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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.
01:08My journey across the beautiful mountainous island of Kyushu is reaching its conclusion.
01:17I now look forward to crossing over to Honshu, the largest of the islands that make up Japan.
01:24Not so very long before I was born, my country Britain and Japan were at war.
01:29The technology of the mid-20th century made it possible to kill tens of thousands in a moment.
01:36And the cruelties of the war would have been a disgrace to humankind in any century.
01:42At Hiroshima, I shall reflect on the beauty of peace.
01:50Japan is made up of four large and many small islands.
01:55On this journey, I've been exploring Kyushu, the most westerly and southerly of the big ones.
02:02I began in Kagoshima and explored Kyushu's western coast, which historically was the most outward-looking part of Japan.
02:11I'll soon be crossing over to the tip of Honshu Island to end this leg at Hiroshima.
02:25To make my way from one island to the next, I've come to the top of Kyushu on a local
02:31train.
02:31I can easily see Honshu. It's almost within touching distance.
02:37Rather than taking a Shinkansen bullet train under the water, I've opted for another route.
02:46This service ends at Mojiko, a station unlike any on my route so far.
02:59In contrast to all those brand-new Shinkansen stations in concrete, steel and glass,
03:05this is a masterpiece in timber, an antique gem.
03:14This is one of the few remaining large-scale wooden stations left in all of Japan.
03:21Here at Mojiko Station, there is a bell which can be rung by those unlucky enough to be leaving Mojiko,
03:28which I shall be doing shortly, departing for Honshu.
03:40Separating Kyushu and Honshu is the Kanmon Strait,
03:44a busy shipping channel where cargo ships take the short route from Korea and China through to Osaka and Tokyo.
03:53As well as road bridges and ferry services connecting the two islands,
03:57there are road and rail tunnels beneath the sea.
04:00You can also make the crossing on foot, as there's a pedestrian tunnel 780 metres long.
04:08My Trans-Pacific Stroll.
04:10The tunnel pops out on Honshu, Japan's largest and most populous island.
04:17Shimonoseki is my first stop.
04:26It's a major fishing port, and on the waterfront, its historic fish market began with street vendors in 1909.
04:35While in Japan, I've been very much enjoying sashimi,
04:39but you can only be happy with raw seafood or fish if it's of very high quality and absolutely fresh.
04:48Now, the flesh of the puffer fish is considered an extraordinary delicacy,
04:54but other parts of it contain a neurotoxin that is a thousand times more powerful than cyanide,
05:01and there is no known antidote.
05:04It's time for me to play Japanese roulette.
05:09This perilous delicacy is known as fugu in Japanese.
05:14And to hear more, I'm meeting local guide Ria Mihara.
05:18Hello, Michael.
05:20Ria, what a pleasure. How do you do?
05:24Welcome to Shimonoseki.
05:27In the moments that I've been in Shimonoseki, I've seen representations of the puffer fish.
05:31It's very closely associated with the town, isn't that right?
05:34Yes, that's really right.
05:36From ancient time, the people had been eating that like 15,000 years ago.
05:42Wow.
05:42Yes, we found the fossil of the puffer fish of the bones and tooth.
05:51In the 1590s, one of the leader, Hideyoshi, he banned to eat the puffer fish because so many people died.
05:59His warriors ate the puffer fish, and he lost the warriors, so he banned the puffer fish.
06:07But 1888, the first prime minister, Hirofumi Ito, he is from here, and then he ate the puffer fish for
06:17the first time.
06:18And they're like, how come we cannot eat this?
06:21You know, so he actually left the bun since then.
06:25The first place the puffer fish was eaten is here.
06:29Yes.
06:29So from here, the Shimonoseki is the home of the puffer fish.
06:34Part of the fish is highly poisonous and dangerous.
06:37Yes.
06:38So there must be considerable skill involved in cutting up the fish.
06:42Yes, exactly.
06:43And all the chefs have to take care of the puffer fish.
06:48They have to have the national license.
06:50And each prefecture has different exams, but the Yamaguchi license is the most reliable.
06:59Right.
06:59Because they have a paper and technique, skills, exams for both of them.
07:08Famous as a distinctively Japanese delicacy, the puffer fish is deeply woven into the national cultural identity
07:16and is believed to bring good luck.
07:19I'm intrigued and somewhat nervous to try it.
07:23Around the corner stands established puffer fish wholesaler Sakai Shoten.
07:30The puffer fish has met his end.
07:32The very dangerous parts of the body have been removed and now we're left with the flesh.
07:37It's being cut so thin that it is translucent, actually transparent.
07:43It's being arranged onto a dish that is a highly decorated Arita ware.
07:49And of course we can see the pattern through the fish.
07:54Now, for the moment of truth.
08:05This looks absolutely superb. Thank you so much. I'm very honored to be here.
08:12This is lovely. We have never met before.
08:15Today I've put my life in your hands.
08:19And I feel absolute trust.
08:21The puffer fish is completely removed and it's safe to eat.
08:32You can eat it safely.
08:33It's safe to eat.
08:35Should I begin at the center or the edges?
08:37From the middle.
08:38From the middle.
08:51That's a wonderful texture.
08:54A beautiful fish.
08:56I'm happy.
08:58Do you think that the fish brings good luck?
09:01Of course, I think.
09:05So, not only have I survived, but I go forth with good luck.
09:19I'm leaving Shimonoseki from its railway station, which was first established in 1901.
09:26It's been served by the high-speed Shinkansen trains since 1975.
09:36A display of models of Shinkansen trains from the very oldest to the very newest.
09:45Japan invented high-speed rail and is still very proud of it.
09:57I'm taking one of these high-speed trains eastwards to my next destination, Tokuyama.
10:08I'm travelling on a Hikari rail-style train, a model which was introduced in 2000.
10:20You have to be impressed by Japan's ability to manage rapid change.
10:25In the late 19th century, it went from being a feudal to an industrial society.
10:31In 1945, its cities lay in ruins.
10:35But in 1962, it produced the prototype of the world's first high-speed train.
10:42And the Shinkansen began services in 1964.
10:46The first models, and many subsequent and much faster versions, were designed and manufactured by Hitachi.
11:07I lighted Tokuyama to visit one of the most significant railway factories in the world.
11:14Stretching over the equivalent of 72 football pitches, the Casado factory has been manufacturing railway rolling stock for over a
11:23century.
11:24From building steam locomotives, to pioneering early electric models, and now producing Tokyo's modern metro trains,
11:33it has continually driven innovation in railway design.
11:37Most famously with its iconic achievement, the Shinkansen.
11:46Iwasaki-san.
11:48I'm Michael.
11:50Nice to meet you.
11:52Showing me the production line is Mitsuo Iwasaki, an engineer and now head of Hitachi Japan Business.
12:03Iwasaki-san, how old is Hitachi and how old is this factory?
12:08Hitachi was founded in 1910, for over a hundred years.
12:14In the early days, what was the company doing? How did the company get into railways?
12:21The company started electrical equipment to produce starting from electrical motors or copper mining.
12:30Coming to the 1950s and 1960s, Japan develops the world's first high-speed rail, the Shinkansen.
12:37Why did Japan make that national effort, do you think?
12:41I think Japan would like to make Japanese economy to be developed.
12:48In order to do that, the transportation system should be developed dramatically.
12:55Japan is a long, thin country.
12:57Yes.
12:57So joining it together reliably boosts the economy.
13:01Yes, I think so.
13:04In 1962, Hitachi unveiled the prototype of the Shinkansen.
13:10Just two years later, the world's first high-speed rail line opened in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, transforming
13:19Japan's global image.
13:21The Shinkansen was not only a technological triumph, but also a defining symbol of Japan's post-war recovery and resurgence.
13:32Which is this model?
13:33This is the N700S.
13:35The N700S.
13:37Is this the one that includes a tilting technology?
13:40Yes, tilting mechanism is for the faster speed to passing the curvature of the rail.
13:46Yes, you don't have to slow down for the curves.
13:49Yes, it doesn't need to slow down.
13:50Hmm.
13:51And what other technological advance came with the N700S?
13:56Their insight is a battery system can be used in the case of the earthquake, so train can still move
14:03to the stations.
14:05The train can move itself even if the wires have fallen down.
14:08Yes.
14:10Now I find myself at the nose of a Shinkansen.
14:13I've often admired them in stations, taken my photographs, taken selfies with the train, but this is the first time
14:22I've seen it from here.
14:23A piece of engineering and almost a piece of art at the same time.
14:27So we have some design rules to make such a shape.
14:32And everybody think about how to make it beautiful.
14:36That's the Shinkansen.
14:43The Shinkansen is, of course, mass-produced.
14:46There are already hundreds of these vehicles running on Japanese Shinkansen lines.
14:51But this is not a factory like a car factory where, you know, the bodies are suspended above the factory
14:59and they go from station to station.
15:00Here, there's still room for craftsmanship and for hand finish.
15:19In 1962, Japan stole a march on the world with its prototype of the high-speed train, the Shinkansen.
15:26And since then, other countries have followed, notably France.
15:30Then again, Japan has continued to improve its technology.
15:34And there's a lot of commercial secrecy that surrounds all of that.
15:38So being admitted to this factory, to see the inside and what's going on, has been quite a coup.
15:55I've returned to Tokoyama Station to continue my journey.
15:59And I'm finding rail travel in Japan surprisingly easy.
16:04That all looks a great puzzle, but fortunately, a ticket machine has an English function.
16:12I'm travelling on the Shinkansen.
16:14I'm going to Hiroshima today.
16:18Nine o'clock is my next option.
16:20There are a few seats left.
16:22OK.
16:24Japan still uses a lot of cash by comparison with Europe.
16:32The machine is happily swallowing my money.
16:37Excellent.
16:48This train will be stopping at Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Okayama and Shin Kobe before arriving at Shin-Osaka Terminal. Thank you.
17:02I have successfully bought a ticket to my next stop, Hiroshima, which is around 75 kilometres northeast along Honshu Island.
17:14It's a city known for a single devastating event.
17:21Sadako Sasaki was a two-year-old girl living in Hiroshima, very close to where the atomic bomb fell.
17:30She and her family were able to escape.
17:33But at the age of 12, she contracted leukaemia, which was known as the Womp disease.
17:40And at that point, she had learned that in Japanese folklore, the crane lives for a thousand years.
17:47And so she began to fold origami cranes.
17:53And by the time of her death at the age of 12, she had folded 1,300 and she died
18:00surrounded by her work.
18:02So today, the origami crane is associated not only with longevity, but also with peace.
18:21Surrounded by mountains and at the head of a large bay is the city of Hiroshima.
18:26I'm arriving into its gleaming modern railway station, a busy regional hub with five lines and 14 platforms.
18:35During the Second World War, Hiroshima was a military headquarters and logistics hub, which made it a target for the
18:43Allies.
18:44In May 1945, Germany had been defeated, but the war with Japan continued.
18:49In August of that year, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, causing unprecedented, instantaneous loss of life.
18:59One square mile was flattened, while more than four and a half square miles were destroyed.
19:0527 days later, Japan surrendered.
19:10Today, Hiroshima has been rebuilt.
19:12It's a busy metropolis that's home to a population of 1.1 million.
19:1927 days later.
19:23Hiroshima City runs a fleet of trams, both vintage and highly modern.
19:29They are in themselves a city attraction, and they fill the streets with their sound of banging, grinding and clanging.
19:41The one I take across the city I find beautiful, and its history is very poignant.
19:54This very tram was in service the day that the bomb dropped.
19:58It was hit by a heat blast of 1,000 degrees centigrade.
20:02The driver and 89 of the 90 passengers were killed.
20:06An extremely moving thought.
20:08In the days following the blast, city workers heroically got some trams operating again to help the injured.
20:16And this car was back in service by March of 1946.
20:22The bomb detonated approximately 600 metres above an area that is now the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
20:31Near the ruins of an old prefectural building, which stands as a reminder of the destruction, I'm meeting Luli van
20:39der Dusse, an associate professor at the Centre for Peace.
20:43Luli, we're in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. Could you please describe it to me?
20:49Ah, yes. Well, this place used to be a vibrant community.
20:53Just behind you would have been a barber shop.
20:56And this one, the rest house now, used to be a kimono shop.
21:02So, yeah, that was a place to go and a place to be seen.
21:07But unfortunately, in 1945, on the 6th of August, atomic bomb dropped just behind you, about 150 metres from here,
21:18on top of the Shima Hospital.
21:21An entire community simply disappeared.
21:25How many people do we think were killed by the atomic bomb?
21:30On that day, according to various records, for example, the rice rationing record and so on,
21:38we estimate about 50,000 to 70,000 people died.
21:43But by the end of the same year, at least 140,000 died.
21:48And then other people would die with cancers after that?
21:52Oh, yes, cancers, blood cancer like leukemia.
21:56On top of that, some people suffered from long-term trauma and committed suicide.
22:05And today, like for example, my mother as well, you have several kinds of cancers suddenly starting up.
22:14And so the atomic bomb survivors continue to live eight decades, fearing at any moment their time may come.
22:25One of those survivors is 87-year-old Keiko Ogura, who lived just 2.4 kilometres from the blast centre.
22:33And today often speaks about her experiences, including in an address to world leaders at a G7 summit.
22:40With the peace bell ringing in the distance, she gives me the honour today.
22:46Hello, I'm delighted to meet you.
22:48Nice to see you.
22:49I'm Michael.
22:50Keiko-san, it's a privilege to meet you. Thank you for making the time.
22:54And also to speak about things which are, of course, so painful.
22:57Could you please tell me about your experience on the 6th of August, 1945?
23:03At that time, I was eight years old, and I was almost going to school, elementary school.
23:11But my father said, don't go to your school today.
23:16Because the previous night was so strange, many airplanes, American airplanes passed above us.
23:24All my classmates already went to school.
23:28And then all of a sudden, that time, blinding flash, and everything I was looking at turned white.
23:40And then there was a strong wind blast.
23:43And then I felt like I was being in the midst of a tornado or a typhoon.
23:50Then blown, and the beating on the road, and they became unconscious.
23:55When I first opened my eyes, everywhere was just dark, no sound, and I was alone in the darkness.
24:07I couldn't understand what happened.
24:10My brother, he was actually behind Hiroshima Station.
24:15So he was watching the plane, and he could see the small dots released.
24:23That was an atomic bomb.
24:24And that spot exploded in the air.
24:28I saw people coming, like, you know, skin was peeling off.
24:34I first smelled the burnt hair, and the coming.
24:40First, one line, and two lines, and continuously they came.
24:46Then by and by, they started to die in front of me.
24:50And then we were horrified because people started to die without having any scars, no burns.
25:01We couldn't understand why they were dying.
25:05We did not know the word, the radiation.
25:08And then people tried to say, somebody who were in the city cannot have a good memory, and they will
25:17have malformed children.
25:20So we tried not to talk anything, shut our mouth.
25:27Hiroshima has been rebuilt, and it seems now a very beautiful city.
25:32Do you have hope?
25:34Yes.
25:35Because I'm, right now, 87, soon I'll be 88.
25:41It's difficult.
25:42But if the world works together, the real world peace will come.
25:51Unite each other, a drop of water will spread like ocean.
25:57I hope.
25:58It's been a great honour talking to you.
26:01Thank you very much.
26:16After every war, humankind has said never again.
26:21And that was strongly the case after the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan.
26:27Since then, nuclear weapons have become more sophisticated, and many nations have them.
26:33And yet, the fear of repeating what happened here has kept a sort of peace.
26:39No one has dared to use their weapons.
26:42Can we abolish nuclear weapons?
26:44They're so hard to uninvent.
26:47But what I would recommend is that every world leader should come to Hiroshima, an essential part of his or
26:55her education.
27:04To end this leg of my journey, I'm taking a ferry across the bay to Itsukushima Island, where the dramatic
27:12orange-red gate marks the location of one of Japan's most revered shrines.
27:19Japan recovered very quickly after the Second World War, to become one of the biggest economies of the world.
27:27Now it's hampered by an ageing and shrinking population, but its achievements are still impressive.
27:33It imported many ideas from the West, for example, democracy, but without in any way affecting its distinctive culture and
27:44identity.
27:45It is orderly, disciplined and deferential.
27:49Having outperformed much of the West, today its most important challenges come from within Asia.
28:01Next time, we have the very Japanese-style trees, skyscrapers, typical of Tokyo.
28:08Then we have this palace that could be in England, and a fountain that could be at home in Buckingham
28:13Palace.
28:14Yes, that's right.
28:16Wow, what a building!
28:19This is extraordinary.
28:21In the event of a quake, the rubber absorbs a lot of the energy.
28:27This technology just leaves me breathless.
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