Seasoning the Seasons

Choshi in Chiba Prefecture is a town on a peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, known as "Toppazure," meaning "the end of the road." The Choshi Fishing Port boasts the largest catch in Japan for 10 consecutive years. The Choshi Electric Railway is a 6.4-kilometer-long local line traveling along the tip of the peninsula at a leisurely pace. Is this the end of the road? Or a land where something begins? All aboard! We are off on a train ride to see the seaside town of Choshi.

The Tateyama Mountain Range in eastern Toyama Prefecture is comprised of many mountains rising more than 2,500 meters high. The treacherous peaks are home to Tateyama Shinko, a unique system of local religious beliefs. It is said that climbing the mountains is like a journey around heaven and hell. Welcome to the Tateyama Mountains, home to a close-knit community and alpine scenery dotted with sacred places.

The Arakawa Line operates in the northeastern part of Tokyo. Starting from Minowabashi in the east to Waseda in the west, the line runs 12.2km long tracks in 56 minutes. The line's official nickname is the Tokyo Sakura Tram. Sakura means "cherry blossoms," a flower loved by the Japanese. Blending into the landscape, the line runs through the daily lives of locals. In this episode of Seasoning the Seasons, we ride the Arakawa Line, which connects the stories of the people living near this railroad.

Traveling across Japan, we can find many bridges of all shapes and sizes. In Tokyo, building modern bridges was one way to join the club of advanced industrial nations in the late 19th century, when Japan was vying to catch up with Western technology. A small bridge in Iwate Prefecture is hand-made. Even if relatively few people use it, it is an important crossing for the local community. Today, we hear the story of bridges linking communities throughout Japan.

Kisoji is an old road that runs through Kiso in Nagano Prefecture, which is located along the Nakasendo, one of the main highroads connecting Tokyo and Kyoto Prefecture. Stretching 80 kilometers from north to south, the Kisoji is home to 11 "post towns" along its trail. The road has been used for about 400 years, with feudal lords from all over Japan using it to get to Tokyo to serve the shogun during the Samurai period. In this episode, we tour the post towns and see the deep facets of the Kisoji route.