Journeys in Japan
Season 13 Episode 10 - Maniwa: Living from the Forest
Around 70 percent of Japan's landmass is covered by forest, and this has given rise to the country's distinctive wood-based culture. Nowhere is this more visible than around Maniwa, in northern Okayama Prefecture. For centuries, this area has been one of Japan's leading producers of timber, with extensive plantations devoted to Sugi (cedar) and hinoki (cypress) trees covering the surrounding mountains. Wood merchants from all over the country gather in the historic Katsuyama district in the center of Maniwa, to attend the timber market held 3 times a month. The traditional townscape in Katsuyama has changed little over the past 2 centuries, and many shops line the scenic streets, each with its own traditional Noren shop curtain dyed from hinoki bark. The town has also come up with creative new ways for using its timber. In this episode of Journeys in Japan, Michael Keida visits Maniwa to explore the history and the future of Japan's wood culture. (Excerpt)
Episodes in Season 13
Yamanobe no Michi: Strolling Back Into the Past
28 min
Hamamatsu: From Local Expertise to Global Renown
28 min
Matsusaka: Legacy of Samurai, Merchants, Artisan
28 min
JAPOW Magical Backcountry Ski Tour
28 min
—Festivals— A Harbinger of Spring
28 min
Hearing the Silent Voice of the Bedrock
28 min
Eyeing Architectural Wonders
28 min
Nagasaki: City of Hills and Hope
28 min
Eternally Radiant Himeji Castle
28 min
Maniwa: Living from the Forest
28 min
Breathing New Life into Iwaki
28 min
Exploring the Mudflats of the Ariake Sea in Saga
28 min
Yamagata: Communing with the Living and the Dead
28 min
Suzuka: City with a Racing Circuit
28 min
Iriomote: Pursuing the Elusive Jungle Cat
28 min
Shinhama, Sendai: A Green Sea Wall for the Future
28 min
Tamba-Sasayama: Inn to the Heart of a Village
28 min
Okinawa: Weaving Culture
28 min
Peak Pleasure in the Northern Alps
28 min
Midsummer with the Ancestors: Wakasa Town
28 min
With Isabella Bird: On the Road to Nikko
28 min
Tochigi: Destinations of Timeless Calm
28 min
Spirited Away to Tono
28 min
Hakone Hachiri: Highway Back in Time
28 min
Kumamoto: Castle Town Loves Its Past with Eye on the Future
28 min
