Begin Japanology
Season 5 Episode 6 - Excavators
Today, 80% of the world's excavators are built from Japanese designs. There's hardly a country in the world where Japanese excavators haven't made a contribution. And Japanese engineers continue to design innovative excavators - ones that can do much more than just shovel dirt. One state-of-the-art model has a versatile pair of arms; it's essentially a robot! And some models have such precise control that they can hold brushes and write Japanese calligraphy! One watershed moment in Japan came when a new kind of excavator greatly accelerated infrastructure development in the run-up to the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In Cambodia, where land mines left over from past conflict often injure and kill people, one Japanese man modified an excavator so that it could save lives. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is excavators. Through an examination of these machines, we'll dig deep into Japanese craft expertise.
Episodes in Season 5
Ekiden
28 min
Batteries
28 min
Cafes
28 min
Hot Water Bottles and Pocket Warmers
28 min
Ikebana
28 min
Excavators
28 min
Woods & Forests
28 min
Japanophiles - Dhugal Lindsay
28 min
Japanophiles - Richard Emmert
28 min
Japanophiles - Art Lee
28 min
Japanophiles - Philip Harper
28 min
Kabuki
28 min
Wild Vegetables
28 min
Horses
28 min
Massage Chairs
28 min
Shikoku Pilgrimage
28 min
Regional Fast Food
28 min
Department Stores
28 min
Kimonos
28 min
Aquariums
28 min
Confectionery
28 min
Dolls
28 min
Moss
28 min
High School Baseball
28 min
Planetariums
28 min
Japanophiles - Adam Booth
28 min
Japanophiles - Dave Spector
28 min
Japanophiles - Euan Craig
28 min
Shamisen
28 min
Crested Ibises
28 min
Abalone
28 min
Tokyo Station
28 min
Tokyo Skytree
28 min
Tokyo Bay
28 min
Potatoes, Taros, and Yams
28 min
Name Seals
28 min
Mushrooms
28 min
Vending Machines
28 min
Scissors
28 min
Satsuma Mandarins
28 min
Gift-giving
28 min
