Journeys in Japan: Season 17
Season 17 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 16.
- 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 17 Progress Shield
Hiking the San'in Coast: Hyogo-Kyoto
Jan 6, 2026 · 28 min
The San'in Kaigan Geopark Trail is a 230-kilometer-long course connecting the Sea of Japan coastline along Tottori, Hyogo, and Kyoto prefectures. It is a designated UNESCO Global G
With Isabella Bird - Part 7: On the Road to Ise
Jan 13, 2026 · 28 min
British explorer and writer Isabella Bird arrived in Japan in 1878, just 10 years after start of the Meiji Era. "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan" is her highly praised account of her jour
Noto: Lighting a Torch for the Future
Feb 10, 2026 · 28 min
Two years ago, on New Year's Day of 2024, a massive earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, leaving over 200 dead and wrecking thousands of homes and other buildi
Akan: The Sacred Winter World of the Ainu
Feb 17, 2026 · 28 min
Akan, in eastern Hokkaido, is renowned for its breathtaking winter landscape with majestic volcanic mountains and ice-blanketed lake. The area is home to an indigenous Ainu communi
Hokkaido: Voices from the Northern Land
Feb 24, 2026 · 28 min
Through the generations, Hokkaido has been home to people from diverse backgrounds, who have developed their livelihoods and established distinctive cultures in each area. Confront
Kushimoto: Life at the Water's Edge
Mar 17, 2026 · 28 min
Dean Newcombe discovers Kushimoto, the southernmost town on Japan's main island. Thanks to the warm Kuroshio Current that flows northward in the Pacific, the town is blessed with a
Northern Yatsugatake: Adventures in Snow Hiking
Mar 24, 2026 · 28 min
Scenic northern Yatsugatake in Nagano Prefecture is an outdoor lover's paradise just two hours from Tokyo. It's defined by a series of peaks rising above 2,000 meters. Novice mount
Kokuto Okinawa Island Sweetness
Apr 14, 2026 · 28 min
Kokuto is Okinawa's traditional form of sugar, which is made simply by boiling down sugarcane juice, a method first introduced from China about 400 years ago. Despite Okinawa's tur
Toyama MINGEI: Beauty in the Everyday
May 12, 2026 · 28 min
Architect James Lambiasi discovers the living culture of mingei folk craft in Toyama, north-central Japan. James visits a 92-year woodturning artisan in the town of Shogawa, a near
Tsuruoka: Gastronomy Rooted in Tradition
May 26, 2026 · 28 min
Tsuruoka lies on the Sea of Japan coast of Yamagata Prefecture. In 2014, it was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the first of its kind in the country. On this edition of
Komatsu: Stone Stories
Jun 16, 2026 · 28 min
Komatsu, a castle town just west of Kanazawa, was forged by stone and time. Born from ancient underwater volcanoes, its stunning gorges and surreal, massive quarries create a lands
Maze: A Museum Without Walls
Jun 23, 2026 · 28 min
Nestled in an upland area of Gero City (Gifu Prefecture), the village of Maze is renowned for its breathtaking mountain views, especially in the Nishimura district. Home to around
Tokunoshima: Bull Sumo on Subtropical Island
Jun 30, 2026 · 28 min
Tokunoshima is a small, semi-tropical island located southwest of Kyushu. Home to many rare species of flora and fauna, it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also fa
Kihoku: A Wonderful Waterside World
Jul 7, 2026 · 28 min
The Choshi River is just 17 kilometers long but it's become known throughout Japan as the "Miracle River." Thanks to the crystal-clear quality of its water, it draws visitors to th
Okayama: Traditions of the Seto Inland Sea
Aug 4, 2026 · 28 min
Since the earliest times, the people living on the coast of The Seto Inland Sea have developed methods for catching the abundant seafood in those waters, some of which are still pr
Aichi, Nagoya: Savoring its One-of-a-Kind Food Culture
Sep 1, 2026 · 28 min
Nagoya, a historic strategic crossroads connecting eastern and western Japan, developed a distinctive food identity of its own. From hatcho miso and hitsumabushi to kishimen noodle
Arimatsu: Nagoya District Shaped by Shibori
Sep 8, 2026 · 28 min
Japan's shibori (tie-dye) is renowned for the extraordinary craftsmanship of its tying artisans. The place that transformed shibori into a thriving tradition is Arimatsu, now a dis
Kitakami: Land of the Demon Dance
Sep 29, 2026 · 28 min
Kitakami in Iwate Prefecture has long been said to be a town of oni — the demons of Japanese folklore that appear in numerous legends passed down over the centuries. It is also hom
Furumachi: Niigata's Hidden World of Geigi
Oct 13, 2026 · 28 min
Niigata City, facing the Sea of Japan, prospered as a port of call for the Kitamaebune northern-bound ships in the Edo period. A crossroads of people, objects and cultures, it even
Miyako Islands: Living with the Ocean and Gods
Oct 27, 2026 · 28 min
The Miyako Islands in southwestern Okinawa are renowned for the crystal-clear waters of the surrounding ocean. They are also known as the "Islands of the gods," where deities are b
Miyagi: A Walk Through Sendai, City of History and Style
Nov 10, 2026 · 28 min
Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan, was founded some 400 years ago by the legendary feudal warlord Date Masamune. Over the centuries, it has evolve