Seasoning the Seasons - Season 15

Eating together and making conversation, snack time connects people. For those living away from home, hometown tastes bring back nostalgia in just one bite. Anybody of any age is happy when sharing snacks together. In this episode, it's snack time all over Japan.

Naha, in Okinawa, is a hilly city. At the top of one prominent hill is Shuri Castle, which hosted the royal court of the Ryukyu Islands for 450 years. Naha, the center of Ryukyu culture, grew around the royal court. The steep paths linking the castle on the hill to the city below have always been part of community life.

The Minamiaso Railway runs inside one of the world's largest calderas of Mount Aso, an active volcano in Kumamoto Prefecture. The area along this railway line is blessed with abundant water. The railway suffered significant damage by the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016, but in 2023 resumed full-line operations. We take a ride on the Minamiaso Railway, which links today's energy to tomorrow together with the unique people living along the line.

The Tokaido was built around 400 years ago to link Tokyo, then known as Edo, to Kyoto. The route, which is closely tied to the shogunate and Japan's military history, includes 53 post towns, 11 of which are castle towns. Tokugawa Ieyasu established his government in Edo, after uniting Japan early in the 17th century. While he was born in Okazaki Castle, he was based in Hamamatsu Castle as he strove to unify Japan. This journey through the Tokaido's 11 castle towns takes us from east to west.

During the harsh northern winters in Japan, cod fishing reaches its high season, as the cod come to the coast to spawn. With its mild-flavored flesh and rich-tasting liver and milt, this fish delights the palate from head to tail, leaving nothing to waste. Cod is the star of this episode. We take a journey to fully savor every aspect of two types of cod, Pacific cod and Alaska pollock, that delight the Japanese, in a variety of forms.

The people of Kyoto have lived for a millennium in this world of deities and spirits. Down the years, the city has suffered repeated outbreaks of disease. Today, various ways of warding off evil are embedded in people's daily lives. Welcome to the start of summer in Kyoto, an intriguing world of spirits and ritual.

An enticing aroma whets your appetite. It's Yakiniku, Japanese-style BBQ, which comes in many different styles. Grill it, eat it, feel energized. In this episode of Seasoning the Seasons, we explore Yakiniku and the stories of the people behind it.

The ancient temple of Taimadera sits at the foot of Mt. Nijo in northwestern Nara. It was founded in the year 612. On April 14th every year, the temple holds a very special event. The Descent of the Bodhisattvas, or Nerikuyo, is a procession across a bridge between the human world and the Pure Land Paradise. Just once a year, local worshipers walk this raised path of prayer.