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Cycle Around Japan

Season 12 · 11 episodes · Jan 18, 2025

  1. Cycle Around Japan season 12 episode 1 still

    Episode 1

    Shiga - From Lake to Mountains

    Jan 18, 2025

    Shiga Prefecture, site of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is home to centuries-old crafts like Shigaraki ware and Wana velvet. We explore an island in the lake by tricycle before climbing into the mountains.

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    Episode 2

    Ibaraki - Passion for Tradition

    Feb 15, 2025

    In Ibaraki Prefecture, we explore how local wisdom has been passed down to the present day. We visit a town famous for organic farming, see how traditional silk fabric is made, and experience catching icefish.

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    Episode 3

    Yamaguchi - Where Kindness is King

    Mar 15, 2025

    On the islands and coast of the Yamaguchi end of the Seto Inland Sea, we experience a warm welcome in these hard-working small communities, poor in amenities but rich in happiness and human kindness.

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    Episode 4

    Japan's Northern Alps - Life-Giving Mountains

    May 24, 2025

    On an early spring ride around the base of this extensive mountain range, we meet an artisan making traditional snowshoes, a family making salmon trout sushi, and villagers picking medicinal herbs.

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    Episode 5

    Kumamoto - Blessings of Ancestry and Nature

    Jun 21, 2025

    In Kumamoto, we meet people who cherish their ancestry and nature, such as a traditional inlay artisan, a group passing on the history of the building of an embankment, and a brown cattle breeder.

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    Episode 6

    Izumo Highway – A Road That Builds Bonds

    Jul 19, 2025

    We travel the Izumo Highway, which has been used since ages past, and meet people who value human connection, such as a magatama jewelry artisan and a pro wrestler learning farming in a village.

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    Episode 7

    Osaka - Boundless Passion for Life

    Aug 23, 2025

    We explore Osaka, a prefecture known for its great cuisine. We meet a couple who fish for daggertooth pike conger (hamo), which taste great in summer, a farmer growing juicy eggplants, and much more.

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    Episode 8

    CYCLE AROUND TAIWAN - Colorful Cultural Charms

    Sep 20, 2025

    In this special series, we cycle Taiwan! In episode one, we visit Taipei and the west coast and explore cultural features like a tea famous for its distinctive aroma and beautiful rush weed craft.

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    Episode 9

    CYCLE AROUND TAIWAN - A World of Indigenous Wonders

    Oct 18, 2025

    The second episode of our Taiwan series features indigenous cultures in the south and on the east coast. We meet a Rukai man preserving the forest and Bunun people with a stunning choral tradition.

  10. Cycle Around Japan season 12 episode 10 still

    Episode 10

    CYCLE AROUND TAIWAN - Into the Future, Together

    Nov 22, 2025

    In the third episode of our Taiwan series, we travel to Taiwan's south to meet vibrant, energetic families, like one that grows unique vegetables, and another which farms dragon tiger groupers.

  11. Cycle Around Japan season 12 episode 11 still

    Episode 11

    Noto – A Resilient Peninsula

    Dec 27, 2025

    We cycle the Noto Peninsula, hit by a major earthquake in 2024. We visit a temporary morning market where people who lost their shops sell goods, and a salt-maker keeping traditional methods alive.