Seasoning the Seasons

The calmness of Seto Inland Sea, located in western Japan, will send your worries away. One thing that has been firmly supporting lives in this area is stone. The stone walls of the famous Osaka Castle are made of one million pieces of stone, most of which were granite quarried from the islands in the Seto Inland Sea, and shipped to parts of Japan. In this episode, we travel to the coastal area of the Seto Inland Sea, where life involves around reliable yet warm stones.

The Ikegami line runs through southeast Tokyo linking Kamata with Gotanda. Trains take 22 minutes to cover the line's 10.9 kilometers. The line winds through local neighborhoods, also cutting through Tokyo's longest shopping arcade. Each of the line's stations is rooted in the community. While the time may pass and the scenery change, the line is integral to local people's lives. We take a springtime trip along this local Tokyo railway.

Today in Japan, the Jomon period is experiencing a quiet boom. Jomon is a unique Japanese culture that lasted approximately 13,000 years in the pre-Christian age, within the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods in world history. It was a time when pit-buildings, pottery, and bows and arrows started to be used. Jomon ruins found throughout Japan number up to 90,000 locations. We go on a journey all over Japan to discover Jomon culture that is still alive.