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Great Japanese Railway Journeys Season 1 Episode 7
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00:04japan michael welcome to japan a railway paradise its huge population spread over long islands
00:11lives by its railways like i'm driving my new adventure takes me through the land that launched
00:18the high-speed train i love shinkansen where millions of journeys are made each day through
00:24some of the most bustling stations on earth busy city i'll ride japan's vast railway network
00:32to uncover a land of bold innovation haven't quite got the hang of it yet a place of enduring
00:39traditions volatile geology and remarkable people join me on an excursion like no other i'm too
00:48excited to sit down
01:06i'm traveling by rail across kyushu the southernmost of japan's main islands
01:19to continue my journey i've returned to kagoshima chuo station
01:23the southern terminus of the island's high-speed rail network
01:34it's always exciting to see a shinkansen that long jet star nose designed to break up the wall of air
01:42as it zooms into a tunnel
01:47i'll be traveling on a bullet train the icon of the japanese railway to explore kyushu's fascinating history
02:01kyushu makes up about a tenth of japan's land mass
02:04and the population is around a tenth as well
02:08i began in the south at kagoshima and i'm now exploring the western side of the island
02:13whose character has long been influenced by its location which exposes it to asia and europe
02:21i then travel via the western tip of honshu island to end at hiroshima
02:31the revered position of emperor of japan has existed for many centuries
02:37but across history from time to time it has been largely symbolic with true political power exercised
02:45by others on this part of my journey i will look at the regime
02:49of those military rulers known as the shoguns
02:53who isolated japan from the outside world for two and a half centuries
02:57and at how at the end of that period with a change of government
03:01japan reopened and embraced technology from abroad
03:10there are many models of shinkansen or bullet train
03:14and on this journey an n700 series zooms from kagoshima up the west coast
03:34japan's high-speed trains the shinkansen have been operating since 1964
03:41when lines were opened into tokyo but it is a truly national project
03:47and now there are about 3 000 kilometers of line
03:53some of the 21st century additions included the line down to the most suddenly station
03:58at kagoshima and it was a very difficult project
04:02it runs through the mountains and nearly all of it is in tunnel
04:05only very occasionally does the train stick its long nose into the daylight
04:11and for that reason the line has been nicknamed the mole
04:31my journey north takes just 25 minutes
04:34a speedy trip to a destination noted for its slower pace of life
04:40the exit will be on the next side of the train
04:44passengers
04:45the range of the kisatsu orange railway
04:48please change trains here
04:50at izumi
04:52thank you
05:01I'm alighting at izumi station
05:03the architecture and decoration draw inspiration from the region's fame
05:09as being the winter home for over 10 000 cranes
05:13they migrate here each year largely from siberia
05:19it's also the boarding point for boats to the amakusa islands
05:23which sit off the western coast of kyushu
05:37they're made up of two large and many small islands
05:41celebrated for their lavish greenery and fascinating geology
05:46they're designated a geopark
05:48in recognition of their natural beauty
05:50local communities
05:52and cultural heritage
05:59i'm visiting shimo shima
06:00the largest island in the amakusa archipelago
06:10hello hello
06:14what a wonderful welcome
06:24ladies thank you for your welcome
06:26ladies thank you for your welcome hello
06:27hello
06:28oh such beautiful costume
06:31same color
06:38they're spectacularly dressed to perform a traditional amakusa island dance
06:44called the Ushibukahaya
06:46the women wish the fishermen
06:48their husbands
06:49lovers
06:50and sons
06:51a safe return
06:54lovely cheerful music
06:58and the gestures i think replicate movements on the boat
07:02the on the boat
07:03winning nets
07:04pulling ropes
07:09all those ropes
07:11all those
07:12writes
07:18It's so compelling that I can't resist joining in.
07:40Oh, thank you.
07:47Situated on the outer edge of the Japanese archipelago,
07:51these islands were often the first port of call for foreign ships
07:55and the gateway through which new ideas and influences entered Japan.
08:00That included Christianity.
08:02Today, around 2% of the Japanese population,
08:05roughly 3 million people, identify as Christian.
08:09Christianity arrived on these shores with Portuguese missionaries in 1549
08:16and hundreds of thousands were converted.
08:21And the contagion that it represented was one of the reasons
08:25why the shoguns, the military rulers of Japan,
08:29excluded foreigners and banned foreign travel.
08:33Amazingly, in this remote place, Christianity survived in secret
08:39to rise again when the prohibition was lifted.
08:55To hear about the island's Roman Catholic heritage
08:58and the group known as Hidden Christians,
09:01I'm meeting Saki Urakami,
09:04an Amakusa Island resident and guide.
09:08This is such a beautiful restaurant.
09:10The setting is amazing, on the water with the greenery beyond.
09:13Yeah, it is.
09:14This place is very interesting because of the history of Christianity.
09:19Why do you think the shoguns banned Christianity?
09:23I think there are several reasons,
09:25but one of them, like a shogun,
09:29he was the top of the society at the moment.
09:33But under the Christianity, everyone is equal.
09:38And so the shogun realised that Christianity was a threat
09:43for his administration.
09:45And the Christians who remained here during the ban,
09:50how did they behave?
09:54And of course, people called the hidden Christians,
09:58people disguised themselves as Buddhist or Shinto believers.
10:06They attended the Shinto festival
10:11and they visited the Buddhist temple.
10:14Oh, thank you.
10:16Oh, thank you.
10:21Beautiful.
10:22This is spectacular, isn't it?
10:31Well done, chef.
10:34During the time of the ban on Christians,
10:37did the other people, the Shintos and the Buddhists,
10:40sometimes inform against Catholics,
10:44to the authorities, to the shoguns?
10:45The government order to, you know, inform if they find some Christians.
10:53But here, never happened.
10:56Nobody did.
10:57Why is that?
10:58Because this Saketsu village is a fishing village.
11:01So once you go out of the sea,
11:04you need to support your fellow fishermen.
11:09There's no time to care about the differences in the religions.
11:15Because people have to trust each other for their lives.
11:18Tell me about the island today.
11:22There are three religions coexist.
11:24Catholic Church, and Shinto Shrine, and Buddhist temples.
11:30Wow.
11:31Quite happily living with each other.
11:33Yes, of course.
11:41There are several hundred Christians on these islands today.
11:45One is Mr. Yamashita, a fisherman.
11:50Yamashita-san.
11:52Hi, hi.
11:53I'm Michael.
11:54How many generations of your family have lived in Saketsu?
11:59Were they fishermen too?
12:04And is it dangerous?
12:12In your boat?
12:16I'd love to see it, please.
12:18Oh.
12:20That's very beautiful.
12:22How old is this, do you think?
12:24We came to a river.
12:25About 100 years ago.
12:30We will come to a river.
12:33On our boat's shore, when we rode the sea, we walk through the sea.
12:40We are trying to guide them to the sea.
12:43We wanna see if we were to ferry the sea.
12:49We will come to the sea in the sea.
12:49Then we will come to a river.
12:50And we will come to the sea.
12:52Then we will come to the sea.
12:53We will come to the sea, and then we will come to the sea.
12:58To me, it's amazing to find such a Catholic face in Japan.
13:04That's a surprise to me.
13:07Would it be possible to come aboard and have a spin on your boat?
13:24Here is history in a postcard.
13:27These beautiful traditional Japanese houses with their distinctive roofs and tiles.
13:33And there, a church spire that could be from England with the cross above.
13:40The tiny harbour village of Sakitsu is an important centre of Christianity.
13:47Worshippers attend what's nicknamed the Church on the Sea.
13:50It's Roman Catholic, built in 1934.
14:00This is a pretty church.
14:02And a pretty good size too.
14:05And it wouldn't look out of place in Europe or South America.
14:10It has all these Gothic touches, pointy arches and things like that.
14:15But one thing that makes it very Japanese
14:17is that I had to remove my shoes as I came in.
14:21And here on the floor, there are tatami mats.
14:35To continue my journey, I've returned to Kyushu Island to take a train from Misumi.
14:43What a beautiful station with a steeple and a cross on the exterior
14:47and beautiful Japanese modernity inside.
14:54From here, I'm picking up a regional train.
15:00A lovely, narrow-gauge, one-person-operated diesel.
15:08It's a 50-minute journey up the western coast of Kyushu.
15:11And with such large windows, there are glorious views.
15:15A great coastal railway journey.
15:26My next destination will be the city of Humamoto.
15:32As the Shinkansen was extended southwards,
15:36services began to run into Kumamoto on the 12th of March, 2010.
15:41The city used the opportunity to promote itself
15:45and invented a new mascot called Kumamon.
15:48He's a wide-eyed creature with a cuddly belly.
15:51The Japanese love of the cute is known as kawaii.
15:57But it goes beyond innocence and sweetness.
16:01It ventures into the quirky, the rebellious, even the mildly erotic.
16:07It seeps into fashion.
16:09It affects neighbouring countries.
16:12A valuable and persuasive source of Japanese influence.
16:20I've come to Kumamoto to see its world-famous castle.
16:24But before that, I hope to glimpse its most celebrated, emblematic creature.
16:35Kumamon!
16:37How lovely to see you!
16:39Wow!
16:40What an honour!
16:42Kumamon has achieved celebrity status in Japan.
16:46Why are you so famous?
16:49Oh, for your dancing!
16:57Do you know the way to the castle?
17:00Yes!
17:02Let's go!
17:21Sayonara!
17:23Bye!
17:25Bye, Kwanamon!
17:27Bye!
17:33Sayonara!
17:35Kumamoto is Kyushu's third-largest city,
17:38with around 750,000 inhabitants.
17:42It's also steeped in history,
17:44with one of Japan's best-known and most significant castles.
17:49In 2016, a massive earthquake caused terrible damage to the city
17:54and the fortification.
17:56Restoration work costing around ÂŁ320 million is still underway,
18:01hence the hard hat.
18:04In 1853 and 1854, United States naval expeditions
18:09under the command of Commodore Perry threatened Japan with violence
18:13and forced it to open itself to world trade.
18:18Forces within Japan, notably the samurai Saigo Takamori from Satsuma,
18:24toppled the shogun government in what was known as the Meiji Restoration,
18:29Meiji being the name of the emperor.
18:32The new administration abolished feudalism and began to modernise Japan.
18:39America's gunboat diplomacy set in motion the dramatic regime change
18:43which is seen as the birth of modern Japan.
18:46To hear about that turning point
18:48and the celebrated figure of Saigo Takamori,
18:51the inspiration for the hero of the Hollywood film The Last Samurai,
18:56I'm meeting Professor of History Izumi Haraguchi.
19:02I'd love to hear about this great personality, Saigo.
19:06Saigo Takamori was born and bred in Kagoshima castle town.
19:13He came from lower samurai class,
19:16but he was very respected among young samurai and wise lord Shimazu Nari Akira selected him as secretary.
19:29He recommended to learn about the parliamentary system and constitution and educational reforms.
19:41He was a great moderniser.
19:43Yes, he was a moderniser.
19:45He opened railway age.
19:49He first objected railway construction initially because it cost too much money.
19:59But eventually he approved railway construction and you can come to Kyushu by railway now.
20:13Indeed, indeed.
20:16Despite being a key figure in the new modernising government,
20:19the rapid pace of reform, which included the abolition of the samurai class, proved too much for Saigo.
20:27He resigned his post, rallied an army of samurai from Satsuma and rose against the government in what is now
20:35called the Satsuma Rebellion.
20:36In one of its defining moments, he placed Kumamoto castle, the principal stronghold of government forces, under siege for 52
20:45days.
20:47And this castle was very, very strong, very well prepared for siege.
20:53Yes, it's hard to climb up, even for ninjas.
20:59He was defeated. After the battle, Saigo dies.
21:03Yes, he died for himself.
21:07He killed himself.
21:08The soldier cut off his head.
21:11On his command, on his wishes.
21:13Yes.
21:14How do you feel about Saigo?
21:16I love Saigo.
21:17You love Saigo?
21:18Yes, of course.
21:19He was a man of strong justice and loyalty and courage.
21:25A great hero, a charismatic figure.
21:29Yes.
21:30And a timeless figure.
21:40I return to Kumamoto station to take a train heading north.
21:47My next stop will be the station of Shim'omuta, a journey of 17 minutes on the high-speed line.
21:57On the dot, as always, I'm on a Shinkansen 800 series introduced to this line in 2004.
22:15Japan's samurai warrior class became famous all over the world for its stoicism and also for its very demanding code
22:22of conduct.
22:23A samurai warrior would prefer death to defeat or to surrender, and he would use his sharp blade to commit
22:30harikiri to disembowel himself.
22:33One of the first reforms after the removal of the shoguns was to abolish the samurai.
22:37And you might expect that, with that, the art of making the sword, the katana, would also disappear, but not
22:43so.
22:44There are still a few craftsmen today working to the same high standards that were demanded by the samurai for
22:51whom they once worked.
22:55My Shinkansen has brought me to Shin'omuta station, which opened in 2011.
23:07It's the closest Shinkansen station to Arao, an old mining center located on the coast.
23:15I'm seeking out a master of Japan's centuries-old craft of sword-making.
23:21The forge.
23:25Matsunaga sensei.
23:27Hi.
23:28Hi.
23:28Hello.
23:29Hi.
23:31Can I come down?
23:31OK.
23:34Matsunaga Genrakuru has been crafting blades for over 40 years.
23:39They're recognized as works of art and cultural artifacts.
23:43Their manufacture is strictly regulated.
23:46Master, how many swords do you make?
23:56How long does it take you, master, to make a sword?
24:05Yes.
24:06Yes.
24:17Your craftsmanship is a piece of the whole jigsaw.
24:21And where do you find the material for this?
24:24Oh, it is.
24:26Ah, it's in there.
24:28There is an iron ore.
24:29There is a wooden ore.
24:31It is a piece of this material.
24:34Tama-hagane.
24:35This is Tama-hagane.
24:39Yeah?
24:40Tama-hagane.
24:40Here's Tama-hagen.
24:54Paper.
24:56Paper?
24:57I would never have guessed it would be wrapped in paper.
25:05Yes.
25:12The block is reheated, then hammered with a force of 200 kilograms.
25:22It's then folded over, reheated, hammered and folded again more than ten times.
25:29Only then is it stretched to the length of the sword.
25:35Matsunaga Genrokuru has made over 1,000 in his lifetime
25:40and has a collection of old samurai armour and weapons.
25:46Oh, 300-year-old sword.
25:49Oh, and here comes the blade.
25:51My goodness, the blade on these swords.
25:53This is a license.
25:57That's the license.
25:58Oh, my goodness, I'm holding the sword.
26:01Look at that edge.
26:04Oh, my goodness.
26:05It's quite a strange feeling to hold something that's quite so beautiful and quite so dangerous.
26:12Right, thank you.
26:14May we put it away?
26:16There we go, Master.
26:18Extraordinary to believe that that black iron that I saw before
26:22creates this beautiful, perfect cutting steel.
26:27Next to the forge is a dojo, a room where Matsunaga Genrokuru teaches students the art of samurai swordsmanship,
26:36which includes tamashigiri, or cutting practice targeting a rolled tatami mat.
26:56Oh, that blade.
27:17ALARMED BY THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY, THE SHOGUNS WERE PRETTY SUCCESSFUL AT EXCLUDING FURTHER FOREIGN
27:25INFLUENCES. AND AS A RESULT, THE HERITAGE HERE IS PURELY JAPANESE AND THE CULTURE HIGHLY DISTINCTIVE, SUCH AS THE
27:34RIGOROUS CODE OF CONDUCT OF THE SAMURAI. ONE DISADVANTAGE OF ISOLATIONISM WAS THAT JAPAN
27:41FELL BEHIND THE WEST IN MILITARY PROWESS AND TECHNOLOGY. AND THE RAPID TRANSFORMATION OF
27:48THE COUNTRY, FROM FEUDALISM TO BEING A GLOBAL MILITARY AND INDUSTRIAL POWER, IS AN AMAZING
27:56EXAMPLE OF JAPAN'S SINGLE-MINDEDNESS. NEXT TIME. FOR MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES, NAGASAKU WAS LITERALLY
28:04THE ONLY OFFICIALLY OPEN PORT IN JAPAN. WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS LIKE? IS IT HOT? THE TEMPERATURE
28:11WAS OVER 35 DEGREES CENTIGRATE WITH 95% HUMIDITY, BASICALLY LIKE WORKING IN A SAUNA. SO THAT
28:21IS A PREMIUM TEA. HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY FOR THAT? COULD BE PRICE BETWEEN LIKE 400 AND 500
28:26POUNDS A KILO.
28:43HOOD POLON MEUS, I UNLATED!
28:44HOOD POLON MEUS!
28:53HOOD POLON MEUS!
28:55Transcription by CastingWords
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