The Annual Japan Heritage Festival: Travelogue Program 'Japan Heritage' Available for 2 Days Only! (October 26 (Sat) - 27 (Sun))
TBS Sparkle, Inc., where the author is employed, became an official partner of Japan Heritage on September 27th. This blog site, which has been posting intermittently, is part of our company's Japan Heritage support activities. We will continue to operate in a small way, aiming to 'bring vitality back to Japan's regions,' while ensuring we do not become a mere formality that excessively praises Japan Heritage.
Now, as the title suggests, the Japan Heritage Festival will be held again this year in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. Last year, it was held grandly in the heart of Hachioji, Tokyo, but this year the main venues are the Aizuwakamatsu City Culture Center and the Tsurugajo Gymnasium in Wakamatsu Castle Ruins Park, overlooking Tsurugajo, the symbol of Aizuwakamatsu. The event will take place over two days on the last weekend of October, the 26th (Sat) and 27th (Sun). Since the autumn leaves in this area usually reach their peak around November 1st, it is expected to be bustling with tourists enjoying the beginning of the fall colors.
PR booths for Japan Heritage sites from all over the country will be exhibited, so if you can make it, I highly recommend visiting the booths. They are from all 47 prefectures. There are bound to be some city, town, or village names you don't recognize. I believe the people gathered there are all eager to talk about their local areas, so you should definitely ask them what makes their individual Japan Heritage sites so attractive.
And for those who cannot make it, we will be releasing our travel documentary 'Japan Heritage' on the web for two days only during the Japan Heritage Festival.
We cover 59 out of the 104 Japan Heritage sites. Each episode focuses on the story of one Japan Heritage site, so there are 59 episodes in total. Each episode aims to make Japan Heritage, which is often said to be difficult to understand, much more accessible through beautiful 4K footage and emotionally rich music; these are visual-centric works with a larger budget than typical commercial travel programs.
The narration is provided by actors Masao Kusakari (Seasons 1-2) and Reiko Takashima (Seasons 3-6), who tell the story of a 'Japan you didn't know' with great depth and flavor.
Please take this opportunity to watch them.
I have also posted links to the individual Japan Heritage works below.
After 0:00 on October 26th (Fri), click the titles below to jump to the playback page.
Anyone can watch them for free for the two days of October 26th and 27th!!!
Japan Heritage in Hokkaido
Hokkaido: 'May in Esashi is not even in Edo - A town where the prosperity of herring lives on' (Certification No. 038)
Hokkaido: 'The Kamikawa Ainu who live with Kamuy - The world of gods passed down in the bosom of the Daisetsuzan mountains' (Certification No. 055)
Japan Heritage in the Tohoku Region
Miyagi Prefecture: 'The "Date" culture nurtured by Masamune' (Certification No. 019)
Fukushima Prefecture: 'Aizu's 33 Kannon Pilgrimage - The culture of Aizu in the past seen through pilgrimage' (Certification No. 021)
Fukushima Prefecture: 'The "Single Waterway" that opened up the future - Toshimichi Okubo's "last dream" and the trajectory of the pioneers, Koriyama and Inawashiro' (Certification No. 022)
Yamagata Prefecture: 'Silk related to the Samurai - To Tsuruoka, a city where you can encounter the original landscape of Japan's modernization' (Certification No. 040)
Yamagata Prefecture: 'The Safflower Culture supported by Yamadera' (Certification No. 056)
Japan Heritage in the Kanto Region
Ibaraki, Tochigi, Okayama, and Oita Prefectures: 'Educational Heritage Sites of Early Modern Japan - The Source of Learning and Etiquette' (Certification No. 001)
Gunma Prefecture: 'Kakaa Denka (Mother-ruled home) - Gunma's Silk Story' (Certification No. 002)
Kanagawa Prefecture: '"Iza, Kamakura" - To a city of mosaics drawn by history and culture' (Certification No. 025)
Saitama Prefecture: 'Gyoda, the city of tabi (Japanese sock) warehouses that continues to support the foundation of kimono culture' (Certification No. 041)
Tochigi Prefecture: 'A journey to explore the secrets of the underground labyrinth - Utsunomiya, a city where Oya stone culture lives on' (Certification No. 057)
Tochigi Prefecture: 'The future envisioned by Meiji aristocrats - A romantic tale of the development of the Nasunogahara plateau' (Certification No. 058)
Ibaraki and Yamanashi Prefectures: '140-Year History of Japanese Wine - A crystallization of Japanese culture brewed with domestic grapes' (Certification No. 086)
Ibaraki and Tochigi Prefectures: 'Kasama-Mashiko - A "pottery story" spun by sibling production areas' (Certification No. 087)
Tokyo: 'Reiki Manzan Takao-san - A story of the city of mulberry trees spun by people's prayers' (Certification No. 088)
Japan Heritage in the Chubu Region
Toyama Prefecture: 'Takaoka, a City Where the Townspeople's Culture Flourishes, Linked to the Kaga Maeda Family - People, Skills, and Heart -' (Certification No. 003)
Fukui Prefecture: 'Heritage of Wakasa's Traffic Culture Connecting the Sea and the Capital - Wakasa, the Land of Food, and the Saba Kaido (Mackerel Road)' (Certification No. 005)
Ishikawa Prefecture: 'Komatsu, a Story Walking with Jewels - Stone Culture Polished Through the Flow of Time -' (Certification No. 027)
Nagano Prefecture: 'The Kiso Road is Entirely in the Mountains - Protecting the Mountains, Living in the Mountains -' (Certification No. 028)
Gifu Prefecture: 'Skills and Heart of Hida Craftsmen - 1300 Years of Passing Down Traditions with Wood -' (Certification No. 029)
Mie Prefecture / Shiga Prefecture: 'Ninja Village, Iga and Koka - In Search of Real Ninjas -' (Certification No. 042)
Toyama Prefecture: 'Inami, the Woodcarving Art Museum Born from a Single Chisel of a Temple Carpenter' (Certification No. 059)
Yamanashi Prefecture: 'The Landscape Woven by Vineyards - Kyoto Region, Yamanashi Prefecture -' (Certification No. 060)
Yamanashi Prefecture / Nagano Prefecture: 'The Jomon World of the Starry Central Highlands - A Journey to Meet the Obsidian Mines and Jomon People Dating Back Thousands of Years -' (Certification No. 061)
Fukui Prefecture: 'Fukui/Katsuyama Stone Tales - Deciphering Medieval and Early Modern Town Planning from Stone -' (Certification No. 071)
Yamanashi Prefecture / Ibaraki Prefecture: '140-Year History of Japanese Wine - A Crystal of Japanese Culture Brewed with Domestic Grapes -' (Certification No. 086)
Nagano Prefecture: 'The Sacred Sites of the Sun and Earth Connected by Ley Lines - A City Living with Dragons, Shinshu Ueda and Shioda Plain -' (Certification No. 093)
Japan Heritage in the Kinki Region
Hyogo Prefecture: 'Awaji, the Island of National Creation that Graces the Beginning of the Kojiki - The Activities of Sea People Who Supported the Ancient State -' (Certification No. 030)
Nara Prefecture: 'The Lives and Hearts of People Nurtured by and Nurturing the Forest - Yoshino, the Birthplace of Forestry with Beautiful Forests -' (Certification No. 031)
Wakayama Prefecture: 'Living with Whales' (Certification No. 032) *Winner of the Short Film Award at the 2nd Golden Tree International Documentary Film Festival
Shiga Prefecture / Mie Prefecture: 'Ninja Village, Iga and Koka - In Search of Real Ninjas -' (Certification No. 042)
Kyoto Prefecture: 'The Tango Chirimen Corridor Woven by Silk Spun Over 300 Years' (Certification No. 043)
Osaka Prefecture / Nara Prefecture: 'The Oldest National Highway Conveying 1400 Years of Eternal History - Takenouchi Kaido and Yokooji (Daidomichi) -' (Certification No. 044)
Wakayama Prefecture: 'Wakanoura, a Treasure Trove of Superb Views' (Certification No. 046)
Wakayama Prefecture: 'The Birthplace of Soy Sauce Brewing, the First Drop - Kishu Yuasa -' (Certification No. 047)
Wakayama Prefecture: 'Peace for a Hundred Generations - Disaster Prevention Heritage of Hirokawa Where Memories of Tsunamis and Reconstruction Live On -' (Certification No. 063)
Osaka Prefecture: 'A Town Conveyed by Travel Records and Two Illustrated Maps - The Landscape of Medieval Hine-no-sho -' (Certification No. 075)
Hyogo Prefecture: 'Banshu Ako, the Town that Produced Japan's Number One Salt' (Certification No. 077)
Tottori Prefecture / Hyogo Prefecture: 'Superb Views and Unexplored Regions Created by the Winds of the Sea of Japan - The Land of Inaba and Tajima Where the Kirin, a Spirit Beast that Brings Happiness, Dances -' (Certification No. 078)
Japan Heritage in the Chugoku Region
Okayama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Oita Prefectures: "Educational Heritage Sites of Early Modern Japan: The Source of Learning and Etiquette" (Certification No. 001)
Tottori Prefecture: "Land of Rokkon Shojo and Six-Sense Healing: Visiting Japan's Most Dangerous National Treasure and World-Class Radon Springs" (Certification No. 012)
Shimane Prefecture: "Tsuwano Past and Present: Walking Through the Hundred Scenic Views" (Certification No. 013)
Hiroshima Prefecture: "A Miniature Garden City Spun by the Onomichi Channel Since the Middle Ages" (Certification No. 014)
Tottori Prefecture: "Japan's Largest Daisen Cattle and Horse Market Nurtured by Jizo Faith" (Certification No. 033)
Hiroshima and Ehime Prefectures: "The Stronghold of 'Japan's Largest Pirates': Geiyo Islands - Reviving the Memories of the Murakami Kaizoku" (Certification No. 036)
Shimane Prefecture: "Izumo, the Sacred Land Where the Sun Sets: Touring the Sunsets of the Land Created by Gods" (Certification No. 048)
Okayama Prefecture: "The Kurashiki Story Beginning with a Single Cotton Flower: A Textile Town Where Japanese and Western Styles Interweave" (Certification No. 049)
Okayama Prefecture: "Okayama, the City Where the 'Momotaro Legend' Was Born: An Ogre-Slaying Tale Invited by the Heritage of Ancient Kibi" (Certification No. 064)
Tottori and Hyogo Prefectures: "Spectacular Views and Unexplored Regions Created by the Winds of the Sea of Japan: The Land of 'Inaba and Tajima' Where the Kirin, a Spirit Beast That Brings Happiness, Dances" (Certification No. 078)
Shimane Prefecture: "A World of Mythology Where Gods and Demons Come Alive: Kagura Inherited in the Iwami Region" (Certification No. 079)
Okayama and Kagawa Prefectures: "Did You Know? The Stone Islands Where Eternal Time Flows: The Setouchi Bisan Islands That Crossed the Sea and Built the Foundation of Japan" (Certification No. 080)
Shimane Prefecture: "The Eternal History Told by Iwami's Volcanoes: A Journey to Encounter the 'Jomon Forest' and the 'Silver Mountain'" (Certification No. 101)
Japan Heritage Sites in the Shikoku Region
Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kochi Prefectures: "'Shikoku Pilgrimage': A Circular Pilgrimage Route and Unique Pilgrimage Culture" (Certification No. 015)
Ehime and Hiroshima Prefectures: "The Stronghold of 'Japan's Largest Pirates': Geiyo Islands - Reviving the Memories of the Murakami Kaizoku" (Certification No. 036)
Kochi Prefecture: "From Forest Railways to Japan's Best Yuzu Road: The Landscape and Food Culture of the Chugei Region in Southern Tosa, Fragrant and Colorful with Yuzu" (Certification No. 051)
Okayama and Kagawa Prefectures: "Did You Know? The Stone Islands Where Eternal Time Flows: The Setouchi Bisan Islands That Crossed the Sea and Built the Foundation of Japan" (Certification No. 080)
Tokushima Prefecture: "Awa, the Hometown of Indigo: Visiting the Supreme Blue That Dyed All of Japan" (Certification No. 081)
Japan Heritage Sites in the Kyushu Region
Oita, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Okayama Prefectures: 'Modern Japanese Educational Heritage Sites - The Source of Learning and Etiquette -' (Certification No. 001)
Nagasaki Prefecture: 'Islands on the Border: Iki, Tsushima, and Goto - A Bridge from Ancient Times -' (Certification No. 017)
Kumamoto Prefecture: 'The Culture of Conservatism and Innovation Born from 700 Years of Sagara - The Richest Hidden Village in Japan: Hitoyoshi Kuma -' (Certification No. 018)
Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures: 'The Birthplace of Japanese Porcelain, Hizen - A Stroll Through a Hundred Flowers of Ceramics -' (Certification No. 037)
Oita Prefecture: 'Yabakei Excursion - Walking the Landscape Scroll Painted on the Earth -' (Certification No. 054)
Oita Prefecture: 'Kunisaki, the Village Where Ogres Became Buddhas' (Certification No. 066)
Miyazaki Prefecture: 'Monuments of Ancient People - Painting Pictures on the Plateau: The Kofun Landscape of Tropical Miyazaki -' (Certification No. 067)
Kagoshima Prefecture: 'Towns Where Satsuma Samurai Lived - Walking Through the 'Fumoto' Samurai Residence Groups -' (Certification No. 082)
See you then.