2,200 years ago,
25:04started in the founding of China.
25:07And there's China and North Korea,
25:09South Korea,
25:10Japan,
25:11and here.
25:12About the 7th century.
25:15Sumi material, only three.
25:17Soot,
25:18and animal glue,
25:20and the perfume.
25:21Soot,
25:22collected by burning wood or oil,
25:24is the key ingredient that gives the ink its rich black colour.
25:29It's mixed with the liquid gelatine
25:31and a small amount of perfume
25:33to mask the gelatine's unpleasant natural smell.
25:37The soft mixture is then hand rolled,
25:40shaped into blocks,
25:42and left to dry for at least four months until it hardens.
25:46Then it's ready to be transformed into beautiful calligraphy.
25:51Teach me your first name.
25:53You are the...
25:54Michael.
25:56Michael.
26:12Mmm.
26:14Michael.
26:14Mmm.
26:16Michael.
26:18So,
26:20thick,
26:20downstroke.
26:22Mm-hmm.
26:25That's right.
26:28That's right.
26:32That's right.
26:34It's okay.
26:42Mm-hmm.
26:42So, so good.
26:43Just show me.
26:46Yeah,
26:47it's okay.
26:48It's okay.
26:48We can read,
26:49myself.
26:50Yeah.
27:22Whenever I come to Japan,
27:25I am inevitably aware of cultural differences.
27:28It's very easy to communicate with Japanese people,
27:31who are very friendly and very humorous,
27:34and nowadays your mobile telephone will translate.
27:38But there are assumptions and outlooks here,
27:41which I think it would take me many years to comprehend.
27:45And I suspect that an understanding of the blend of religions in Japan is key.
27:52As important as, say, centuries of Christianity have been
27:57to making Europeans what they are today.
28:03Next time,
28:05with a flick of the switch,
28:08all the train seats have changed direction.
28:12Can you see that beautiful pine tree?
28:15That one is growing,
28:16growing,
28:17growing from the seeds.
28:19How perfect.
28:22We go across our own bridge,
28:24and we look down on the other bridges.
28:26Hello, everyone on the other bridges.
28:28Oh, this is lovely.
28:59This is lovely.
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