The Mark of Beauty

The Japanese people have worshipped the gods of nature itself since ancient times. Sacred straw ropes were first hung in devout respect at holy places such as waterfalls and mighty rocks. Then, as time went on, they came to be strung between two poles instead, and some say that was the origin of the shrine gates, called torii, we see all over Japan today. We look into the surprising roots and roles of the torii and observe their extraordinary beauty.

This new-style art program provides lucid, three-step insights into things of beauty around us. The theme this time is the silk fabric known as tsumugi.

It is just like any other street at first but then we look down and notice the paving stones at our feet. We tend to associate paving stones and cobbles with Europe but Japan has its own stone paving tradition called ishidatami.

This week, we learn about the formal gardens of the old feudal lords. The daimyo teien are the landscaped gardens built for feudal lords during the Edo period (17th to mid-19th centuries). The provincial lords were obliged to spend part of every year in the political capital, Edo (today's Tokyo), and their Edo mansions maintained elaborate gardens. The Edo style of garden design also spread from there across Japan. These gardens are often massive and typically centered on a large pond. Visitors would walk around the pond to enjoy the various garden features as we might in a theme park today. The gardens reflected the background, wealth and artistic sensibilities of each noble household.

Linen is standard for smart summer dressers in kimonos or suits. An age-old material, it is the fabric that both looks and feels cool as Japan prepares for a summer of power shortages and it actually becomes softer the longer you wear it. It also creases easily and is hard to dye but does make adorable everyday summer items. We investigate the wisdom and craft of linen.

Nodate - A Japanese Picnic Office workers in Tokyo's parks appreciating a cup of tea outdoors during the lunch break... Increasing numbers of young people now enjoy this outdoor version of the tea ceremony.

Okinawa's natural, subtropical beauty never ceases to attract travelers.

Okinawa's natural, subtropical beauty never ceases to attract travelers.

The Tohoku region is a treasure trove of old houses. There are gorgeous roofs shaped like samurai helmets, faces of gods on rustic pillars... all highly individual and deeply rooted in Tohoku customs and history. Distinctive carpentry traditions have also been handed down in the Kesen area of southern Iwate Prefecture. We introduce Kesen carpenters who are now working for recovery.

The Aomori Nebuta festival is a highlight of the Tohoku summer. The giant Nebuta floats decorated with fierce, demonic warriors take center stage in this awesome event. The festival goes back more than 300 years and started out as a gentle ceremony of releasing floating lanterns on the river and sea to ward off evil spirits. Many pioneers from the Kanto and Kansai regions settled in the frontier province of Aomori during the Edo period and the festivities grew in scale as they brought with them the culture of the woodblock prints, Gion festival etc. We focus on the beauty of the Nebuta.

Autumn is a great season for traveling in Japan and there's nothing better than enjoying the scenery with a nicely made packed lunch. The Japanese packed lunch - called the bento - with its rich array of choice, colorful delicacies is itself a distillation of the Japanese sense of beauty. What are the skills of the Kyoto bento caterer? What is the story of the shokado bento? We also see the classic Tokyo makunouchi bento being made! You'll enjoy the mouth-watering footage and all the details about the beauty packed into these little boxes.

Sashimi is one of the most familiar ways of preparing food in Japan. It's basically just sliced raw fish but the techniques emerged in the Heian Period, a thousand or more years ago, have been passed down and enhanced by specialists ever since. What is the essence of the sacred art of the cutting knife? How do the utensils generate an exquisite space so far from the everyday life? And what local sashimi aesthetics have grown up across Japan?