NHK Begin Japanology: Entertaining and Informative Programmes About Japan

Recently I have been doing lots of research into various aspects of Japanese culture and one amazing source of information that I have used is NHK World's Begin Japanology series.

Anyone that is interested in Japan and hasn't already discovered these fantastic programmes will be delighted to find a long list of episodes covering subjects as diverse as traditional arts and crafts such as origami, ikebana and bonsai, cuisine such as yōshoku, kaiseki and bentō and aspects of modern life like Japanese toilets, department stores and plastic food samples. The series also features two episodes about Murasaki Shikibu's famous novel The Tale of Genji and one about hiragana. You can see from the episode guide below just how many episodes have been aired so far and the wide variety of topics that they cover.

Broadcast on the NHK World channel since 2008 the series has already racked up an impressive number of half hour episodes, new ones are still being added and many are available to watch online. The English-language programmes are presented by the quirky Peter Barakan, a SOAS graduate, who shares his knowledge between the interesting clips and videos. You can find many episodes of Begin Japanology on the fabulous AZNV site, a further list of links are available through GakiFiles and a few can be found on YouTube as well as watching the programmes as they are broadcast on NHK World.

To find out more you can visit the programme's official site.

There hasn't been an episode so far that I haven't enjoyed and that hasn't taught me something new, even about subjects that I am already acquainted with. I thouroughly recommend Begin Japanology.

Happy watching and let me know which is your favourite episode ^_^

Episode Guide
(I've highlighted the episodes that I've watched in bold)

Season 1

1. Bentō 
2. Miyazawa Kenji (Shōwa era poet and writer)
3. Lacquerware
4. Rakugo (traditional comic story-telling)
5. Tsukiji Market
6. Yoshoku
7. Kyudo
8. Tea Ceremony Architecture
9. Dagashi-ya (old-fashioned sweet shops)
10. Nihon Buyo (classical dance)
11. Abacus
12. Ryūkyū Kimono (Okinawan kimono)
13. Bamboo
14. Shirakawa-go (historic village)
15. Fireworks
16. Hanging Scrolls
17. The Tale of Genji: Part 1
18. The Tale of Genji: Part 2
19. Matcha
20. Tokyo Tower
21. Dashi
22. Oribe-yaki (a type of pottery)
23. The Colourful World of Utagawa Hiroshige
24. The Seven Gods of Good Fortune
25. Sushi
26. Mikoshi (portable shrines)
27. Yuzen Kimono (a style of kimono dying)
28. Buddhist Statues
29. Hot Springs
30. Fish
31. Tatami
32. Castles
33. Miso

Season 2

34. Nishijin-ori (a traditional fabric from Kyōto)
35. Kyōto Lacquerware
36. Sake
37. Katsura Rikyu (a Kyōto Imperial villa)
38. Bonsai
39. The Four Seasons
40. Hina Dolls
41. Nagasaki
42. Five-Storey Pagodas
43. Cherry Blossoms
44. Chopstcks
45. Aizome (indigo dye)
46. Bunraku (classic puppet theatre)
47. Kiriko Cut Glass
48. Traditional Folk Houses
49. Tea Ceremony
50. Soba
51. Origami
52. Imari Porcelain
53. Folding Fan
54. Kaiseki Cuisine
55. The Sounds of Japan
56. Masks
57. Satoyama (type of agriculture)
58. Kendo
59. The Fragrances of Japan
60. Spinning Tops
61. Rock and Stone
62. Ink Brushes
63. Tsukemono (pickles)
64. Dogs
65. Ramen
66. Rice
67. Shintō Shrines
68. Festivals
69. Shinkansen
70. Gagaku (Imperial court dance and music)
71. Marriage
72. Shogi (Japanese chess)
73. Nabe Cuisine
74. Swords

Season 3

75. Sentō Public Bathhouses
76. Karuta (traditional card games)
77. Taiko
78. Cram School
79. Lights
80. Footwear
81. Monkeys
82. Soy Sauce
83. Tuna
84. Fusuma (sliding panels)
85. Pearls
86. Todaiji (Buddhist Temple in Nara)
87. School Lunches
88. Geiko and Maiko
89. Robots
90. Wasabi
91. Women's Fashion Magazines
92. Izakaya (Japanese pubs)
93. Apartments and Condominiums
94. Towns and Neighbourhoods
95. Tempura
96. Subways
97. Hairstyles
98. Home Appliances
99. Roof Tiles
100. Miniaturisation
101. Silk
102. Soybeans
103. Curry
104. Dams
105. Hotels
106. Radio Calisthenics
107. Ekiben (train bentō)
108. Bridges
109. Earthquakes
110. Chrysanthemums
111. Cameras
112. Hiragana
113. Volcanoes
114. Udon
115. Money
116. Nishikigoi (type of koi/carp)
117. Firefighting

Season 4

118. Mochi Rice Cakes
119. Watches and Clocks
120. Fugu Blowfish
121. Haneda Airport
122. Kagura Dances
123. Snow
124. Pollen Allergy
125. Sashimono Woodwork
126. Cranes
127. Kitchen Knives
128. Fishing
129. Armour
130. Judo
131. The Life of Taro Okamoto (avant-garde artist)
132. The Life of Osamu Dazai (author)
133. The Life of Kenzo Tange (architect)
134. The Life of Hideko Maehata (Olympic swimmer)
135. Toilets
136. Lifts
137. Motorcycles
138. Unagi Eel
139. Japanophiles - Ilan Yanizky (Israel born ink-brush artist)
140. Japanophiles - Silvain Guignard (biwa musician)
141. Japanophiles - Staphane Danton (France born tea dealer)
142. Japanophiles - Dorothy Feibleman (porcelain artist)
143. Plastic Food Samples
144. Insects
145. Traditional Japanese Mathematics
146. Bicycles
147. Chusonji (temple in Hiraizumi)
148. Seaweed
149. Charcoal
150. Rain
151. Golf
152. Shipbuilding
153. Japanophiles - Bruce Huebner (American shakuhachi player)
154. Japanophiles - Noelke Muho (German Zen Buddhist priest)
155. Japanophiles - Matt Alt (American writer)
156. Karaoke
157. Holidays
158. Red Sea Bream
159. Shopping Streets
160. Chicken and Eggs

Season 5

161. Ekiden (long-distance relay race)
162. Batteries
163. Cafes
164. Hot Water Bottles and Pocket Warmers
165. Ikebana
166. Excavators
167. Woods and Forests
168. Japanophiles - Dhugal Lindsay (Australian haiku poet and marine biologist)
169. Japanophiles - Richard Emmert (American Noh actor)
170. Japanophiles - Art Lee (American Taiko drummer)
171. Japanophiles - Phillip Harper (English sake brewer)
172. Kabuki (classic theatre)
173. Wild Vegetables
174. Horses
175. Massage Chairs
176. The Shikoku Pilgrimage
177. Regional Fast Food
178. Department Stores
179. Kimonos
180. Aquariums
181. Confectionary
182. Dolls
183. Moss
184. High School Baseball
185. Planetariums
186. Japanophiles - Adam Booth (English Nihonga painter)
187. Japanophiles - Dave Spector (American TV presenter)
188. Japanophiles - Euan Craig (Australian Mashiko-ware potter)
189. Shamisen
190. Crested Ibises
191. Abalone
192. Tokyo Station
193. Tokyo Skytree
194. Tokyo Bay
195. Potatoes, Taros and Yams
196. Name Seals
197. Mushrooms
198. Vending Machines
199. Scissors
200. Satsuma Mandarins
201. Gift-giving

Season 6

202. Sumo
203. Bathroom Scales
204. Enka (style of Japanese music)
205. Small Factories
206. Japanophiles - Azby Brown (American architect)
207. Japanophiles - Ernst Seiler (German pianist and supporter of self-sufficient living)
208. Japanophiles - Yasokichi Konishiki (Hawaiian sumo wrestler)
209. Ume Plums
210. Storehouses
211. Wagyu (a type of beef)
212. Uniforms
213. Rice Cookers
214. Burial Mounds
215. Stationary
216. Bread
217. Pine Trees
...

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Summer in Japan: Sounds

Just as each season in Japan has its list of associated foods, images and traditions there are also sounds that can conjure up memories of spring, summer, autumn or winter.

Here are a few sounds that evoke the summer season:

1. Bamboo stirred by the breeze

Photo: Itsumo Japan

One sound associated with summer is the 'clack' and 'rustle' of bamboo as it is stirred by the breeze. As a cool breeze is hard to find at the height of summer in Japan this sound is associated specifically with early summer.





2. The sound of cicada

Photo: Japan Visitor

Though the sound of most insects are traditionally associated with autumn cicada or セミ definitely belong to summer. Wherever you go in Japan the hot summer air rings with the piercing sound of the cicada.  I have written about cicada before here.





3. Hanabi

Photo: Japan Guide

Watching fireworks or 花火-はなび  is a common summer pastime with most cities putting on elaborate displays at some point throughout the summer therefore the 'bang' and 'crackle' that they make as they explode in the sky is one of the sounds of summer in Japan.





4. Fūrin

Photo: gorry.huan.org

These glass or metal windchimes are hung outside homes and businesses throughout the summer in Japan. The paper that hangs below the bell is designed to catch a passing breeze, however small, making anyone nearby feel cooler when they hear the pleasant 'ting'.






Further Reading:
NHK World's Begin Japanology: Sounds of Japan
Itsumo Japan: Reminiscences of Summer in Japan: Furin

This article is part of my A Pillow Book of Japan project.

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Summer in Japan: Uchimizu

An appreciation of the changing seasons is an important and well known aspect of Japanese culture and is evident in Japan's food, art and traditions. The heavily laden branches of cherry blossom trees are the famous symbol of spring in Japan, autumn is famed for its vibrant colours while winter is signified by the foods and rituals of New Year. Japanese summers are known for their humidity and exhausting heat so, in an attempt to stay cool, Japanese people developed many rituals, traditions and foods to distract themselves from the oppressive weather. From the cooling sound of a fūrin wafting in the breeze to the distraction of a lively matsuri summer in Japan is rich with interesting cultural traditions and practices.

Photo: Sapporo TekuTeku

Uchimizu 打ち水 is the practice of sprinkling water on paths and pavements and is commonly done throughout Japan in the summer. Traditionally uchimizu is done whilst wearing yukata and using a bowl and ladle made from bamboo.

Photo: 新宿区町会連合会

However today containers like buckets, pots and bottles are also used. Modern concern for the environment has also made the use of recycled water important. Collected rainwater or water taken from the bath or air-conditioning unit is suggested for uchimizu.

Photo: Japan for Sustainability

Events are held each summer in Japan to encourage the practice of uchimizu. People are urged to make uchimizu part of their daily routine during the summer as the act of sprinkling water at the entrance of your home, on the street or outside shops and businesses is thought to lower the temperature of the ground, keep down dust and make the air feel cooler. Doing uchimizu is considered a courteous duty to one's neighbours as well as embodying traditional aesthetic values.

Further Reading:
Mission Uchimizu website  (English)

This article is part of my A Pillow Book of Japan project.

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The Sounds of Japan: Japanese Gardens

Japanese gardens or 日本提案 (にほんていえん) are famous for the feeling of peace, tranquility and harmony with nature that they create. The use of sound forms an important part of how this effect is created.

It is done in 3 ways:

Shishiodsohi
Photo: Sound World

1. Shishiodoshi or 鹿威し means 'scare the deer' and is the name of a bamboo water devise designed to scare away birds, deer and other animals but is now used for decoration in traditional Japanese gardens. As water pours into the bamboo pipe it becomes heavier until it finally tips and empties the water out. When empty the weighted end of the pipe returns it to its original position making a loud tock sound as it hits a stone or rock.

Chōzubachi or tsukubai.
Photo: Wikipedia

2. Chōzubachi or 手水鉢 is the name of the ceremonial stone basin often found at the entrance of the Japanese garden and is sometimes called tsukubai or 蹲踞. A ladle is used to wash your hands with water from the basin in an act of purification before entering a temple or beginning a tea ceremony. The constant trickle of water into and overflowing the basin creates a refreshing effect.

Suikinkutsu
Photo: Wikipedia

3. Suikinkutsu or 水琴窟 means 'water koto cave' and is made by burying an upturned pot in the ground and covering it with stones and pebbles. When water is poured over the stones it trickles down into the pot which makes a strange echoing plink as it splashes into a pool of water in the bottom. The noise is said to resemble a bell or koto hence its name. The suikinkutsu is often found next to the chōzubachi.

Further Reading:
NHK World's Begin Japanology: Sounds of Japan

This article is part of my A Pillow Book of Japan project.

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The Sounds of Japan: Bonshō Temple Bells

Photo: BBC

Inspired by the Begin Japanology episode 'Sounds of Japan' I have been reading about the various noises that make up the traditional soundscape of Japan. Amongst the list was the long, distinctive bong of a bonshō or temple bell.



It is a common sound in Japan and is said to have sacred powers representing the voice of the Buddha and  bringing good luck. Bonshō are often rung at dawn and dusk marking the transition between the natural and supernatural worlds, the world of the living and the world of the gods and spirits. Bonshō are also rung at New Year. At around midnight on New Year's Eve the bells are rung 108 times, a time for each of the 108 worldly desires that are being wiped away in preparation for the new year.

Kawagoe's ancient bell tower.
Photo: JNTO

Some bells, like one in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, are rung at intervals throughout the day forming part of the rhythm of daily life and helping people to tell the time. The bell in Kawagoe has been rung 4 times a day since the Edo period and is one of the 'Best 100 Soundscapes of Japan'.

Further Reading:
BBC World Service: Heart and Soul: Japan's Buddhist Temple Bells 
NHK World's Begin Japanology: Sounds of Japan

This article is part of my A Pillow Book of Japan project.

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