[Festivals of Japan Season 1] The Hitachi Furyumono is an important tangible and intangible folk cultural property of Japan, recognized as one of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Assets in 2009. Originating from the Edo Period when the parishioners of Kamine Shrine dedicated floats, the colorful float carrying dancing mechanical dolls are...

List of programs in the 'Beauty of Japan' series: The Castle town where Kingyo Goldfish swim (Yamatokoriyama city, Nara Pref.) Art and excellence of Craftsmanships (Katsushika, Tokyo) Okada village's proud pure Cotton (Chita city, Aichi Pref.) The Secrets of the Village with Japan's longest living population (Takayama city, Nagano Pref.)...

[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...