Great Japanese Railway Journeys

Great Japanese Railway Journeys

Amakusa Islands to Shin Omuta (1x7)


Air date: Apr 21, 2026

Michael Portillo takes the ferry to the Amakusa archipelago, where he is greeted by a group of island women performing the traditional haiya dance, originally sung to fisherman. He then travels to Sakitsu, a town where Portuguese missionaries brought Christianity to Japan in the 16th-century. In Shin Omuta, Michael meets Mr Matsunaga, a master swordsmith.

  • Premiered: Apr 2026
  • Episodes: 15
  • Followers: 3
  • Running
  • BBC Two
  • Monday at 18