Journeys in Japan: Season 6
Season 6 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 5.
- 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 6 Progress Shield
Winter Wonderland: Hakodate
Feb 10, 2015 · 28 min
The city of Hakodate, on the southern tip of Hokkaido, attracts as many as 4 million visitors each year, drawn by its historic charm, the beautiful night views and the superb seafo
Naruko Onsen: The Home of Kokeshi Dolls
Feb 17, 2015 · 28 min
Naruko Onsen, in Miyagi Prefecture, is located in the foothills of the Ou Mountains. With a history of more than a thousand years, the Naruko Onsen hot springs have long offered a
Iwate: Savoring Winter
Feb 24, 2015 · 28 min
Tohoku's Sanriku Coast faces the Pacific Ocean and runs parallel to the Kitakami Mountains. With bitter cold winters and periodic tsunamis, life in Tohoku is harsh. After the March
Blues City Osaka
Mar 3, 2015 · 28 min
Blues music is known and loved around the world, including Japan. But there is one place above all that has earned the title "the City of the Blues": Osaka. Since the 1970's, the b
Sanriku: Returning the Emotion
Mar 10, 2015 · 28 min
The Sanriku coast of northeastern Japan was one of the areas worst hit by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. Among the volunteers who rushed to help the people in the di
Majestic Yakushima in Winter
Mar 31, 2015 · 28 min
Yakushima is listed as a UNESCO world natural heritage site. Located 60 kilometers off the southernmost tip of Kyushu, the small island has nearly 2,000 meter-high mountains and di
Kumamoto: Children, Dolls and Celebrating Spring
Apr 7, 2015 · 28 min
Spring arrives early in Kumamoto, in southwestern Japan. In this region, people like to celebrate the annual Hina Dolls Festival. Arrays of dolls are displayed, to pray for the hea
Otaru: Canal Town with Northern Lights
Apr 21, 2015 · 28 min
Otaru City in Hokkaido Prefecture is a land with beautiful canals. In the past, the commercial town enjoyed prosperity as an anchorage site of cargo ships called “Kitamae Bune." It
Mito: Gardens, Tradition and Spring Blossoms
Apr 28, 2015 · 28 min
Throughout Japan, the blossoms of the ume plum trees signal the end of winter and herald the beginning of spring. The Kairakuen Garden in Mito, long considered one of the Japan's t
Lake Biwa: In Praise of Water
May 5, 2015 · 28 min
Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake, is located in the middle of the Japanese archipelago. Since ancient times, the expansive body of water has spawned myths and legends. Br
Pure Himeji: Beautiful Castle City, Craftsman Culture
May 12, 2015 · 28 min
Himeji Castle, in Hyogo Prefecture, just reopened after an extensive renovation. Its dazzling white appearance has been fully restored. On Journeys in Japan, radio DJ Chris Glenn,
Awaji Island: Keeping Traditions Alive
Jun 2, 2015 · 28 min
In Awaji Island, John and Ruadh Moore explore the farms, food and traditional culture. In ancient times, Awaji Island (Awaji-shima in Japanese) was known as Miketsu-kuni, a land th
Shonan: Living the Slow Life on the Coast
Jun 16, 2015 · 28 min
Shonan area lies on the coast of Sagami Bay in Kanagawa Prefecture, just to the south of Tokyo. Since ancient times, fishermen have lived along this coast, and there are still many
Sado Island: Behind the Mask Dance
Jun 23, 2015 · 28 min
Contemporary dancer Alessandra Lupi visits Sado Island to study the powerful Onidaiko demon dance. The traditional performing art is offered to the gods to pray for peace and abund
Mt. Hotaka: Climbing to the Roof of Japan
Jul 7, 2015 · 28 min
The Northern Alps range is often called "the roof of Japan." It is an area of great scenic beauty, offering superb views and unspoiled natural landscapes. Its highest peak is Mt. H
Hokkaido: The Sacred Sounds of the Ainu
Jul 14, 2015 · 28 min
Hokkaido — the northernmost island of Japan — is known for its vast expanse of land and unspoiled nature. American shakuhachi player, Bruce Huebner, visits in early summer when the
Morioka: Celebrating a Culture of People and Horses
Jul 21, 2015 · 28 min
Morioka developed as a castle town, the seat of the powerful Nanbu clan during the Edo Period [17th-19th centuries]. Even today, the city has many areas of historical interest, wit
Izu & Odawara : The Senses of Summer
Jul 28, 2015 · 28 min
Since ancient times, Japanese have developed clever methods for keeping cool in summertime by using nature and the five senses. It's called noryo. On this trip, Deborah Ten visits
Shakotan Blue: The Ocean's Beauty and Bounty
Aug 4, 2015 · 28 min
The Shakotan Peninsula lies on the west coast of Hokkaido, jutting out into the Sea of Japan. Its rugged coastline is lined with steep cliffs eroded by the waves. Many parts of thi
Biei, Hokkaido: Layers of Beauty in the Patchwork Hills
Aug 11, 2015 · 28 min
The town of Biei lies in the heart of Hokkaido, cradled by the magnificent peaks of Mount Tokachi. Surrounded by a colorful patchwork of fields and woodlands, it boasts an idyllic
The Sacred Kumano Kodo: Kii Peninsula
Aug 18, 2015 · 28 min
The mountainous Kii Hanto is Japan's largest peninsula. It holds sacred places of faiths, including Shintoism, Buddhism, and Shugendo mountain ascetism. In 2004, three sacred sites
Kikaijima: Life on a Coral Island
Aug 25, 2015 · 28 min
Kikaijima is a coral island in the far south of Kagoshima Prefecture, about 1,300 kilometers from Tokyo. It has a circumference of 48.6 kilometers and a population of about 7,200.
Bullfighting in Uwajima: Passion and Tradition
Sep 8, 2015 · 28 min
Uwajima is a traditional castle town in Ehime Prefecture. The people there have a long tradition of bullfighting. Huge bulls weighing about a ton battle each other for supremacy in
The Thrilling Nebuta Festival
Sep 22, 2015 · 28 min
The Nebuta Festival attracts some three million visitors to Aomori City every August. Nebuta are giant lantern floats measuring five meters high and nine meters wide. They often de
Savoring Rural Pleasures: Daigo, Ibaraki
Sep 29, 2015 · 28 min
The town of Daigo is in northwestern Ibaraki Prefecture, about 130 kilometers north of Tokyo. This attractive rural area is easily accessible from Tokyo, but preserves a traditiona
Kameyama, Mie: Living in the Present, Preserving the Past
Oct 13, 2015 · 28 min
Kameyama lies in the north of Mie Prefecture. In the past, it had great strategic importance, as it lay on the Tokaido, the main highway connecting eastern and western Japan. Three
Iiyama: The Landscape of the Heart
Oct 27, 2015 · 28 min
Iiyama City, located in northern Nagano Prefecture, is known for its beautiful nature and distinct four seasons. The rich landscape is nourished by snowmelt—Iiyama is one of the sn
Kingdom of Apples: Tsugaru, Aomori
Nov 3, 2015 · 28 min
About 145 years ago, apple tree saplings were imported to Japan and distributed around the country. The place where apple growing put down its strongest roots was in the Tsugaru ar
Mt. Tsurugi: Attacking the Palace of Crags
Nov 10, 2015 · 28 min
Mt. Tsurugi in Toyama Prefecture is one of the most impressive peaks in Japan's Northern Alps range, rising to a height of 2,999 meters. Because of its jagged appearance it is ofte
Adventures In WonderLand: Iya, Tokushima
Nov 17, 2015 · 28 min
The Iya Valley is a land of legends hidden in Tokushima Prefecture, deep in the heart of Shikoku. Surrounded by mountains rising to over 1,000 meters, it is a remote Shangri-la tha
Takayama & Furukawa: Treasuring Traditions
Nov 24, 2015 · 28 min
The Takayama Festival, in autumn, is held annually on October 9th and 10th. The stars of the festival are the spectacularly adorned floats, called "yatai." They are paraded through
Artisans and Beauty: Koshu, Yamanashi
Dec 1, 2015 · 28 min
Koshu is the former name for Yamanashi Prefecture. In feudal times, it was the base for the powerful Takeda warlords and many traditional crafts date back to that era. Koshu Inden
Nara & Yagyu: On the Road to the Sword of Peace
Dec 8, 2015 · 28 min
Yagyu, which is located just outside Nara, is the ancestral home of the Yagyu family, which established Yagyu Shinkage-ryu. This sword art school was adopted by the Tokugawa Shogun
Ishigaki: Diving in the Sea of Coral
Dec 15, 2015 · 28 min
Ishigaki Island-surrounded by beautiful coral reefs-is considered one of the world's best diving spots. In 2007, though, its corals were damaged to the brink of extinction due to t
Akita Autumn Feast
Dec 22, 2015 · 28 min
Akita Prefecture is located 450 kilometers north of Tokyo. American actor Charles Glover visits the northern land in late autumn when local people are busy preparing for the long w