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Journeys in Japan
Season 17 • Episode 4 • Akan: The Sacred Winter World of the Ainu
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Journeys in Japan Season 17, Episode 4: Akan: The Sacred Winter World of the Ainu
Akan, in eastern Hokkaido, is renowned for its breathtaking winter landscape with majestic volcanic mountains and ice-blanketed lake. The area is home to an indigenous Ainu community, which has long protected its distinctive traditions and culture. Kit Nagamura gets to know some local Ainu people and discovers their deep ties to the natural world. Watch Journeys in Japan Season 17, Episode 4 Akan: The Sacred Winter World of the Ainu in HD free online. Enjoy high-quality streaming of Journeys in Japan Season 17, Episode 4 and share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Episodes
8 episodes
Hiking the San'in Coast: Hyogo-Kyoto
The San'in Kaigan Geopark Trail is a 230-kilometer-long course connecting the Sea of Japan coastline along Tottori, Hyogo, and Kyoto prefectures. It is a designated UNESCO Global Geopark. On the second half of his journey, Canadian actor Kyle Card explores the dynamic landscapes shaped by the separation of the Japanese archipelago from the Asian continent, as well as the culture and way of life that developed in the region.
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With Isabella Bird - Part 7: On the Road to Ise
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28 min
Noto: Lighting a Torch for the Future
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28 min
Akan: The Sacred Winter World of the Ainu
Akan, in eastern Hokkaido, is renowned for its breathtaking winter landscape with majestic volcanic mountains and ice-blanketed lake. The area is home to an indigenous Ainu community, which has long protected its distinctive traditions and culture. Kit Nagamura gets to know some local Ainu people and discovers their deep ties to the natural world.
28 min
Hokkaido: Voices from the Northern Land
Through the generations, Hokkaido has been home to people from diverse backgrounds, who have developed their livelihoods and established distinctive cultures in each area. Confronting the harsh natural environment of this vast northern island, the inhabitants have poured their feelings — joy, anxiety, prayers and wishes — into songs that are cherished to the present day. Those songs continue to bring local communities together through shared memories and values. On this edition of Journeys in Japan, British photographer Alfie Goodrich visits areas of Hokkaido that are home to the following songs: Esashi Oiwake, Soran Bushi, Tokachi Uma-uta, Hokkai Bon-uta and the Upopo songs of the Ainu people. Through this soundscape so deeply rooted in each community, he explores Hokkaido's history, culture and local traditions.
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28 min