Original subtitles

Japan. Michael, welcome to Japan, a railway paradise.

Its huge population spread over long islands live by its railway.

It's like I'm driving.

My new adventure takes me through the land that launched the high -speed

I love Shinkansen.

Where millions of journeys are made each day through some of the most bustling

stations on Earth.

Busy city.

I'll ride Japan's vast railway network.

To uncover a land of bold innovation.

Haven't quite got the hang of it yet.

A place of enduring tradition, volatile geology and remarkable people. Join

me on an excursion like no other. I'm too excited to sit down.

My journey across Japan has led me to an island far from the usual tourist

trails.

I am traveling on Kyushu, which is the most southerly and most westerly of the

four biggest islands that comprise Japan and is renowned for its volcanic

activity. During the two and a half centuries that the Shogun kept foreign

influence out of Japan, this region maintained some contact with the Asian

mainland and with the West.

not least through its major port at Nagasaki.

In this area, inevitably, I'll reflect a little on the Second World War, but

I'll also look at the Japan of today and tomorrow as I visit one of its most

youthful and dynamic cities, Fukuoka.

The name Kyushu means nine provinces.

which the island had in ancient times.

Today it's home to 22 rail lines and 567 stations.

I'll begin in the south at Kagoshima and will make my way northwards, learning

the importance of the island's position at the westerly edge of Japan.

I'll travel under the ocean to end in the western part of Honshu Island at

Hiroshima.

My narrow -gauge train hugs the coastline as we head towards Kagoshima.

Located in the southwest of Kyushu, Kagoshima is a port city.

It gained political and commercial importance in the 16th century as the

of the feudal Satsuma province.

I'm arriving at the transport hub of Kagoshima Chuo Station.

The city has a population of around 600 ,000.

There's a mix of old and new.

Tower blocks alongside densely packed housing.

Cities today may be coming to look more and more like each other. There's sort

of uniformity to the architecture of a high -rise building.

But here, this alleyway takes you back in history, albeit that it is cluttered

with the modern paraphernalia of air -conditioning units and bicycles. But

nonetheless, you get a sense of community, of neighbours living cheek by

It's very charming and wonderful that it survived.

The most distinctive feature of this city is that it lies just four

from one of Japan's most active volcanoes, owning it the nickname Naples

East.

I'm excited to see the great Sakurajima volcano.

It's often compared to Vesuvius.

It dominates Kagoshima as Vesuvius dominates Naples. They both have a bay

which they are reflected.

And they're similar in their danger too.

It was Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii. Kagoshima is threatened by Sakurajima,

which means Cherry Blossom Island.

But it is ash and lava that it spews forth.

Indeed, it's no longer even an island because a lava flow filled in the gap

between it and the land beyond.

And there it stands, magnificent and menacing.

Sakurajima erupts up to a thousand times a year, sending gases, dust and ash up

into the atmosphere.

Despite its constant activity, you can visit it by ferry.

It's a 15 -minute journey across the bay.

Kagoshima is the wettest of all of the 47 prefectures of Japan and

a volatile volcano makes for capricious weather.

Sakurajima volcano began to form around 13 ,000 years ago and sits within a much

older 30 ,000 year old cauldron known as Era Caldera.

This site attracts thousands of volcano enthusiasts and scientists from around

the world.

One is volcanologist from the University of Exeter, James Hickey.

James, we're picking ourselves through this rubble, which is actually larval

rock, isn't it? When did this arrive?

This was lava produced in the 1914 eruption.

It produced at least one and a half cubic kilometres of material.

One and a half cubic kilometres of material.

You enjoy studying these volcanoes.

I mean, you're clearly not from Japan, and yet here you are today. How come?

So I've been working at Sakurajima volcano since about 2014.

It was the first volcano I saw erupting. The volcano is essentially a perfect

natural laboratory for us to do our science, right? It's very frequently

It's erupting quite a lot.

It's really well monitored, so we can get excellent data. So it becomes this

sort of perfect place for us to come, test our ideas, test our hypotheses

against an active volcano.

Since the last major eruption in 1914,

Sakurajima has become active every 10 to 30 years, most recently causing the

evacuation of local residents in 2015 and 2022.

It's staggering to discover, that 4 ,600 people live on this volcanic island.

And I've come to an institution that I would least expect to find at the base

a volcano, a primary school.

I don't know whether we're expecting an eruption today, but all the children are

wearing hard hats, little yellow hard hats. Good morning.

Good morning.

More yellow hats advancing.

And they come across a rather muddy field, so they have to clean their boots

the grate there.

Good morning.

The school has around 25 pupils aged from 5 to 10.

Good morning. My name is Michael.

I love music.

I love music too.

Great pleasure.

In charge of this remarkable school is head teacher, Mr.

Araki. Araki -sensei. Hello, Michael.

Nice to meet you.

It's great to be in your very special school. Thank you for your welcome.

Araki -sensei. Yeah.

This volcano, this island, is known by everyone in Japan. It's famous in the

world. Yeah. So this volcano is so many times erupting. So

even in...

How do the kids feel about this? Do they get frightened?

How do they feel about living next to this big volcano?

They feel calm, so they wear the helmet as a usual thing.

But it's so important.

Ashes always come down. Every time we sweep the

ashes. You get the kids to do the sweeping?

Yeah, and me too. And you too.

Being prepared for an eruption is just

part of school life.

Good morning, children.

Good morning.

You come to school in a helmet.

That's quite unusual.

And

what

are these bags?

Bottle of water.

Whistle.

Oh, what's that for?

Oh, a hand warmer. A hand warmer.

Water bag.

A water bag.

Very good.

Very useful things.

Well, have a good day at school.

See you.

Bye -bye.

Bye -bye.

With the local population braced to respond, warnings of seismic activity

from the Sakurajima Volcano Observatory, a monitoring facility established in

1960.

One of the senior team is Professor Haruhisa Nakamichi.

Hello, Professor.

I'm Michael. Such a pleasure to meet you.

This is clearly a room where you are monitoring the volcano.

What are the things that you can measure that give you an indicator of volcanic

activity?

One of the key signals that indicate volcanic activity is ground vibration.

As magma rises, it pushes against the surrounding rock, creating stress.

The first instruments to detect this are seismometers.

Another thing is that when the magma rises, the ground expands.

To monitor this expansion and contraction are three tunnels in

We've installed extremely sensitive instruments which can detect even the

slightest ground movement.

The data from these instruments is collected in this room 24 hours a day,

days a year.

I believe that Sakurajima has more than one peak.

In

Sakurajima,

There are three peaks.

The most active one is the Minamidake Peak.

During eruptions, large volcanic rocks can be hurled all the way to the

at the foot of the mountain.

Another concern is the Aero Caldera itself, which is currently accumulating

magma. In 1914, magma that had accumulated there suddenly moved towards

Sakurajima, leading to a major eruption.

Experts are now pointing out the possibility that a similar eruption

again. You have the volcano wired up like a patient in intensive care in a

hospital.

So are you fairly confident that you'll be able to predict problems ahead?

Before a major eruption like that, there are always precursor phenomena.

In 1914, Sakurajima shook with earthquakes, and there were reports that

water levels dropped and wells dried up.

There were signs that the ground was rising and magma was moving upward.

With today's technology, we can detect these signs earlier and more accurately.

By using more accurate and timely data, we can evacuate earlier.

I've returned to Kagoshima Station to pick up

a train heading south.

My next leg is a journey along Kagoshima Bay to Ibusuki, at the end of the

Satsuma Peninsula.

In Japan, train travel is taken into realms of fantasy, with a huge array of

themed trains, many of which draw their inspiration from fables and their

characters. And I'm excited to be taking one today.

I'm now going aboard a fairytale train, and there's a story that all Japanese

children learn.

It's about a young fisherman from the Satsuma Peninsula, where I am now, who

called Urashima Taro.

And he saved the life of a turtle.

And the turtle, in gratitude, invited him to get on its back and go under the

waves to a palace of a dragon.

And there, Taro had all sorts of wonderful times, and he met a princess.

But after just a few days, he was feeling homesick.

So he set off for his home village again, carrying with him a box, which

gift from the princess, which she said, do not open.

When he got back to the village, everything had changed, and it turned

300 years had passed, and that, obviously, his whole family was dead.

And so he opened the box, and there was a great puff.

of white smoke and he suddenly was converted to an old man with a white

and white hair.

And the morals of the story are no man can cheat time and

be kind to creatures.

The white smoke that Taro encountered on opening the box is recreated as we head

off from Kagoshima.

The train, painted half white, half black, represents the moment when Taro's

hair changed to the colour of snow.

There are plenty of other delightful touches, including side -facing seats,

perfect to take in the view.

Hello.

Um...

Shuchu. Shuchu.

Thank you very much.

Ah, thank you very much indeed.

Well, these are the sorts of misunderstandings that occur.

I thought I was buying a little bottle.

Thank you very much. I thought I was buying a little bottle.

But actually I've bought a very big one. Ah well.

Worst things happen on a train.

This is one of the prettiest bottles I've ever seen.

And it is the train that I'm on.

Contained in the bottle is shochu, a local liquor of Kagoshima, which I'm

with tonic.

My shochu is made from sweet potatoes.

And if you said satsuma in Japanese, you would mean a sweet potato.

However, in the 19th century, after a conflict between the local people and

British, the British received some of the citrus fruit and said, ah, satsuma.

So satsuma to the English means a citrus fruit, and to the Japanese it means a

sweet potato.

Confusing.

To go with my Shochu, I've pre -ordered lunch.

Hello.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

This train is named Tamatebako,

which means forbidden box.

and remembering the fate of poor Taro, it's perhaps rather foolhardy of me to

have ordered a bento box.

Stand clear, as I open it.

So far from being prematurely aged, I am invigorated by a delightful display of

food.

The train has brought me to Ibusuki, a town on the coast overlooking the East

China Sea, where an ancient tradition is practised which draws on the region's

volcanic geology.

To take part, participants must appear in a special robe known as a yukata.

To the beach!

Directly on the sand, under a protective cover, is the Ibusuki onsen.

Across Japan, onsen are places to bathe in natural hot springs.

Here, it's a bit different.

This is one of the strangest sights I've ever seen. It's moments like this that

make foreign travel so worthwhile.

Unique to the island of Kyushu, this is a dry onsen, where you steam your body

in sand, heated by volcanic spring water below, that reaches temperatures of

around 50 degrees.

Head? Head here. Head here.

Can I have a cup, please?

Yes, please. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Ooh, the sand is warm.

I didn't feel it on my feet, but you feel it on your body.

It's hot.

Hmm, quite relaxing.

I had anticipated the heat.

It's very warm.

And I hadn't counted on the weight. This sand weighs so much, I'm scarcely able

to move.

And do you know there was a Portuguese adventurer who wrote about this custom

450 years ago?

And he said that he observed the elderly people being buried twice a day for up

to two hours, believing that it improved their blood circulation.

I don't think I'll make much more than five minutes.

The sandbars have been used for centuries by those seeking a cure for

such as rheumatism, asthma, anemia and diabetes.

I must say that was a really lovely experience, although it goes against the

grain to say that.

My journey across this southern peninsula...

now takes me inland to visit chiran a rural town surrounded by rice paddies

tea plantations during the second world war an air base was located here from

which young pilots took off on their final mission today it endures as a

of reflection and remembrance at the temple i pay my respects to those who

died in war some fighting for my freedom and some fighting against my country.

And I pay respect to those dying in wars today.

Many dying for ideologies that I regard as misguided or even evil.

But that doesn't detract from the bravery of the competent who sacrifices

everything.

Japan entered the Second World War in 1941, fighting alongside the other

powers of Germany and Italy.

Japan's military campaigns were marked by extreme brutality towards civilians

and prisoners of war.

Its surprise attack on the United States Navy's Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii

triggered the Pacific War.

By 1944, the United States and Allied forces had the upper hand and were

advancing towards Okinawa, one of Japan's most southerly islands.

The Japanese government authorized plans to defend it at all costs.

training kamikaze air squadrons to attack the U .S. naval fleet in suicide

missions. It was from here in Tehran that the first kamikaze missions took

and today is the location of the Tehran Peace Museum, where I'm meeting retired

Japanese Army Colonel Takeshi Kawatoko, who entered the forces in 1959 and is

now an historical interpreter.

Kawatoko -san.

I'm Michael.

Nice to meet you. Great pleasure. Great pleasure. Could you explain to me

kamikaze? What does the word mean?

Kamikaze means a big typhoon.

About 800 ago, Japan was invaded by Fubire Han, the Mongolian fifth emperor.

At that time, Japan was only on defense position.

However, one night, big typhoon happened.

And many Mongolian battles started going to sea. And finally, Japan won a

victory. From that time, Japanese people began to believe that big typhoon will

happen in case of crisis of defense.

Kami means divine or God.

Kaze means wind.

The pilots were named after the divine wind that had saved Japan 800 years

before. Yes.

How many pilots flew from here, from Chiran, to their deaths?

The

Kamikaze

pilots were youths, the youngest being 17.

who followed the samurai code of conduct known as Bushido, based on loyalty,

courage and honour.

Many of their letters and final testaments are held here at the museum.

Do these pilots speak about their sense of duty, their patriotism? Do they

mention these things in their diaries or their letters?

They respected their owner above their lives.

So when Kamikaze part was the order for final sortie, they never

wavered. Yes, yes.

Do we know what it was like for them the night before?

They know they're going on a mission. They know they're going to die.

What are they thinking about the night before?

I think there's a strong will to complete their mission as kamikaze

also who wanted to express their gratitude to their families,

especially mother to mother, who raised them with

love.

Here's a second lieutenant, Fujio Wakamatsu, 19 years old, who died on

1945.

Dear Mother, I have no complaint.

I go smiling as I perform my first and last act of filial piety.

Please put sweet dumplings on my memorial shrine and praise me rather

crying for me.

Please think of this doll as me, Fujio.

Please take care of my elder brother and elder sister and youngest brother,

Kazumi. In my haste, look at my writing.

Please say hello to all our neighbours. Dear Mother,

I, Fujio, go smiling to conquest. Be well.

Take care.

See you, Mother.

Goodbye, Fujio.

Yeah.

It's immensely moving. Very, very moving.

You who have studied the kamikaze pilots, what lessons do you draw? What

conclusions do you draw about our world?

I hope this kind of station must not happen again.

Yes. We must not use our humans as bombers again.

And no more war.

The Second World War was a catastrophe.

the death toll amongst the victors and the defeated was incalculable.

You only have to look around to see how Japan has prospered from peace and

democracy.

Nature still has destructive power, and Japan must be on its guard against

earthquake, tsunami and volcano.

After my hot sand bath, I've been left tingling, an excellent state in which to

continue my journey.

Next time. Come on.

How lovely to see you. Wow.

Why are you so famous?

Oh, for your dancing.

And this castle was very well prepared for Teej.

Yes. It's hard to climb up, even for ninja.

Oh, that play.