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.

I'm travelling by rail across Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's main

To continue my journey, I've returned to Kagoshima Chuo Station, the southern

terminus of the island's high -speed rail network.

Always exciting to see a Shinkansen, that long jet -star nose designed to

up the wall of air as it zooms into a tunnel.

I'll be travelling on a bullet train, the icon of the Japanese railway, to

explore Kyushu's fascinating history.

Kyushu makes up about a tenth of Japan's land mass.

and the population is around a tenth as well.

I began in the south, at Kagoshima, and I'm now exploring the western side of

the island, whose character has long been influenced by its location, which

exposes it to Asia and Europe.

I'll then travel via the western tip of Honshu Island to end at Hiroshima.

The revered position of Emperor of Japan has existed for many centuries.

But across history from time to time, it has been largely symbolic, with true

political power exercised by others.

On this part of my journey, I will look at the regime of those military rulers

known as the Shoguns, who isolated Japan from the outside world for two and a

half centuries.

and at how, at the end of that period, with the change of government, Japan

reopened and embraced technology from abroad.

There are many models of Shinkansen or bullet train.

And on this journey, an N700 series zooms from Kagoshima up the West Coast.

Japan's high -speed trains, the Shinkansen, had been operating since

when lines were opened into Tokyo.

But it is a truly national project, and now there are about 3 ,000 kilometres

of line.

Some of the 21st century additions included the line down to the most

station at Kagoshima, and it was a very difficult project. It ran through the

mountains. And nearly all of it is in tunnel.

Only very occasionally does the train stick its long nose into the daylight.

And for that reason, the line has been nicknamed the Mole.

My journey north takes just 25 minutes, a speedy trip to a destination noted for

its slower pace of life.

The exit will be on the left side of the train.

Passengers going to Isatsu Orange Railway, please change trains here at

Thank you.

I'm alighting at Izumi Station.

The architecture and decoration draw inspiration from the region's fame as

the winter home for over 10 ,000 cranes.

They migrate here each year, largely from Siberia.

It's also the boarding point for boats to the Amakusa Islands, which sit off

western coast of Kyushu.

They're made up of two large and many small islands.

Celebrated for their lavish greenery and fascinating geology, they're designated

a geopark in recognition of their natural beauty, local communities and

heritage.

I'm visiting Shimoshima, the largest island in the Amakusa archipelago.

Hello! Hello!

What a wonderful welcome!

Ladies, thank you for your welcome. Hello.

Oh, such beautiful costumes.

Same colour.

They're spectacularly dressed to perform a traditional Amakusa Island dance with

the Ushibuka Haya.

The women wish the fishermen, their husbands, lovers and sons, a safe

Lovely, cheerful music.

The gestures, I think, replicate movements on a boat, boarding nets,

pulling rope.

All those ropes!

All those ropes!

It's so compelling that I can't resist joining in.

Situated on the outer edge of the Japanese archipelago, these islands were

the first port of call for foreign ships and the gateway through which new ideas

and influences entered Japan.

That included Christianity.

Today, around 2 % of the Japanese population, roughly 3 million people,

as Christian.

Christianity arrived on these shores with Portuguese missionaries in 1549,

and hundreds of thousands were converted.

And the contagion that it represented was one of the reasons why the shoguns,

the military rulers of Japan, excluded foreigners and banned foreign travel.

Amazingly, in this remote place, Christianity survived in secret.

to rise again when the prohibition was lifted.

To hear about the island's Roman Catholic heritage and the group known as

Christians, I'm meeting Saki Urakami, an Amakusa Island resident and guide.

This is such a beautiful restaurant.

The setting is amazing on the water with the greenery beyond. Yeah, it is.

This place is very interesting because of the history of Christianity.

Why do you think the Shoguns banned Christianity?

I think there are several reasons, but one of them, like Shogun, he

was the top of the society at the moment.

But under the Christianity, everyone is equal.

And so Shogun realized that Christianity was a threat for his

administration. And the Christians who remained here during the ban,

how did they behave?

Of course, people called hidden Christians, people

disguised themselves as Buddhist or Shinto believers.

There's Shinto, like, a festival, and they visit the Buddhist temple.

Arigato.

Thank you. Beautiful.

This is spectacular, isn't it?

Well done, Chef.

During the time of the ban on Christians,

Did the other people, the Shinto and the Buddhist, sometimes inform against

Catholics to the authorities, to the shoguns?

The government order to, you know, inform if they find some

questions. But here, never happened.

Nobody did. Why is that?

Because this Saketsu village is a fishing village.

So once you go out to the sea, you need to support.

your fellow fishermen.

There's no time to care about the differences in the religion.

Because people have to trust each other for their lives.

Tell me about the island today.

So three religions coexist.

Catholic Church and Shinto Shrine and Buddhist temples.

Wow. Quite happily living with each other.

Yes, of course.

There are several hundred Christians on these islands today.

One is Mr Yamashita, a fisherman.

Yamashita -san.

I'm Michael.

How many generations of your family have lived in Sakitsu?

Were they fishermen too?

And is it dangerous?

In your boat. I'd love to see it, please.

Oh, that's very beautiful.

How old is this, do you think?

To me, it's

amazing to find such Catholic faith in Japan.

That's a surprise to me.

Would it be possible?

to come aboard and have a spin on your boat.

Thank you.

Here is history in a postcard.

These beautiful traditional Japanese houses with their distinctive roofs and

tiles. And there, a church spire that could be from England.

With the cross above.

The tiny harbour village of Sakitsu is an important centre of Christianity.

Worshippers attend what's nicknamed the Church on the Sea.

It's Roman Catholic, built in 1934.

This is a pretty church.

And a pretty good size, too.

And... It wouldn't look out of place in Europe or South America. It had all

these gothic touches, pointy arches and things like that.

But one thing that makes it very Japanese is that I had to remove my

came in.

And here on the floor, there are tatami mats.

To continue my journey, I've returned to Kyushu Island to take a train from

Mitsumi.

What a beautiful station, with a steeple and a cross on the exterior, and

beautiful Japanese modernity inside.

From here, I'm picking up a regional train.

A lovely, narrow gauge, one person operated, diesel.

It's a 50 minute journey up the western coast of Kyushu and with such large

windows there are glorious views.

A great coastal railway journey.

My next destination will be the city of Kumamoto.

As the Shinkansen was extended southward, Services began to run into

the 12th of March 2010.

The city used the opportunity to promote itself and invented a new mascot called

Kumamon. He's a wide -eyed creature with a cuddly belly.

The Japanese love of the cute is known as kawaii.

But it goes beyond innocence and sweetness.

It ventures into the quirky, the rebellious.

Even the mildly erotic, it seeps into fashion. It affects neighbouring

countries. A valuable and persuasive source of Japanese influence.

I've come to Kumamoto to see its world -famous castle.

But before that, I hope to glimpse its most celebrated, emblematic creature.

Kumamon! How lovely to see you.

Wow. What an honour.

Kumamon has achieved celebrity status in Japan.

Why are you so famous?

Oh, for your dancing.

You know the way to the castle?

Yeah. Let's go.

Sayonara!

Bye!

Bye, Kumamoto!

Kumamoto is Kyushu's third largest city with around 750 ,000 inhabitants.

It's also steeped in history, with one of Japan's best -known and most

significant castles.

In 2016, a massive earthquake caused terrible damage to the city and the

fortification. Restoration work costing around £320 million is still underway.

Hence the hard hat.

In 1853 and 1854, United States naval expeditions under the command of

Perry threatened Japan with violence and forced it to open itself to world

trade. Forces within Japan, Notably, the samurai Saigo Takamori from

Satsuma toppled the shogun government in what was known as the Meiji

Restoration, Meiji being the name of the emperor.

The new administration abolished feudalism and began to modernize Japan.

America's gunboat diplomacy set in motion the dramatic regime change which

seen as the birth of modern Japan.

To hear about that turning point and the celebrated figure of Saigo Takamori,

the inspiration for the hero of the Hollywood film The Last Samurai, I'm

Professor of History Izumi Haragun.

I'd love to hear about this great personality, Saigo.

Saigo Takamori was born and bred in Kagoshima.

castle town.

He came from lower samurai class but he was very respected

among young samurai and wise lord Shimazu Nariakira

selected him as secretary.

He recommended to learn about parliamentary system and

constitution and educational reforms.

He was a great modernizer. Yes, he was a modernizer.

He opened railway age.

He first objected railway construction

initially because it cost too much money.

But eventually he approved railway

construction.

And you can come to...

Kyushu by railway now.

Indeed, indeed.

Despite being a key figure in the new modernizing government, the rapid pace

reform, which included the abolition of the samurai class, proved too much for

Saigo. He resigned his post, rallied an army of samurai from Satsuma, and rose

against the government in what is now called the Satsuma Rebellion.

In one of its defining moments, he placed Kumamoto Castle, the principal

stronghold of government forces, under siege for 52 days.

And this castle was very, very strong, very well prepared for siege.

Yes. It's hard to climb up.

Yeah. Even for ninjas.

He was defeated. After the battle, Saigo dies.

Yes. He died for himself.

He killed himself.

Soldiers cut off his head.

On his command, on his wishes.

Yes. How do you feel about Saigo? I love Saigo. You love Saigo? Yes, of course.

He was a man of strong justice and loyalty and courage.

A great hero, a charismatic figure.

Yes. And a timeless figure.

I return to Kumamoto station to take a train heading north.

My next stop will be the station of Shimomuta, a journey of 17 minutes on

high -speed line.

On the dot, Hustle Wake.

I'm on a Shinkansen 800 series introduced to this line in 2004.

I'm bound for a place with important links to the region's samurai heritage.

Japan's samurai warrior class became famous all over the world for its

and also for its very demanding code of conduct.

A samurai warrior would prefer death to defeat or to surrender, and he would use

his sharp blade to commit harakiri, to disembowel himself.

One of the first reforms after removal of the shoguns was to abolish the

samurai. And you might expect that with that, the art of making the sword, the

katana, would also disappear, but not so.

There are still a few craftsmen today working to the same high standards that

were demanded by the samurai for whom they once worked.

My Shinkansen has brought me to Shinomuta Station, which opened in 2011.

It's the closest Shinkansen station to Arau, an old mining center located on

coast.

I'm seeking out a master of Japan's centuries -old craft of sword -making.

The forge.

Matsuraga -sensei. Hello.

May I come down? Okay.

Thank you.

Matsunaga Genrakuru has been crafting blades for over 40 years. They're

recognized as works of art and cultural artifacts.

Their manufacture is strictly regulated.

Master, how many swords do you make?

How long does it take you, Master, to make a sword?

Yes,

your craftsmanship is a piece of the whole jigsaw.

And where do you find the material for this?

Once the iron sand is worked into a big block of tamahagane, pieces are cut from

it and stacked, ready to be fired together.

I would never have guessed it would be wrapped in paper.

Yes.

The block is reheated, then hammered with a force of 200 kilograms.

It then folded over, reheated, hammered and folded again, more than ten times.

Only then is it stretched to the length of the sword.

Matsunaga Genrokuru has made over a thousand in his lifetime and has a

collection of old samurai armour and weapons.

Oh, 300 -year -old sword.

Oh, and here comes the blade. My goodness, the blade on these swords.

That's the lighting.

Oh, my goodness, I'm holding the sword.

Look at that edge.

Oh, my goodness.

It's quite a strange feeling to hold something that's quite so beautiful and

quite so dangerous.

Right, thank you. May we put it away?

There we go, Master.

Extraordinary to believe that that black iron that I saw before creates this

beautiful, perfect cutting steel.

Next to the forge is a dojo, a room where Matsunaga Kenrokuro teaches

the art of samurai swordsmanship, which includes tamashigiri, or cutting

practice, targeting a rolled tatami mat.

Alarmed by the spread of Christianity the Shoguns were pretty successful at

excluding further foreign influences

And as a result, the heritage here is purely Japanese, and the culture highly

distinctive, such as the rigorous code of conduct of the samurai.

One disadvantage of isolationism was that Japan fell behind the West in

prowess and technology.

And the rapid transformation of the country, from feudalism to being a

military and industrial power...

is an amazing example of Japan's single -mindedness.

Next time... For more than two centuries, Nagasaki was literally the

officially open port in Japan.

What are the conditions like? Is it hot?

The temperature was over 35 degrees centigrade with 95 % humidity.

Basically, like working in a sauna.

So that is a premium tea. How much would you pay for that? Could be priced.

between like 400 and 500 pounds a kilo.