[Festivals of Japan Season 1] The Hachinohe Enburi is a traditional festival that takes place in the southern region of Aomori Prefecture. It's held to bring forth good harvests and to welcome the coming of spring. Dancers called tayu wear headdresses made in the shape of horse heads and shake...

[Festivals of Japan Season 1] Iki Island, in Nagasaki Prefecture, has about 1,000 shrines. The Iki Kagura is an ancient and sacred dance practiced only by Shinto priests and is an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. The sacred ceremony is carried out with the playing of flute and drum...

[Beauty of Japan Season 2] Totsugawa in Nara Prefecture is the largest village in Japan. Jolan settled in this village from France after he fell in love with its serenity and beauty. Using his expertise in European forestry, he works to revitalise the Japanese forests as well as the local...

[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...