Journeys in Japan: Season 13
Season 13 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Journeys in Japan Season 12.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 13 Progress Shield
Yamanobe no Michi: Strolling Back Into the Past
Jan 18, 2022 · 28 min
One of Japan's oldest roads, the Yamanobe no Michi runs about 25 kilometers along the foot of the mountains in the Nara basin, linking Sakurai and Nara Cities. Agriculture prospers
Hamamatsu: From Local Expertise to Global Renown
Feb 8, 2022 · 28 min
The city of Hamamatsu lies in Shizuoka Prefecture, midway between Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture. Since the old days, the area has thrived as a key point on the route connecting easter
Matsusaka: Legacy of Samurai, Merchants, Artisan
Feb 15, 2022 · 28 min
Matsusaka City of Mie Prefecture is famous for its premium Matsusaka Beef. In the Edo period (1603-1868), it prospered as a merchant town owing to its location on the pilgrimage ro
JAPOW Magical Backcountry Ski Tour
Mar 8, 2022 · 28 min
JAPOW. It's the incredibly fluffy and abundant powder snow that attracts skiers from all over the world. This time, we take you backcountry for floating down thrilling terrain in H
—Festivals— A Harbinger of Spring
Mar 15, 2022 · 28 min
Since the old days, many festivals have been held across Japan to mark the changing seasons and reflect the agricultural cycle. Most autumn festivals are an expression of gratitude
Hearing the Silent Voice of the Bedrock
Mar 22, 2022 · 28 min
Since ancient times, people in Japan have felt a profound veneration for the bedrock of their land. Quarried and mined, this rock has been skillfully used to create the stone walls
Eyeing Architectural Wonders
Mar 29, 2022 · 28 min
On this episode, we look back at our architecture features and pick up some wondrous, inspiring shapes and their place in the landscape. In Hiroshima Prefecture, the Itsukushima Sh
Nagasaki: City of Hills and Hope
May 17, 2022 · 28 min
In the third of our programs introducing Japan to active wheelchair travelers, Ryoko Nakajima and Shizuka Anderson explore Nagasaki City. It is one of the hilliest cities in Japan,
Eternally Radiant Himeji Castle
May 31, 2022 · 28 min
Himeji Castle is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century castle architecture in Japan, with its main keep intact for 4 hundred years. For its soaring elegance and color,
Maniwa: Living from the Forest
Jun 7, 2022 · 28 min
Around 70 percent of Japan's landmass is covered by forest, and this has given rise to the country's distinctive wood-based culture. Nowhere is this more visible than around Maniwa
Breathing New Life into Iwaki
Jun 21, 2022 · 28 min
Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture has been making steady progress in its reconstruction efforts since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck 11 years ago. But catches of seafood h
Exploring the Mudflats of the Ariake Sea in Saga
Jun 28, 2022 · 28 min
The Ariake Sea borders lies in the northwest of Kyushu, bordering on 4 prefectures: Nagasaki, Saga, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto. Its huge tidal range, as much as 6 meters, is the largest
Yamagata: Communing with the Living and the Dead
Jul 5, 2022 · 28 min
Japan's indigenous belief called Shinto worships 8 million deities. Its imported Buddhism addresses the afterlife. Throughout the ages, people have turned to different gods for dif
Suzuka: City with a Racing Circuit
Jul 12, 2022 · 28 min
The Suzuka Circuit is one of the most famous racing tracks in all Japan. For that reason, Suzuka City (Mie Prefecture) is often known as the "City of Motorsports." The area is also
Iriomote: Pursuing the Elusive Jungle Cat
Jul 19, 2022 · 28 min
A father and daughter head to Iriomote, the largest of the Yaeyama Islands far away in southwestern waters. Covered 90% by subtropical jungle, its rich ecosystem earned the World N
Shinhama, Sendai: A Green Sea Wall for the Future
Aug 2, 2022 · 28 min
Along the shoreline of northeast Japan, a 400-kilometer sea wall has been built to protect people living in the region from future tsunami disasters. In the coastal community of Sh
Tamba-Sasayama: Inn to the Heart of a Village
Aug 9, 2022 · 28 min
If you venture up north from Hyogo Prefecture's castle town Tamba-Sasayama, you will arrive in a picturesque village from another time. This is Maruyama, which until recently faced
Okinawa: Weaving Culture
Aug 30, 2022 · 28 min
We look at Okinawa Prefecture through its stunning textiles. The island chain is a treasure trove of "somemono" (piece-dyed cloth) and "orimono" (thread-dyed cloth). The subtropica
Peak Pleasure in the Northern Alps
Sep 20, 2022 · 28 min
One of the attractions of hiking in the mountains of Japan is the chance to experience the thrill of traversing. Japan is one of the few places in the world where hikers have the o
Midsummer with the Ancestors: Wakasa Town
Oct 4, 2022 · 28 min
The town of Wakasa-cho lies on the coast of Fukui Prefecture, looking out on the Sea of Japan. In the old days, the town thrived as a key hub on a highway connecting the region wit
With Isabella Bird: On the Road to Nikko
Oct 11, 2022 · 28 min
Isabella Bird explored Japan in 1878, a mere ten years after the country had opened its doors to the West. She was accompanied by just one young man who served as both her interpre
Tochigi: Destinations of Timeless Calm
Oct 25, 2022 · 28 min
Lake Chuzenji lies in the highlands of northwest Tochigi Prefecture, above the city of Nikko. Thanks to its altitude, it became a popular summer resort for foreign embassy official
Spirited Away to Tono
Nov 8, 2022 · 28 min
Tono is the setting for the Legends of Tono, often dubbed the Grimms' Fairy Tales of the East. The book, compiled by leading folklorist Yanagita Kunio about 110 years ago, consists
Hakone Hachiri: Highway Back in Time
Dec 6, 2022 · 28 min
For centuries, the ancient Tokaido highway was the most important road in all Japan. It linked Kyoto, the emperor's capital, with Edo, the city of the shoguns, now known as Tokyo.
Kumamoto: Castle Town Loves Its Past with Eye on the Future
Dec 27, 2022 · 28 min
Kumamoto Castle was built by the feudal lord Kato Kiyomasa. The construction began in the late 16th century and was completed in the 17th century. Designated as a National Special