[Colors in Japan] “Kawatsuralacquerware” is a traditional Japanese craft with a history dating back about 800 years. Against the background of that long tradition, four lacquer artisans are now trying to create new types of lacquerware with features based on their original ideas. Please click here to preview the program!...

[Festivals of Japan Season 1] Mooka, in Tochigi Prefecture, is a city that prides itself on its steam locomotive, cherry blossoms, and rape blossoms. Within the city, there is an area called "Sakuramachi," where 1,000 cherry blossom trees line the railway line. Every spring, the steam locomotive runs through a...

[Festivals of Japan Season 2] The "Mikoji Dance" is a 150-year-old dance performed during the Taromaru Shuuraku Spring Festival in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. In this dance, the sitting doll of an old man and the standing doll of a young woman comically dance to the accompaniment of vibrant drums,...

[Festivals of Japan Season 2] Half-naked men pull on a giant white rope. Eighty meters long and about a ton in weight, the rope is the central focus of the Tosa City Otsuna Festival. Originally an Edo Period tradition, the festival was brought back by people hoping to energize a community...