Cruising Down the Shimanto River  (04:22)
The Shimanto River, on Shikoku, is one of Japan's clearest and most beautiful rivers. And for centuries, Japanese tourists have been coming here to enjoy the scenery from yakatabune river boats. These wooden boats have a large cabin in which passengers sit on tatami mats to enjoy a meal of freshly caught river fish and prawns while watching the deeply forested banks pass by. Among the sights you see as you eat are fishermen casting their nets in the traditional way to catch the next meal.

Ajisai - Hydrangeas in Hakone   (03:41)
The hydrangea is a flower native to Japan, where it is called ajisai. This delicately colored flower blooms everywhere during the rainy season, but one of the finest places to see it in all its many varieties is the beautiful mountain and hot spring resort of Hakone, one hour from Tokyo by train. The tracks of Hakone's nine-kilometer long switchback railway are lined with over 10,000 blossoms, the varieties changing as the train climbs higher up the mountain, and special sections are even illuminated at night.

Hiking the Shinetsu Trail   (04:29)
This newly completed hiking trail runs for 80 km through the Sekida mountains, an easily accessible range of 1,000 m peaks covered with old forests of Japanese buna beech trees. These woods, filled with springs, lakes and ponds, are unique for being almost entirely free from other tree species, and also for the way they have been shaped and polished by the region's heavy winter snowfall. The Shinetsu Trail is open year-round, and is a wonderfully convenient way to explore the delights of nature in Japan.

Bonsai - Nature's Beauty in Miniature  (03:42)
Bonsai artists aim to create miniature but completely convincing natural landscapes, pruning their tiny trees and training them with wire to grow into the desired shapes in a process that can take hundreds of years. It's a hobby with a huge following, and there is even an entire village of bonsai nurseries close to Tokyo. These living works of art, long popular among older Japanese, are now finding new fans in the younger generation.

Carry Your Own Chopsticks  (04:11)
When eating at home, it's a Japanese custom for each family member to use their own chopsticks, rice bowl and other utensils, the familiar feel of these personal items adding to their enjoyment of the meal. That's one reason for the recent boom in carrying personal chopsticks to eat out at work or in restaurants, a boom encouraged by stores selling a wide range of chopsticks and cases in fashionable designs. The other reason is the cultural sense of mottainai - an aversion to waste that now makes people reluctant to use disposable restaurant chopsticks.

Sushi from Tokyo Bay Again  (04:11)
Centuries ago, under the shoguns, the people of Tokyo (then called Edo) referred to the abundant seafood they enjoyed from Tokyo Bay as Edomae. This vast bay, fed by many rivers and lined with fertile tidelands, was a plentiful source of the finest fish and shellfish that were used for Edomae zushi, the origin of the sushi that is now enjoyed worldwide. The bay's whole ecosystem came under threat from pollution and reclamation during the economic boom of the 60s and 70s, but environmental programs have now cleaned the waters and once again Tokyo can eat sushi from its bay.

The Healing Powers of the Jellyfish  (04:03)
Jellyfish have always been common in the seas around Japan, but just recently the Japanese have begun looking at these graceful, translucent creatures in a new light. The old image was of a stinging animal one tried to avoid when swimming, but the unexpected success of one aquarium's jellyfish displays has made people realize the soothing, healing effect of watching jellyfish swim. For example, customers at a bar in central Tokyo find that watching its large tank full of exotic jellyfish is an ideal way to unwind and relax after a stressful day at work.

Bamboo's Deep Roots in Japanese Life  (04:00)
The bamboo has been an ever-present, well-loved part of Japanese daily life and culture for centuries. You see it in house exteriors and interiors, children still play with traditional bamboo toys like stilts and tops, and it's widely eaten in season. Traditional arts like the tea ceremony feature fine accessories and utensils crafted from bamboo. It is modern too – the first electric light bulbs used Japanese bamboo filaments, and innovative new bamboo products continue to be developed, ranging from silky textiles to bamboo charcoal soaps and anti-allergy products.

Compact Houses for Spacious Living  (03:58)
In 1952, architect Makoto Masuzawa started a boom in Japan for what he called the "minimum house" - very compact homes with an efficient open-plan interior that made them seem very spacious for their size. His ideas are now being revived by a group of young architects and designers calling themselves the 9-Tsubo House Project. Their popular and highly versatile designs are smaller than normal houses, allowing more of each site to be used for garden. Open interiors and large windows and doors that merge interior and exterior achieve a feeling of great spaciousness.

Japanese Denim - High Fashion and Eco-Friendly  (03:31)
Japanese denim, currently the favorite material for high-fashion jeans worldwide, was the theme of the Japan Blue Exhibition, part of this year's Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo. The world's fashion houses choose Japanese-made denim for a number of reasons: the excellent appearance produced by Japan's local indigo dye and traditional dyeing techniques, the leading ideas of contemporary Japanese jeans designers, and the pioneering efforts of Japanese jeans and denim companies to make the manufacturing process more eco-friendly.