Begin Japanology
Season 4 Episode 32 - Charcoal
For centuries, charcoal was a key resource in everyday Japanese life, and it is still used in a great variety of ways today. For Japanese cuisine, which uses simple preparation methods to get the most out of ingredients' original tastes, charcoal is essential. Charcoal makers still ply their trade using traditional methods. In the 8th century, an emperor embarked on a construction project that would become the largest-scale use of charcoal in Japanese history. In the old days, charcoal was widely used as a household fuel. The advent of electricity and gas has brought an end to that, but charcoal is still used in homes to regulate moisture, by farmers to help their soil, and in tea ceremonies as a source of beauty. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is charcoal. We examine its many uses in Japan over the centuries.
Episodes in Season 4
Mochi Rice Cake
28 min
Watches and Clocks
28 min
Fugu Blowfish
28 min
Haneda Airport
28 min
Kagura Dances
28 min
Snow
28 min
Pollen Allergy
28 min
Sashimono Woodwork
28 min
Cranes
28 min
Kitchen Knives
28 min
Fishing
28 min
Armour
28 min
Judo
28 min
The Life of Taro Okamoto
28 min
The Life of Osamu Dazai
28 min
The Life of Kenzo Tange
28 min
The Life of Hideko Maehata
28 min
Toilets
28 min
Lifts
28 min
Motorcycles
28 min
Unagi Eel
28 min
Japanophiles - Ilan Yanizky
28 min
Japanophiles - Silvain Guignard
28 min
Japanophiles - Stéphane Danton
28 min
Japanophiles - Dorothy Feibleman
28 min
Plastic Food Samples
28 min
Insects
28 min
Traditional Japanese Mathematics
28 min
Bicycles
28 min
Chusonji
28 min
Seaweed
28 min
Charcoal
28 min
Rain
28 min
Golf
28 min
Shipbuilding
28 min
Japanophiles - Bruce Huebner
28 min
Japanophiles - Noelke Muho
28 min
Japanophiles - Matt Alt
28 min
Karaoke
28 min
Holidays
28 min
Red Sea Bream
28 min
Shopping Streets
28 min
Chickens and Eggs
28 min
