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Great Japanese Railway Journey S01E05
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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.
00:14My 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.
01:08This Shinkansen is carrying me towards the Japanese Alps, and this part of my journey will end amongst mountain peaks.
01:16I'll investigate an artist who created a wave that washed across the world.
01:22I'll nosily explore a pungent Japanese condiment, and I'll strut amongst buildings unchanged in appearance since the age of the
01:33samurai.
01:35The first leg of my journey across the biggest of Japan's four main islands, Honshu, is reaching its conclusion.
01:42Having explored cities in the centre and on the northern coast at Kanazawa, I'm now in the Japanese Alps, where
01:49I'll stop in Nagano, Hazu Mino, and conclude in Naraijuku.
02:03I'm arriving first into Nagano, a sprawling low-rise city which has a population of around 380,000.
02:18It was the host city for the 1998 Winter Olympics.
02:23And it's the gateway to the Japanese Alps, winter sports and mountain tourism.
02:45I could think of no better way to get my bearings than to head for the high ground.
02:49This is called the Ryuo Ropeway.
02:53It's a large square cabin which takes 166 people.
02:58Apparently it is the largest cable car of its sort in the world.
03:03We're going up to a height of nearly 6,000 feet.
03:07The term Japanese Alps was coined in the late 19th century in relation to the Hida mountain range in the
03:14north.
03:14It now also includes the Kiso and Akaishi ranges in the centre and the south.
03:20And I'm keen to take in the view.
03:23With a change in air pressure and a popping of the ears, we've arrived at the top.
03:29Japan has 23 peaks of more than 3,000 metres.
03:3415 of them are around Nagano, earning it the nickname the Roof of Japan.
03:39Here you get a phenomenon known as a sea of clouds which occurs on two thirds of the days of
03:46the year.
03:46The valleys become obscure and the mountain peaks appear as islands in an ocean.
03:53The Japanese Alps extend 300 kilometres from north to south and create a formidable natural barrier across Honshu Island.
04:08My next stop in this region is the town of Obuse, which is back down in the valley.
04:14And I'm taking a local train to get there.
04:17I'm taking a local train to get a tropical train.
04:44Long-feeling now, I'm taking a local train.
04:45But in the village is now to be able to kiss yourself.
04:46We saw you in the mountains of Borukus.
04:47were shoguns. The outside world knew almost nothing about Japan. And yet, an image created
04:53in that period by an artist is today one of the best-known works. Reproductions of it
04:59adorn walls all around the world. How did Hokusai's great wave sweep so far?
05:28I arrive in Obuse, where the artist Katushka Hokusai spent his final years in the mid-19th
05:36century. Today, there's a museum dedicated to his work, and Emi Wei is a curator. Emi,
05:46I'm Michael. What a pleasure. Hi, I'm Emi. Nice to meet you.
05:50So I've come to talk about Hokusai. How did he become an artist?
05:55Katushka Hokusai became an artist. Well, he first started out as a ukiyo-e carver instead of a painter.
06:02Ukiyo-e are paintings or prints commonly associated with the Edo period.
06:07So these are prints that are made from woodcuts, are they? Yes.
06:11What brought him to Obuse?
06:12He first visited Obuse in 1842, and there are two major theories to how and why he came.
06:21One is that during that time in Edo period, there was a publication ban which restricted his artistic expression,
06:28and therefore he wanted to escape to a more lenient place. And he was acquainted with a man called Takai
06:36Kozan, who was from Obuse.
06:38Another theory is that Takai Kozan invited Hokusai from Edo to come visit him and stay with him for a
06:43while.
06:44So Hokusai must have been quite an age by then.
06:47Yes, he was 83 when he first visited Obuse.
06:53Hokusai had already been in his 70s when he created the artwork officially known as the Great Wave of Kanagawa
07:01in the 1830s.
07:03And whilst he was the artist, it took many craftsmen to produce the woodblock impressions.
07:10Tell me then, what are we seeing here? This is the process by which Great Wave is created, is it?
07:15Yes, so the first block would start here, the line art of the print. And from there on, each block
07:24would add a new colour.
07:26They will start with the lightest colour and move on to the more deeper colour.
07:30Yes, so it's a complicated process.
07:33Yes.
07:33Have we any idea how many copies were made at once or during his lifetime? Did it become popular in
07:39his lifetime?
07:39So the first edition of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints would typically start with 200.
07:44And if it's popular, they would continue on making more and more.
07:48And this series specifically was pretty popular during its time as the series name of this print is 36 Views
07:56of Mount Fuji.
07:57But because it became so popular, 10 more prints were added on and this series now consists of 46 prints.
08:03One is so distracted by this terrifying wave, this virtual tsunami, that it's possible to lose sight of the fact
08:11that Mount Fuji is here in the background.
08:13Yes, it's very blended into the waves.
08:15Exactly so.
08:18It's thought that several thousand impressions of the Great Wave were made.
08:23Surviving today are around 100 of those original prints, with each impression differing slightly.
08:31Oh, now this is interesting. These images are clearly related to the wave, but they're unfamiliar to me. What are
08:37they?
08:38So these are paintings of waves by Hokusai.
08:41And why were these created?
08:43So these were actually painted as ceiling panels for these festival floats.
08:49You've told me how it is that he became popular in Japan, but what's quite puzzling to me is how
08:54he becomes popular internationally.
08:56So during the late 1800s, after Hokusai's death, Japan went through rapid modernization.
09:03And Japan wanted to gain foreign currency in order to compete with the world powers.
09:08So what Japan did was they would export arts and crafts made in Japan to European buyers.
09:15Ukiyo-e were considered vulgar by the Meiji government.
09:18So legend says Hokusai's artworks were used as packaging, so basically cushioning in the package, and were sent to European
09:29countries.
09:30And artists found these cushionings and were so inspired by the prints, they popularized ukiyo-e in the West.
09:38It is famous that impressionists were inspired by ukiyo-e art.
09:42Van Gogh is said to have been inspired since he actually owned a lot of ukiyo-e prints.
09:48And after that, how quickly does it spread? I mean, it's now a pretty much universally known picture.
09:55It spread pretty rapidly as it became, it instigated the movement of Japanism in Europe,
10:01which mainly started in France and spread throughout the European countries and into the Americas.
10:07Well, how do you react to the great wave? Do you find it terrifying?
10:12The wave is very terrifying, but the combination of the calm Fuji in the background
10:16and the more aggressive wave in the foreground creates a contrast that is memorable,
10:23which makes it a masterpiece.
10:37The small, relaxed town of Obuse is a draw for visitors to the Japanese Alps.
10:44And one of the most famous local delights is culinary.
10:59Lovely. Thank you.
11:04I'm sitting in the shade of a chestnut tree. Obuse is renowned for its chestnuts.
11:11It's to do with the acidic soil.
11:14And during the brief season, which is September, October,
11:18they produce a chestnut cake, which is so popular in Japan
11:23that people actually reserve the cake in advance to make sure that it's here when they arrive.
11:28Nothing prepared me of this shaggy looking creature.
11:34It's like a spaghetti of chestnut.
11:37How absolutely delicious and unexpected.
11:42And here in the middle, we have what I imagine is a chestnut goo.
11:48So I think the key is you mix up the moist chestnut goo with the dryish chestnut spaghetti.
11:55And you have a chestnut wonder.
12:02Gorgeous.
12:08The Japanese Alps are a place of great beauty.
12:12Here in the north, we find clean mountain streams and a cool climate.
12:17There's no better spot in the world to cultivate the plant that produces one of Japan's most distinctive and fiery
12:26flavours.
12:30Wasabi is a condiment, which I normally encounter as a paste, which I mix with my soy sauce.
12:36And then I can dip into that my raw fish dish.
12:40It's pungent.
12:42So like horse radish and mustard, if you take too much, you get a burning sensation in the nostrils.
12:48At the foot of these glorious mountains, I've come to seek out the root of this Japanese staple.
12:55Here in Azuminon is the Dayon Wasabi Farm.
13:00Sprawling over 37 acres, it's the largest wasabi farm in the world and is run by fifth generation owner Daisuke
13:09Fukazawa.
13:11Daisuke-san, this is such an extraordinarily beautiful place.
13:15You have these wonderful mountains, this beautiful, pure river.
13:18It's lovely, isn't it?
13:21Yes, it's a very beautiful place.
13:22I think the most beautiful place in Japan.
13:24Have you been associated with this place for a long time?
13:27Yes, the farm was founded in 1915 by my great-grandfather, Yuchi Fukazawa.
13:33And it marks 110th anniversary this year.
13:37So this river here looks incredibly pure.
13:40The water is crystal clear.
13:42Yeah, this is spring water.
13:44And it has lots and lots of oxygen and it has a lot of minerals which are good for wasabi.
13:52So tell me, what conditions do you need to grow wasabi?
13:55In terms of climate, the ideal temperature is around 20 degrees.
14:01But as you know, the climate has been changing dramatically.
14:05And sometimes in summer, here in Azuminon, the temperature reaches around 35, sometimes even 40.
14:11In the summer, it's a very tough season for wasabi.
14:15Wasabi contains fibre and potassium and has antibacterial properties.
14:21It's extremely delicate, vulnerable to the slightest change in temperature or water quality.
14:28Looking after the crop is Yuta Takahashi.
14:31Konnichiwa.
14:33I'm Michael.
14:34I'm Yuta desu.
14:35I have never seen wasabi growing before.
14:39This is a completely new sight for me.
14:42How long have you been a wasabi farmer?
14:44I've been around 10 years.
14:46You must have learnt a lot in that time.
14:48I've got a lot of knowledge.
14:51I've got a lot of knowledge.
14:52It's really hard to learn wasabi.
14:54It's hard to learn wasabi.
15:05And I've got more and more and more and more than the other seeds.
15:11I'm going to show you how many seeds are.
15:12What I'm most familiar with is the paste that I mixed with soy sauce.
15:16Which part of the plant does that come from?
15:18I'm going to show you.
15:21Here's my turn.
15:28Ah.
15:41And then what do you use all the rest for?
15:54Ice cream?
15:59I had no idea. Will this be harvested now quite soon?
16:06OK. What do I do?
16:15The wasabi is harvested by hand as tools might damage the plants.
16:22Once picked, each one is carefully hand-processed, separating the spicy underground stem, the milder stalks, and the peppery leaves.
16:35I'm keen to taste the wasabi that we've picked.
16:38Now, to turn this into an edible product, does it need to be cooked or prepared, or do you use
16:44it directly from the plant?
16:58What's this grape made of?
17:02It's called Samehada, but it's used as an edible product.
17:09Grating releases wasabi's famous heat and aroma.
17:13I'm getting the, um, the fragrance of that wasabi.
17:17Ooh!
17:18Yeah, I'm really getting it now.
17:20It is indeed pungent.
17:26And it naturally forms a paste because it's quite wet.
17:32Should I taste it?
17:34Yes, just a little bit.
17:36I understand that.
17:46It's a wonderful taste.
17:51The rough action of the metal grater intensifies the heat.
18:05That is extraordinary.
18:08I took much less this time, and it's much stronger.
18:14What does wasabi mean to the Japanese people?
18:22If I told you that you had to live without wasabi, what would you say?
18:31It's a sad life without wasabi.
18:56From Azumino, I've come to Seiber Station to take a local train to my final destination on this lake.
19:04I'm heading to a town located midway between Kyoto and Tokyo on the old Nakasendo Way.
19:23In the centuries before railways, a long road wound its way from Kyoto, the old capital, to Edo, which is
19:31now Tokyo.
19:32There were 69 so-called post towns where merchants and travellers and pilgrims could find inns and supplies.
19:42At the very midpoint stood, and still stands, Naraijuku, which gives us a peep into history.
19:56Here, the rail service also has touches of an earlier age.
20:02So, I have two tickets, one that proves I paid my fare, one that shows where I got on the
20:08train.
20:23The historic town of Naraijuku was renowned as the longest and wealthiest of the Kiso Valley post towns along the
20:33Nakasendo route, and today offers a slice of old Japan.
20:39This is Matsuo.
20:40Yes.
20:41I'm Michael.
20:42Thank you for coming to Naraijuku.
20:44Welcome.
20:44I'm so pleased to be here.
20:46It's such a beautiful town.
20:49Naraijuku is wonderfully well preserved.
20:52How are the houses built?
20:53I mean, they're all made of wood.
20:55Tell me a little bit about the architecture here.
20:57Okay.
20:58So, maybe look at this house.
21:01Yes.
21:01One of the great features is, so you can compare the footprint of the first floor and the second floor.
21:07Yeah.
21:07This one sticks out.
21:09Yes, yes.
21:09That is the main feature of the architecture.
21:13And the houses we see now, are they very old?
21:16So, some of the houses are around 200 years old.
21:23Naraijuku flourished as a rest stop for travellers, including feudal lords and merchants who paused for lodging, food, supplies and
21:32entertainment.
21:34There were 69 post towns on the road.
21:38Are they all preserved like this?
21:40So, most of the towns are already demolished.
21:43Right.
21:43Due to the motorization or modernization.
21:48Yeah.
21:48So, as they put the roads in, of course, they'd be left to the wayside, wouldn't they?
21:52The road would no longer go through the town in the way that it used to.
21:55So, what happened here?
21:56How has this town been preserved?
21:58So, about 40 years ago, there was a request from the other prefecture to move the oldest building from here
22:10to there.
22:11So, at the time, great priests in the temple stood up and tried to keep this atmosphere and landscape.
22:21Right.
22:22So, he started what, like a movement, we would say?
22:24Yes.
22:25Yes, you are right.
22:26And now, how well preserved is the town?
22:29Is it protected by law?
22:31Ah, yes.
22:32Yeah.
22:32Wow, that's great.
22:33By the Japanese government.
22:34By the Japanese government.
22:35It's a grand system to preserve all this area nowadays.
22:44Amongst the buildings that have endured so well, traditional crafts such as lacquerware have also survived.
22:51Craftspeople made souvenirs for passing travelers, as well as larger items for export along the Nakasendo Highway.
23:00Made from the sap of the Urushi tree, the lacquer is exceptionally hard and durable, capable of lasting centuries, if
23:08not millennia.
23:09Norio Ishimoto is a master of the craft.
23:16Konnichiwa.
23:18Konnichiwa.
23:19I'm Michael.
23:20I'm Ishimoto desu.
23:21Yoroshikuuneishimasu.
23:23How long have you been doing this lacquer work?
23:26It's about 57 years.
23:29From whom did you learn?
23:31From whom did you learn?
23:31From my father.
23:35What is the skill in applying the lacquer?
23:38This technique is very difficult.
23:43But it's hard to use, but the material is not quite difficult.
23:47The material is not very difficult.
23:49The material is not quite difficult.
24:01How long does this tradition go back in Japanese history, do you think?
24:12Norio and his wife Aiko continue this long tradition,
24:16producing lack of wear of extreme detail and quality.
24:22Can you tell me what you're working on?
24:24This is real gold?
24:30Yes, yes, yes.
24:32You're still carving at the moment.
24:35Making little indentations in the lacquer.
24:37And this is where the gold will sit.
24:40This is exquisite work you're doing.
24:42What is this piece going to be?
24:44Where is this used in the house?
24:46This is a cabinet's door.
24:49It's absolutely superb.
24:52How long does it take you to do the entire piece?
25:08Just six or seven months, yes.
25:10High quality artisan lacquer pieces sell for thousands of pounds, so I'll steer clear of the cabinet. But I will
25:18try my hand.
25:20A little bit of a blank part.
25:22Just brush the stone.
25:24Just brush the stone.
25:25And brush the stone.
25:26Mm-hmm.
25:28Not too deep.
25:29Like that?
25:30Oh, that's pretty good.
25:32Yeah.
25:32Yeah, yeah.
25:34Keep practicing.
25:36Like that?
25:37Yes, that's right.
25:47The yellow line is like this.
25:57I want to do it for 10 years for 10 minutes.
26:07Yes, that's right.
26:11I'm nervous about this.
26:15I've done this.
26:19Look at this detail, they added now.
26:22All the little leaves, beautiful.
26:27It's just the season of this season.
26:31It's extraordinary that you can do that freehand.
26:35I'll add a little bit of gold.
26:37Yes, let's try some gold in there.
26:41This is a gold.
26:49Isn't that amazing? It comes alive at once.
26:53That's gorgeous.
26:57Congratulations.
26:59And thank you for being such a brilliant teacher as well.
27:07Thank you very much.
27:09How lovely.
27:10What a beautiful present.
27:14The first leg of my journey in Japan is at an end.
27:21During this excursion, I think I've glimpsed the soul of Japan in the revered Shinto shrines and the Buddhist temples.
27:29And I've sensed it too in the respect for nature, where the deities dwell.
27:36Japanese people bow to one another.
27:39They are extremely considerate.
27:41They queue.
27:43They observe red pedestrian lights.
27:45They police themselves.
27:47They drop no litter and they suffer almost no crime.
27:50They are extremely assiduous in their work and their railways are perfectly reliable.
27:58While here, I have occasionally missed the individualistic chaos of Britain.
28:04But Japan offers a model of an orderly society with uncompromising standards.
28:14Next time, I don't know whether we're expecting an eruption today, but all the children are wearing hard hats.
28:24How many pilots flew from here, from Chiran, to their deaths?
28:31439.
28:32They respected their honor above their lives.
28:37Oh, the sand is warm.
28:39You feel it on your body.
28:41It's hot.
29:09You feel it on your body.
29:10You feel it on your body.
29:14I love you.
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