[Colors in Japan] Tochigi City has a long history of producing wooden barrels for fermenting food. Despite the rise of plastic containers, one dedicated craftsman continues to make barrels using traditional techniques. The barrels are crafted from cedar heartwood and tied with local timber bamboo. Click here to preview this...

[Beauty of Japan Season 1] Nagano prefecture has the longest living population in Japan. Particularly this little village of Takayama is known as “the anti-aging village”. The village, with merely 8000 residents, is blessed with beautiful nature and climate. Preserving the healthy life and culture, it has been recognised as...

[Beauty of Japan Season 1] The Aigi Tunnels were constructed for the national railway between Aichi prefecture and Gifu prefecture back in the Meiji period (early 19th Century) and had been abandoned for many years. Those forgotten tunnels have been beautifully restored by supporters and are now designated as part...

[Craft Masters of Japan] Hirokuni Ohno is one of the very few Hakata textile weavers left in the world and has a workshop in Kokura Town in Kitakyushu City. He creates ornamental silk aprons for Sumo wrestlers to wear in the ring. The apron is approximately 70 centimeters wide and...