Japanology Plus 5
2018-01-09 | Documentary | 38 episodes12 Seasons
Episode
Ocean Fishing (2018)
Japan is an island nation that stretches thousands of miles. “A country surrounded by the sea,” as one common expression has it. Perhaps not surprisingly, the country has had a highly developed fishing culture for centuries, if not millennia. It has long been a global pioneer in everything from ways to preserve freshness to forms of seafood cuisine. This is our topic for this edition of Japanology Plus: how Japan fishes its oceans, in particular its coastal seas. Our expert guest is Professor Osamu Baba of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.
Directed By
- Hitoshi Nishiyama
The Police (2018)
Japan is one of the safest countries in the whole world. With its impressively low crime rate, the worst that most people need to be fearful of is the occasional stolen bicycle or umbrella. First-time visitors might be surprised by residents taking naps on trains with their cellphones in plain sight or by seeing extremely young children walking to school alone. A large part of what contributes to that sense of security is the police force, some 300,000 members strong.
Japanophiles: Stephanie Tomiyasu (2018)
The long history of Japanese culture is replete with various forms of traditional music and storytelling, many of which have been featured on Japanology Plus. This time our focus is on joruri, one such traditional performing art. Our guide is a unique practitioner of that art: Stephanie Tomiyasu, an American who trains under one of Japan's leading joruri instructors. Tomiyasu's life in Japan and her position as a foreign joruri practitioner are the subject of our latest Japanophiles edition.
New Trends in Logistics (2018)
Japan, like the rest of the developed world, has taken a serious shine to online shopping. 3.9 billion home deliveries were made in 2016 alone, and that volume doesn't show any signs of slowing down. Japan's wholehearted embrace of online shopping is fueled, in part, thanks to the country's efficient shipping infrastructure, in which next-day delivery is the norm.
Game Arcades (2018)
When exploring the streets of Tokyo, you won’t have to go very far before running into some type of game arcade with an interior full of flashing lights and people of all ages. The ubiquitous nature of arcades isn’t just noticeable in bustling areas such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, or Akihabara—with about 5,000 locations nationwide, you’d almost have to try to not see one. As at-home game consoles and smartphones reshape the global gaming industry, brick and mortar arcades still remain popular across Japan.
