Journeys in Japan

Haiku are brief poetic snapshots that encapsulate in a few words the essence of a moment, be it the beauty of nature or just a scene from daily life. This form of poetry, born in Japan, is now becoming known around the world. Writer and photographer Kit Pancoast Nagamura has lived in Japan over 20 years. She expresses the beauty of Japan through her lens and also in her poetry. In all, she has written more than 3,000 of her own haiku. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, Kit travels through the north of Japan, following in the footsteps of the 17th century haiku poet Matsuo Basho, who described his journeys in his book, "The Narrow Road to the Deep North". Through her haiku and photographs, Kit captures the historic places she visits and beautiful natural scenes of north Japan in spring and early-summer.

As spring changes to summer in Japan, there is a period of about a month when rainy, cloudy conditions persist. This transitional season is known as Tsuyu. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, we introduce some of the beautiful, mysterious natural phenomena that can be seen at this time of year, as well as an event traditionally held in rural communities across the country. The program is introduced by Michael Keida, who has a smallholding near Tokyo where he cultivates around 200 different kinds of vegetables and other crops using organic methods.

Islands -- stringing along 3,500 kilometers, north to south, in the Pacific -- so narrow that no point is ever far from the sea. Coastlines alone spanning 35,000 kilometers… We dip under the waves to explore the Japanese archipelago's epic world of water. Tagging along with Michael Keida, and on one dive with Bonnie Waycott, we delight in tropical and temperate zone marine life, corals, 2 shark species and a friendly Asian sheepshead wrasse. Michael reminisces in the studio about his adventures with narrator Bill Sullivan.

Because Japan's landmass extends north-south through a number of different climatic zones, farmers can cultivate a wide variety of different produce, reflecting the local environment and conditions. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, we look back at episodes from past years celebrating the variety of summer vegetables that are grown around the country. We follow our reporters as they visit farms in 3 parts of Japan. We find Renkon (lotus root) being cultivated in the fertile soil and abundant water of Ibaraki Prefecture. We discover how Rakkyo (a kind of shallot) is grown in the sand dunes of Tottori Prefecture. And we introduce Kanpyo, a preserved food produced in Tochigi Prefecture, which has been part of the Japanese diet for over 300 years.

On Journeys in Japan, we've discovered the history and culture of many places through their architecture. On this episode, we revisit Nikko, Okinawa Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture, to take a close look at significant buildings and how they connect with the people.

Festivals are an essential element of summer in Japan. Held around the country, some feature music and dancing, others spectacular lights or massive floats. On this special episode of Journeys in Japan, Shizuka Anderson introduces 4 of the largest, most exuberant summer festivals that have been featured in previous shows. Each has its own history and local traditions that often date back centuries. What they all share in common is the passion and intensity of their local communities.