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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.
01:12My journey across Japan has led me to an island far from the usual tourist trails.
01:20I am traveling on Kyushu, which is the most southerly and most westerly of the four biggest islands that comprise
01:27Japan.
01:28And it's renowned for its volcanic activity.
01:31During the two and a half centuries that the shoguns kept foreign influence out of Japan, this region maintained some
01:39contact with the Asian mainland and with the West, not least through its major port at Nagasaki.
01:45In this area, inevitably, I'll reflect a little on the Second World War, but I'll also look at the Japan
01:52of today and tomorrow as I visit one of its most useful and dynamic cities, Fukuoka.
02:06The name Kyushu means nine provinces, which the island had in ancient times.
02:13Today, it's home to 22 rail lines and 567 stations.
02:18I'll begin in the south at Kagoshima and will make my way northwards, learning the importance of the island's position
02:26at the westerly edge of Japan.
02:28I'll travel under the ocean to end in the western part of Honshu Island at Hiroshima.
02:55My narrow gauge train hugs the coastline as we head towards Kagoshima.
03:09Located in the south west of Kyushu, Kagoshima is a port city.
03:14It gained political and commercial importance in the 16th century as the capital of the feudal Satsuma province.
03:22I'm arriving at the transport hub of Kagoshima Station.
03:37The city has a population of around 600,000.
03:41There's a mix of old and new, tower blocks alongside densely packed housing.
03:56Cities today may be coming to look more and more like each other.
03:59There's a sort of uniformity to the architecture of the high-rise building.
04:03But here, this alleyway takes you back in history, albeit that it is cluttered with the modern paraphernalia of air
04:12-conditioning units and bicycles.
04:14But nonetheless, you get a sense of community, of neighbours living cheap by jowl.
04:20It's very charming and wonderful that it has survived.
04:29The most distinctive feature of this city is that it lies just four kilometres from one of Japan's most active
04:36volcanoes,
04:38owning it the nickname Naples of the East.
04:43I'm excited to see the great Sakurajima volcano.
04:48It's often compared to Vesuvius.
04:51It dominates Kagoshima as Vesuvius dominates Naples.
04:55They both have a bay in which they are reflected.
04:59And they're similar in their danger too.
05:02It was Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii.
05:05Kagoshima is threatened by Sakurajima, which means Cherry Blossom Island.
05:10But it is ash and lava that it spews forth.
05:15Indeed, it's no longer even an island because a lava flow is filled in the gap between it and the
05:20land beyond.
05:22And there it stands, magnificent and menacing.
05:30Sakurajima erupts up to a thousand times a year, sending gases, dust and ash up into the atmosphere.
05:44Despite its constant activity, you can visit it by ferry.
05:50It's a 15-minute journey across the bay.
06:07Kagoshima is the wettest of all of the 47 prefectures of Japan.
06:12And a volatile volcano makes for capricious weather.
06:21Sakurajima volcano began to form around 13,000 years ago and sits within a much older 30,000-year-old
06:30cauldron known as Era Caldera.
06:32This site attracts thousands of volcano enthusiasts and scientists from around the world.
06:40One is volcanologist from the University of Exeter, James Hickey.
06:47James, we're picking ourselves through this rubble, which is actually larval rock, isn't it?
06:52When did this arrive?
06:54This was lava produced in the 1914 eruption.
06:58It produced at least one and a half cubic kilometers of material.
07:02One and a half cubic kilometers of material.
07:05You enjoy studying these volcanoes.
07:08I mean, you're clearly not from Japan and yet here you are today.
07:11How come?
07:11So I've been working at Sakurajima volcano since about 2014.
07:17It was the first volcano I saw erupting.
07:20The volcano, it's essentially a perfect natural laboratory for us to do our science, right?
07:25It's very frequently active.
07:27It's erupting quite a lot.
07:29It's really well monitored.
07:31We can get excellent data.
07:32So it becomes this sort of perfect place for us to come test our ideas, test our hypotheses against an
07:38active volcano.
07:40Since the last major eruption in 1914, Sakurajima has become active every 10 to 30 years, most recently causing the
07:50evacuation of local residents in 2015 and 2022.
07:57It's staggering to discover that 4,600 people live on this volcanic island.
08:03And I've come to an institution that I would least expect to find at the base of a volcano, a
08:10primary school.
08:11I don't know whether we're expecting an eruption today, but all the children are wearing hard hats.
08:18Little yellow hard hats.
08:20Good morning. Good morning.
08:22Good morning.
08:23More yellow hats advancing and they come across a rather muddy field so they have to clean their boots on
08:29the grate there.
08:31Good morning.
08:34Good morning.
08:35The school has around 25 pupils aged from 5 to 10.
08:40Good morning. My name is Michael.
08:43I love music.
08:46I love music too.
08:49Great pleasure.
08:56In charge of this remarkable school is head teacher, Mr Araki.
09:02Araki-sensei.
09:03Hello, Michael. Nice to meet you.
09:06It's great to be in your very special school. Thank you for your welcome.
09:09Araki-sensei.
09:10Yeah.
09:11This volcano, this island, is known by everyone in Japan. It's famous in the world.
09:17Yeah.
09:17So this volcano is so many times erupting. So even in 2025, so January to April, over ten times or
09:32so erupting.
09:34How do the kids feel about this? Do they get frightened? How do they feel about living next to this
09:40big volcano?
09:41So we have six times in a year, many dreams about tsunamis and earthquakes or so. Volcano is so big
09:53nature, but they feel calm. So they wear the helmet as usual thing.
09:59Yes.
10:00But it's so important. Ashes are always come down. Every time we sweep the ashes.
10:09You get the kids to do the sweeping? Yeah. And me too. And you too. Yeah, yeah.
10:18Being prepared for an eruption is just part of school life.
10:24Good morning, children. Good morning.
10:28You come to school in a helmet. That's quite unusual.
10:44And what are these bags?
10:54Bottle of water.
10:57Whistle.
10:58Whistle.
11:00Oh, what's that for? Oh, a hand warmer. A hand warmer.
11:07Water bag.
11:08A water bag. Very good.
11:11Very useful things.
11:13Well, have a good day at school.
11:15See you.
11:16Bye-bye.
11:18Bye-bye.
11:20Bye-bye.
11:23With the local population braced to respond, warnings of seismic activity come from the Sakurajima Volcano Observatory, a monitoring facility
11:34established in 1960.
11:37One of the senior team is Professor Haruhisa Nakamichi.
11:45Hello, Professor.
11:47Yoko so.
11:48I'm Michael. Such a pleasure to meet you.
11:52This is clearly a room where you are monitoring the volcano.
11:56What are the things that you can measure that give you an indicator of volcanic activity?
12:03One of the key signals that indicate volcanic activity is ground vibration.
12:08As magma rises, it pushes against the surrounding rock, creating stress.
12:13The first instruments to detect this are seismometers.
12:18Another thing is that when the magma rises, the ground expands.
12:21To monitor this expansion and contraction are three tunnels in Sakurajima.
12:26We've installed extremely sensitive instruments which can detect even the slightest ground movements.
12:33The data from these instruments is collected in this room 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
12:40I believe that Sakurajima has more than one peak.
12:44Yes.
12:50In Sakurajima, there are three peaks. The most active one is the Minomedake Peak.
12:57During eruptions, large volcanic rocks can be hurled all the way to the villages at the foot of the mountain.
13:03Another concern is the Aero Caldera itself, which is currently accumulating magma.
13:08In 1914, magma that had accumulated there suddenly moved towards Sakurajima, leading to a major eruption.
13:18Experts are now pointing out the possibility that a similar eruption could occur again.
13:23You have the volcano wired up like a patient in intensive care in a hospital.
13:29So are you fairly confident that you'll be able to predict problems ahead?
13:36Before a major eruption like that, there are always precursor phenomena.
13:42In 1914, Sakurajima shook with earthquakes and there were reports that well water levels dropped and wells dried up.
13:50There were signs that the ground was rising and magma was moving upward.
13:55With today's technology, we can detect these signs earlier and more accurately.
13:59By using more accurate and timely data, we can evacuate earlier.
14:12I've returned to Kagoshima Station to pick up a train heading south.
14:18My next leg is a journey along Kagoshima Bay to Ibusuki at the end of the Satsuma Peninsula.
14:26In Japan, train travel is taken into realms of fantasy with a huge array of themed trains, many of which
14:33draw their inspiration from fables and their characters.
14:37And I'm excited to be taking one today.
14:40I'm now going to board a fairytale train and there's a story that all Japanese children learn.
14:46It's about a young fisherman from the Satsuma Peninsula, where I am now, who is called Urashima Taro.
14:52And he saved the life of a turtle.
14:55And the turtle, in gratitude, invited him to get on its back and go under the waves to a palace
15:02of a dragon.
15:04And there Taro had all sorts of wonderful times and he met a princess.
15:08But after just a few days, he was feeling homesick.
15:11So he set off for his home village again, carrying with him a box, which was a gift from the
15:15princess, which she said, do not open.
15:19When he got back to the village, everything had changed.
15:22And it turned out that 300 years had passed and that, obviously, his whole family was dead.
15:28And so he opened the box and there was a great puff of white smoke.
15:34And he suddenly was converted to an old man with a white beard and white hair.
15:40And the morals of the story are, no man can cheat time and be kind to creatures.
15:53The white smoke that Taro encountered on opening the box is recreated as we head off from Kagoshima.
16:05The train, painted half white, half black, represents the moment when Taro's hair changed to the colour of snow.
16:14There are plenty of other delightful touches, including side-facing seats, perfect to take in the views.
16:32Hello.
16:35Shoo-choo.
16:37Shoo-choo.
16:39Thank you very much.
16:49Oh, thank you very much indeed.
16:55Well, these are the sorts of misunderstandings that occur.
16:58I thought I was buying a little bottle.
17:01Thank you very much.
17:03I thought I was buying a little bottle, but actually I bought a very big one.
17:07Oh, well.
17:09Worst things happen on a train.
17:12Oh, well.
17:17This is one of the prettiest bottles I've ever seen.
17:21And it is the train that I'm on.
17:23Contained in the bottle is shoo-choo, a local liquor of Kagoshima, which I'm mixing with tonic.
17:31My shoo-choo is made from sweet potatoes.
17:35And if you said satsuma in Japanese, you would mean a sweet potato.
17:40However, in the 19th century, after a conflict between the local people and the British, the British received some of
17:47the citrus fruit and said,
17:49Ah, satsuma.
17:51So satsuma to the English means a citrus fruit and to the Japanese it means a sweet potato.
17:56So, confusing.
18:03To go with my shoo-choo, I've pre-ordered lunch.
18:08Hello.
18:12Thank you very much.
18:24This train is named Tamatebako, which means forbidden box.
18:29And remembering the fate of poor Taro, it's perhaps rather foolhardy of me to have ordered a bento box.
18:36Stand clear as I open it.
18:45So far from being prematurely aged, I am invigorated by a delightful display of food.
19:01The train has brought me to Ibu Suki, a town on the coast overlooking the East China Sea, where an
19:09ancient tradition is practised, which draws on the region's volcanic geology.
19:14To take part, participants must appear in a special robe known as a yukata.
19:19To the beach.
19:22Directly on the sand, under a protective cover, is the Ibu Suki Onsen.
19:27Across Japan, onsen are places to bathe in natural hot springs.
19:32Here, it's a bit different.
19:35This is one of the strangest sights I've ever seen.
19:38It's moments like this that make foreign travel so worthwhile.
19:42Unique to the island of Kyushu, this is a dry onsen, where you steam your body in sand,
19:48heated by volcanic spring water below, that reaches temperatures of around 50 degrees.
19:56Head?
19:57Head?
19:58Head here.
19:58Head here.
19:59Mm-hmm.
20:00Can I come across, please?
20:01Yes, please.
20:03Thank you, gentlemen.
20:04Thank you very much.
20:09Ooh, the sand is warm.
20:14I didn't feel it on my feet, but you feel it on your body.
20:17It's hot.
20:20Hmm.
20:21Quite relaxing.
20:28I had anticipated the heat.
20:30It's very warm.
20:32And I hadn't counted on the weight.
20:34This sand weighs so much.
20:37I'm scarcely able to move.
20:40And do you know there was a Portuguese adventurer who wrote about this custom 450 years ago.
20:46And he said that he observed the elderly people being buried twice a day for up to two hours,
20:54believing that it improved their blood circulation.
20:58I don't think I'll make much more than five minutes.
21:02The sandbars have been used for centuries by those seeking a cure for complaints such as rheumatism,
21:08asthma, anemia and diabetes.
21:12I must say that was a really lovely experience, although it goes against the grain to say so.
21:25My journey across this southern peninsula now takes me inland to visit Chiran,
21:30a rural town surrounded by rice paddies and tea plantations.
21:35During the Second World War, an air base was located here,
21:39from which young pilots took off on their final mission.
21:44Today it endures as a place of reflection and remembrance.
21:49At this temple I pay my respects to those who died in war,
21:54some fighting for my freedom and some fighting against my country.
21:59And I pay respect to those dying in wars today.
22:02Many dying for ideologies that I regard as misguided or even evil.
22:10But that doesn't detract from the bravery of the competent who sacrifices everything.
22:18Japan entered the Second World War in 1941, fighting alongside the other Axis powers, Germany and Italy.
22:26Japan's military campaigns were marked by extreme brutality towards civilians and prisoners of war.
22:34Its surprise attack on the United States Navy's Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii triggered the Pacific War.
22:41By 1944, the United States and Allied forces had the upper hand
22:46and were advancing towards Okinawa, one of Japan's most southerly islands.
22:51The Japanese government authorised plans to defend it at all costs,
22:56training kamikaze air squadrons to attack the US naval fleet in suicide missions.
23:02It was from here in Chiran that the first kamikaze missions took off.
23:07And today is the location of the Chiran Peace Museum,
23:11where I'm meeting retired Japanese Army Colonel Takeshi Kawatoko,
23:16who entered the forces in 1959 and is now an historical interpreter.
23:22Kawatoko-san.
23:25I'm Michael.
23:26Nice to meet you.
23:27Great pleasure, great pleasure.
23:29Could you explain to me kamikaze?
23:31What does the word mean?
23:33Kamikaze means a big typhoon.
23:35About 800 years ago, Japan was invaded by Fubire Han, the Mongolian 5th Emperor.
23:43At the time, Japan was only on defence position.
23:47However, one night, big typhoon happened.
23:51And many Mongolian battles are going to see.
23:54And finally, Japan won a victory.
23:56From that time, Japanese people became to believe
23:59that big typhoon will happen in case of crisis of defence.
24:03Kami means a divine or God.
24:06Kaze means window.
24:08The pilots were named after the divine wind.
24:11Yeah.
24:11That had saved Japan 800 years before.
24:14Yes.
24:16How many pilots flew from here, from Chiran, to their deaths?
24:24439.
24:25The total pilot in Okinawa was 1036.
24:31So, about half of them departed from Hichirambia base.
24:38The kamikaze pilots were youths, the youngest being 17,
24:44who followed the samurai code of conduct known as Bushido,
24:48based on loyalty, courage and honour.
24:51Many of their letters and final testaments are held here at the museum.
24:56Do these pilots speak about their sense of duty, their patriotism?
25:01Do they mention these things in their diaries or their letters?
25:05Almost all.
25:06I think almost all of them write that things.
25:10They didn't mind to sacrifice their lives.
25:13Yes.
25:14They respected their honour above their lives.
25:18So, when a kamikaze pilot got the order for a final sortie, they never wavered.
25:27Yes.
25:28Yes.
25:31Do we know what it was like for them the night before?
25:35They know they're going on a mission, they know they're going to die.
25:37What are they thinking about the night before?
25:41I think there's a strong way to complete their mission as kamikaze pilots.
25:46And also, they wanted to express their gratitude to their families,
25:55especially mother-to-mother,
25:57pick a fool, raise them with love.
26:02He's a second lieutenant, Fujiwaka Matsu, 19 years old,
26:06who died on June 3, 1945.
26:09Dear Mother, I have no complaints.
26:10I go smiling as I perform my first and last act of filial piety.
26:16Please put sweet dumplings on my memorial shrine
26:19and praise me rather than crying for me.
26:23Please think of this doll as me, Fujio.
26:26Please take care of my elder brother and elder sister
26:29and youngest brother, Kazumi.
26:31In my haste, look at my writing.
26:35Please say hello to all our neighbours.
26:36Dear Mother, I, Fujio, go smiling to conquest.
26:41Be well, take care.
26:44See you, Mother.
26:45Goodbye, Fujio.
26:47Yeah.
26:48It's immensely moving.
26:50Very, very moving.
26:52You, who have studied the kamikaze pilots,
26:56what lessons do you draw?
26:58What conclusions do you draw about our world?
27:01I hope this kind of station must not be happening again.
27:06Yes, we must not use our human as a bomb as a game.
27:10And, uh, no more war.
27:33The Second World War was a catastrophe.
27:36The death toll amongst the victors and the defeated was incalculable.
27:43You only have to look around to see how Japan has prospered from peace and democracy.
27:48Nature still has destructive power.
27:51And Japan must be on its guard against earthquake, tsunami and volcano.
27:57After my hot sand bath, I've been left tingling.
28:02An excellent state in which to continue my journey.
28:08Next time...
28:09Come on!
28:11How lovely to see you!
28:14Wow!
28:15Why are you so famous?
28:17Oh, for your dancing!
28:20And this castle was very well prepared for siege.
28:24Yes, it's hard to climb up, even for... ninjas.
28:32Oh, that blade!
28:55Gl outreach, that blade!
29:00Not really.
29:04Both hopes are still here,
29:05Hold on, Oobies,
29:06H all in the future.
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