[Craft Masters of Japan] Automata are Western mechanical dolls. Kazuaki Harada is one of the very few automata artisans living in Japan. However, he has been gathering steady attention and fame worldwide with his unique creations. Harada's automata are very comical and alluring and manage to make people laugh and...

[Festivals of Japan Season 2] Bright flames rise from giant torches, staining the city and skies with their bright red color... The Yoshida Fire Festival is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan that signals the end of summer at Mount Fuji (a World Cultural Heritage.) This episode focuses...

[Festivals of Japan Season 1] In the spring festival of Handa City,  Aichi Prefecture, a total of 31 floats are pulled through 10 districts. Once every five years, the Handa Floats Festival sees the gathering of all 31 floats in one place, vastly entertaining its large crowd of onlookers. Following...

[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!...