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Great Japanese Railway Journeys Season 1 Episode 6
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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.
02:19I'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 southwest 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.
03:43Tower 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
04:12conditioning units and bicycles.
04:13But nonetheless, you get a sense of community, of neighbors living cheap by jowl.
04:21It's very charming and wonderful that it's 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.
04:44I'm excited to see the great Sakurajima volcano.
04:47It's a volcano that is located in the top of the top of the world.
04:49It'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,
05:07which means cherry blossom island.
05:10But it is ash and lava that it spews forth.
05:14Indeed, it's no longer even an island,
05:17because a lava flow is filled with the gap between it and the land beyond.
05:22And there it stands, magnificent and menacing.
05:30Sakorojima erupts up to 1,000 times a year,
05:33sending gases, dust and ash up into the atmosphere.
05:44Despite its constant activity,
05:47you 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.
06:21Sakorojima volcano began to form around 13,000 years ago
06:26and sits within a much older 30,000-year-old cauldron known as Ere 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.
07:02Wow. One 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 Sakorojima 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. It's erupting quite a lot.
07:29It's really well monitored. We 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, Sakorojima has become active every 10 to 30 years,
07:48most recently causing the evacuation 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, little yellow hard
08:19hats.
08:20Good morning. Good morning.
08:21Good morning.
08:23Good morning.
08:24More 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.
08:34The school has around 25 pupils, aged from five to ten.
08:40Good morning. My name is Michael.
08:44I love music.
08:46I love music, too.
08:50Great pleasure.
08:56in charge of this remarkable school his head teacher mr. Iraqi I'd like to sense
09:03hello Michael nice to meet you it's great to be in your very special school thank you for
09:09your welcome I'd like a sense it yeah this volcano this island is known by everyone in
09:15Japan it's famous in the world so this volcano is so many times erupting so even in 2025 so
09:28January to April over ten times or so erupting how do the kids feel about this do they do they
09:37get
09:37frightened how do they feel about living next to this big volcano so we have six time in a year
09:45many dreams about tsunamis and earthquakes or so volcano is so big nature but they feel calm so
09:56they wear the helmet as usual thing so but it's so important ashes are always come down every time
10:06we sweep the so ashes you get the kids to do the sweeping yeah and me too yeah yeah
10:18being prepared for an eruption is just part of school life good morning children good morning you come to
10:29school in a helmet that's quite unusual yeah sakura jimada get the key most up cousin love no who's a
10:39key
10:39got a good car at our bottom the top and what are these bags my hero shock to car means
10:49to car
10:49guide the water bottle of water whistle oh what's that for oh a hand warmer a hand warmer
11:07water bag a water bag very good very useful things well have a good day at school see you bye
11:17bye bye bye bye
11:23with the local population braced to respond warnings of seismic activity come from the sakura jima volcano
11:32observatory observatory a monitoring facility established in 1960 one of the senior team is
11:39professor haruhisa nakamichi hello professor yoko so i'm michael such a pleasure to meet you this is
11:53clearly a room where you are monitoring the volcano what are the things that you can measure that give
11:59you an indicator of volcanic activity one of the key signals that indicate volcanic activity is ground
12:07vibration as magma rises it pushes against the surrounding rock creating stress the first
12:14instruments to detect this are seismometers another thing is that when the magma rises the ground expands to
12:22monitor this expansion and contraction of three tunnels in sakura jima we've installed extremely sensitive
12:29instruments which can detect even the slightest ground movements the data from these instruments is
12:35collected in this room 24 hours a day 365 days a year i believe that sakura jima has more than
12:42one peak
12:49in sakura jima there are three peaks the most active one is the minimidake peak during eruptions large volcanic rocks
12:59can be hurled all the way to the villages at the foot of the mountain
13:02another concern another concern is the era caldera itself which is currently accumulating magma in 1914 magma that had accumulated
13:13there suddenly moved towards sakura jima leading to a major eruption
13:17experts are now pointing out the possibility that a similar eruption could occur again you have the volcano wired
13:26that up like a patient in intensive care in hospital so are you fairly confident that you'll be able to
13:32predict problems ahead
13:34problems ahead
13:36before a major eruption like that there are always precursor phenomena in 1914 sakura jima shook with earthquakes and there
13:45were reports that well water levels dropped and wells dried up
13:49there 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 by using more accurate and timely data we
14:02can evacuate earlier
14:12i've returned to kagoshima station to pick up a train heading south
14:17my next leg is a journey along kagoshima bay to ibusuke at the end of the satsuma peninsula
14:25in japan train travel is taken into realms of fantasy with a huge array of themed trains
14:32many of which draw their inspiration from fables and their characters and i'm excited to be taking one today
14:39i'm now going to board a fairy tale 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 and the turtle in gratitude invited him to get on its back
14:59and go under the waves
15:01to a palace of a dragon and there taro had all sorts of wonderful times and he met a princess
15:08but after just a few days he was feeling homesick so he set off for his home village again carrying
15:14with him
15:14a box which was a gift from the princess which she said do not open when he got back to
15:20the village
15:20everything had changed and it turned out that 300 years had passed and that obviously his whole family
15:27was dead and so he opened the box and there was a great puff of white smoke and he suddenly
15:35was
15:35converted to an old man with a white beard and white hair and the morals of the story are
15:43no man can cheat time and be kind to creatures
15:52the white smoke that taro encountered on opening the box is recreated as we head off from kagoshiba
16:05the train painted half white half black represents the moment when taro's hair changed to the color of snow
16:14there are plenty of other delightful touches including side facing seats perfect to take in the views
16:32hello
16:33um
16:34shoot you
16:37shoot you
16:38shoot you
16:38shoot you
16:38thank you very much
16:49ah thank you very much indeed
16:55ah well these are the sorts of misunderstandings that occur i thought i was buying a little bottle
17:01thank you very much i thought i was buying a little bottle um but actually i bought a very big
17:06one
17:07oh well um worst things happen on a train
17:17this is one of the prettiest bottles i've ever seen
17:20uh and it is the train that i'm on
17:23contained in the bottle is shochu
17:25a local liquor of kagoshima which i'm mixing with tonic
17:31my shochu is made from sweet potatoes
17:34and if you said satsuma in japanese you would mean a sweet potato
17:39however in the 19th century after a conflict between the local people and the british
17:45uh the british received some of the citrus fruit and said ah satsuma
17:51so satsuma to the english means a citrus fruit and to the japanese it means a sweet potato
17:57confusing
18:01um
18:03to go with my shochu i've pre-ordered lunch
18:07hello
18:10thank you very much
18:13thank you
18:24This train is named Tamatebako, which means forbidden box.
18:29And remembering the fate of poor Taro,
18:32it's perhaps rather foolhardy of me to have ordered a bento box.
18:36Stand clear as I let open it.
18:45So far from being prematurely aged,
18:48I am invigorated by a delightful display of food.
19:01The train has brought me to Ibu Suki,
19:04a town on the coast overlooking the East China Sea,
19:08where an ancient tradition is practised
19:11which 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.
19:33Here, 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,
19:44this is a dry onsen,
19:46where you steam your body in sand,
19:48heated by volcanic spring water below,
19:51that reaches temperatures of around 50 degrees.
20:04Hmm.
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.
20:18It's hot.
20:20Hmm.
20:21Quite relaxing.
20:28I had anticipated the heat.
20:30It's very warm.
20:32But 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
20:43who wrote about this custom 450 years ago.
20:47And he said that he observed the elderly people
20:49being buried twice a day
20:52for 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
21:04by those seeking a cure for complaints
21:07such as rheumatism,
21:09asthma,
21:10anaemia,
21:10and diabetes.
21:12I must say,
21:13that was a really lovely experience,
21:15although it goes against the grain to say so.
21:24My journey across this southern peninsula
21:27now takes me inland to visit Chiran,
21:30a rural town surrounded by rice paddies
21:33and tea plantations.
21:35During the Second World War,
21:37an air base was located here,
21:39from which young pilots took off
21:41on their final mission.
21:43Today it endures as a place of reflection
21:46and remembrance.
21:49At this temple,
21:50I pay my respects to those who died in war,
21:53some fighting for my freedom
21:55and some fighting against my country.
21:59And I pay respect to those dying in wars today,
22:03many dying for ideologies
22:05that I regard as misguided or even evil,
22:10but that doesn't detract
22:11from the bravery of the competent
22:14who sacrifices everything.
22:18Japan entered the Second World War in 1941,
22:22fighting alongside the other Axis powers,
22:24Germany and Italy.
22:26Japan's military campaigns
22:28were marked by extreme brutality
22:30towards civilians and prisoners of war.
22:34Its surprise attack
22:35on the United States Navy's
22:37Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii
22:39triggered the Pacific War.
22:41By 1944,
22:43the United States and Allied forces
22:44had the upper hand
22:46and were advancing towards Okinawa,
22:49one of Japan's most southerly islands.
22:51The Japanese government authorized plans
22:53to defend it at all costs,
22:56training kamikaze air squadrons
22:58to attack the U.S. naval fleet
23:00in suicide missions.
23:01It was from here in Chiran
23:04that the first kamikaze missions took off.
23:07And today is the location
23:09of the Chiran Peace Museum,
23:12where I'm meeting retired
23:13Japanese Army Colonel
23:14Takeshi Kawatoko,
23:16who entered the forces in 1959
23:18and is now an historical interpreter.
23:22Kawatoko-san.
23:25I'm Michael.
23:27Nice to meet you.
23:27Great pleasure.
23:28Great pleasure.
23:29Could you explain to me,
23:30kamikaze,
23:31what does the word mean?
23:33Kamikaze means a big typhoon.
23:36About 800 years ago,
23:38Japan was invaded by Fubire-Hung,
23:41the Mongolian 5th Emperor.
23:44At the time,
23:44Japan was only on defense position.
23:47However, one night,
23:49big typhoon happened
23:50and many Mongolian battles
23:52to the San Guindu Sea
23:53and finally Japan won a victory.
23:56From that time,
23:57Japanese people became to believe
23:59that big typhoon will happen
24:01in case of crisis of defense.
24:04Kami means a divine or God.
24:06Kade means window.
24:08The pilots were named
24:09after the divine wind
24:11that had saved Japan
24:12800 years before.
24:14Yes.
24:16How many pilots flew from here,
24:19from Chiran,
24:20to their deaths?
24:21Yes.
24:23439.
24:25The total pilots
24:26in Okinawa
24:29was 1036.
24:31So about half of them
24:35departed from Chiranbea base.
24:38The kamikaze pilots
24:40were youths,
24:42the youngest being 17,
24:44who followed the samurai code of conduct
24:47known as Bushido,
24:48based on loyalty,
24:50courage and honor.
24:51Many of their letters
24:53and final testaments
24:54are held here at the museum.
24:57Do these pilots speak about
24:58their sense of duty,
25:00their patriotism?
25:01Do they mention these things
25:02in their diaries or their letters?
25:04Almost all.
25:06Almost all.
25:07I think almost all of them
25:08writes that things.
25:10They didn't mind
25:11to sacrifice their lives.
25:14Yes.
25:14They respected their honor
25:16above their lives.
25:18So when a kamikaze pilot
25:20got the order
25:21for final sortie,
25:23they never
25:25wavered.
25:26Yes.
25:27Yes.
25:31Do we know
25:32what it was like for them
25:33the night before?
25:35They know they're going on a mission.
25:36They know they're going to die.
25:38What are they thinking
25:39about the night before?
25:41I think there's a strong way
25:43to complete their mission
25:45as kamikaze pilots
25:46and also
25:47who wanted to express
25:50their gratitude
25:51to their families,
25:53especially
25:55mother
25:56to mother
25:57pick a fool
25:58and raise them
26:00with love.
26:01He's a second lieutenant
26:03to Fujiwakamatsu,
26:0519 years old,
26:06who died on June 3,
26:071945.
26:08Dear mother,
26:09I have no complaints.
26:11I go smiling
26:12as I perform
26:13my first and last act
26:14of filial piety.
26:16Please put sweet dumplings
26:17on my memorial shrine
26:19and praise me
26:20rather than crying for me.
26:23Please think of this
26:24doll as me,
26:25Fujio.
26:26Please take care
26:27of my elder brother
26:28and elder sister
26:29and youngest brother,
26:31Kazumi.
26:31In my haste,
26:33look at my writing.
26:35Please say hello
26:36to all our neighbours.
26:37Dear mother,
26:39I, Fujio,
26:39go smiling
26:40to conquest.
26:41Be well.
26:42Take care.
26:44See you, mother.
26:45Goodbye.
26:46Fujio.
26:47Yeah.
26:49It's immensely moving.
26:50Very, very moving.
26:52You, who have studied
26:54the kamikaze pilots,
26:56what lessons do you draw?
26:58What conclusions
26:58do you draw
26:59about our world?
27:00I hope this kind
27:03of station
27:03must not be happening
27:04again.
27:06Yes,
27:07we must not use
27:08our humans
27:08as a bomb
27:08again
27:09and no more war.
27:33The Second World War
27:34was a catastrophe.
27:36The death toll
27:37amongst the victors
27:39and the defeated
27:40was incalculable.
27:43You only have to look around
27:44to see how Japan
27:45has prospered
27:46from peace
27:46and democracy.
27:48Nature still
27:49has destructive power
27:50and Japan
27:52must be on its guard
27:53against earthquake,
27:55tsunami
27:55and volcano.
27:57After my hot sand bath,
28:00I've been left tingling,
28:01an excellent state
28:03in which to continue
28:04my 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
28:22was very well prepared
28:23for siege.
28:24Yes,
28:25it's hard to climb up,
28:27even for ninjas.
28:33Oh,
28:34that blade.
28:37Ah,
29:05I'm so famous.
29:05I'm so famous.
29:05You
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