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Great Japanese Railway Journeys Season 1 Episode 5
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00:04Japan.
00:05Michael, welcome to Japan.
00:07A 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.
01:08This 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.
01:23I'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 center 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 center 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 meters.
03:3315 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 kilometers 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.
04:43The Japanese Alps
04:44For about two and a half centuries during the period of the Tokugawa shoguns,
04:48the outside world knew almost nothing about Japan.
04:50And yet, an image created in that period by an artist is today one of the best-known works.
04:58Reproductions of it adorned walls all around the world.
05:02How did Hokusai's great wave sweep so far?
05:11We will soon make a result of that.
05:14I will soon.
05:28I arrive in Obuse, where the artist Katushika Hokusai spent his final years in the mid-19th century.
05:39Today there's a museum dedicated to his work, and Emi Wei is a curator.
05:45Emi, I'm Michael, what a pleasure.
05:47Hi, I'm Emi.
05:48Nice to meet you.
05:49Nice to meet you.
05:50So, I've come to talk about Hokusai.
05:52Yes.
05:53How did he become an artist?
05:55Katushika Hokusai became an artist.
05:58Well, 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?
06:10Yes.
06:11What brought him to Obuse?
06:13He 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.
06:33And he was acquainted with a man called Takai Kozan, 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.
06:48He 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 off Kanagawa
07:01in the 1830s.
07:02And 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.
07:22And from there on, each block would 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?
07:37Did it become popular in his 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.
08:02One 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.
08:53But what's quite puzzling to me is how he 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.
09:25So, basically, cushioning in the package and were sent to European countries.
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 a 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?
10:11The wave, it's 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.
11:03I'm sitting in the shade of a chestnut tree. Obuse is renowned for its chestnuts.
11:10It's to do with the acidic soil. And during the brief season, which is September, October,
11:18they produce a chestnut cake, which is so popular in Japan that people actually reserve the cake in advance
11:26to make sure that it's here when they arrive. Nothing prepared me of this shaggy looking creature.
11:34It's like a spaghetti of chestnut. How absolutely delicious and unexpected.
11:41Ooh. And here in the middle, we have what I imagine is a chestnut goo.
11:47So I think the key is you mix up the moist chestnut goo with the dryish chestnut spaghetti.
11:55And you have a chestnut wonder. Gorgeous.
12:08The Japanese Alps are a place of great beauty.
12:13Here in the north, we find clean mountain streams and a cool climate.
12:18There's no better spot in the world to cultivate the plant
12:22that produces one of Japan's most distinctive and fiery flavours.
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. So like horse radish and mustard, if you take too much,
12:45you 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.
12:56Here in Azuminon is the Dayon Wasabi Farm.
13:00Sprawling over 37 acres, it's the largest wasabi farm in the world
13:05and is run by fifth-generation owner Daisuke Fukazawa.
13:11Daisuke-san, this is such an extraordinarily beautiful place.
13:15You have these wonderful mountains, this beautiful, pure river.
13:19It's lovely, isn't it?
13:20Yes, it's a very beautiful place.
13:22It's, I 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. The water is crystal clear.
13:42Yeah, this is spring water.
13:44And it has lots and lots of oxygen, and it has lots of minerals, which are good for wasabi.
13:51So 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 Yasmino, the temperature reaches around 35, sometimes even 40.
14:12The summer is a very tough season for wasabi.
14:14Wasabi contains fiber 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.
14:31Hello. I'm Michael. I'm Yuta.
14:35I have never seen wasabi growing before. This 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 learned a lot in that time.
14:48I have a lot of knowledge.
14:51It's really hard to learn wasabi.
14:53I've been learning the way to learn wasabi from the past.
14:55It's been a long time for the past.
15:00It's been a long time for the past.
15:02It's been open to the past and for the past.
15:02When I'm in the winter, it's been closed to the past.
15:06I'm going to put it on the past.
15:11What I'm most familiar with is the paste that I mix with soy sauce.
15:16Which part of the plant does that come from?
15:18I'll show you some of the things that I'm familiar with.
15:41And then what do you use all the rest for?
15:43And then what do you use all the rest for?
15:55I have no idea. Will this be harvested now quite soon?
16:08Okay. 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,
16:26separating the spicy underground stem,
16:29the milder stalks and the peppery leaves.
16:34I'm keen to taste the wasabi that we've picked.
16:38Now to turn this into an edible product,
16:41does it need to be cooked or prepared
16:43or do you use it directly from the plant?
16:59What's this grape made of?
17:03What's this grape made of?
17:06What's this grape made of?
17:09Grating releases wasabi's famous heat and aroma.
17:13I'm getting the fragrance of that wasabi.
17:17Oh, yeah, 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 yes
17:34i understand that
17:46it's a wonderful taste
17:52the 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
18:17if i told you that you had to live without wasabi
18:27what would you say
18:31it's a sad life without wasabi
18:44it's a sad life without wasabi
18:55from azumino i've come to saber station to take a local train to my final destination
19:01on this lake
19:04i'm heading to a town located midway between kyoto and tokyo
19:08and also on the old nakasendo way
19:22in the centuries before railways a long road wound its way from kyoto the old capital
19:29to edo which is now tokyo there were 69 so-called post towns where merchants and travelers
19:38and pilgrims could find inns and supplies
19:42at the very midpoint stood and still stands narajuku 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 narajuku was renowned as the longest and wealthiest of the kiso valley post towns
20:32along the nakasendo route
20:33and today offers a slice of old japan
20:39here's matsuo
20:40yes
20:40i'm michael
20:42thank you for coming to narajuku
20:43welcome
20:44i'm so pleased to be here
20:45it's it's such a beautiful town
20:48narajuku is wonderfully well preserved
20:52how are the houses built i mean they're all made of wood
20:54tell me a little bit about the architecture here
20:57okay
20:57so maybe look at this house
21:00yes
21:01one of the great feature is so you can compare the footprint of the first floor and the second floor
21:07yeah this one sticks out
21:08yes 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
21:22not that i do cool flourished as a rest stop for travelers
21:25including feudal lords and merchants who paused for lodging food supplies and entertainment
21:34there were 69 post towns on the road are they all preserved like this so most of the towns are
21:42already demolished right due to the motorization or modernization yeah yeah so as they put the
21:49roads in of course they'd be they'd be left to the wayside wouldn't they the robe would no longer go
21:53through the town in the way that it used to so what happened here how is this town being preserved
21:59so about 40 years ago there was a request from the other prefecture to move the most oldest building
22:09from here to there so at the time great priests in the temple sit up and try to keep this
22:19atmosphere
22:20and the landscape right so he started what like a movement we would say yes yeah yes you are right
22:26and now how well preserved is the town is it protected by law oh yes yeah well that's
22:33great government by the Japanese government it'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
22:50survived crafts people made souvenirs for passing travelers as well as larger items for export along
22:57the nakasendo highway made from the sap of the urushi tree the lacquer is exceptionally hard and durable
23:05capable of lasting centuries if not millennia norio ishimoto is a master of the craft
23:20of the craft how long have you been doing this lacquer work how long have you been doing this lacquer
23:28work
23:29from whom did you learn what is the skill in applying the lacquer what is the skill in applying
23:40the lacquer work how long does this tradition go back in japanese history do you think so
24:06is now lusi so some moのは play in whichğlu was argument with these companies or said
24:11no ні audio and his wife aiko continue this long tradition producing lacquer wear of extreme detail and quality
24:21can you tell me what you're working on can 100 we know what you're working on
24:25begins to learn pero this is real gold gas todos so this
24:32Your eyes are still carving at the moment
24:34Making little indentations in the lacquer
24:37And this is where the gold will sit
24:39This 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
24:51How long does it take you to do the entire piece?
25:08Just six or seven months, yes
25:10High quality artisan lacquer pieces
25:13Sell for thousands of pounds
25:15So I'll steer clear of the cabinet
25:17But I will try my hand
25:19I'm going to draw the part of the paper
25:23I'm going to draw the part of the paper
25:25I'm going to draw the part of the paper
25:27Not too deep
25:28Like that?
25:30I'm pretty sure
25:33Keep practicing
25:35Like that?
25:37Yes, that's it
25:43Here
26:05So
26:06Do some of these
26:07Yeah
26:07So
26:07So
26:12Do some of these
26:15I'm going to mix it up.
26:19Ah, look at this detail being added now.
26:21All the little leaves, beautiful.
26:32Extraordinary that you can do that freehand.
26:37Yes, let's try some gold in there.
26:49Isn't that amazing? It comes alive at once.
26:54That's gorgeous.
26:57Congratulations.
26:59And thank you for being such a brilliant teacher as well.
27:06Thank you very much. Thank you.
27:09How lovely. What 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.
27:48And they suffer almost no crime.
27:51They are extremely assiduous in their work.
27:54And their railways are perfectly reliable.
27:58While here, I have occasionally missed the individualistic chaos of Britain.
28:03But 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?
28:30Four hundred thirty-nine.
28:32They respected their honor above the rights.
28:38Ooh, the sand is warm.
28:40You feel it on your body.
28:42It's hot.
29:02Oh my gosh.
29:08They last wish.
29:11They made it red avons.
29:12I'm sorry...
29:12You could grow.
29:15That went from a single meter ago.
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