PRIME JAPAN: Nihon no kokoro ni deau

Unlike the other reviewers (to date), I enjoyed this series very much and found it both splendid to look at (with one exception*), entertaining and yet also very thought-provoking an d a real homage to one of the most highly developed cultures in the world. I had selected it to watch fully expecting it to be a "run-of-the-mill" travelogue type of affair dealing with the usual topics of geisha girls, sumo wrestlers and the Bullet Train. Right from the start, however, the series is anything but that, with in-depth investigations of aspects of Japanese life such a sushi, sake brewing, Japanese confectionery (!) and the Japanese love of cats! The presentation is certainly quirky and why each episode had to end with a cheesy 1960s song I am not sure, but this is more than outweighed by gorgeous photography and settings. (*My only real objection was that someone in the editing department had been really sloppy and inserted English sub-titles in WHITE to the sections of each episode (of which there are a good many) which are in Japanese in the original. OK when the background is black/dark, BUT when it is light/white? DOH!) Apart from the latter slip, however, an enjoyable series of programmes who want to LEARN seriously about Japan (and particularly the importance of Zen underlying its culture) as opposed to sitting through a "simple-to-digest"/little brain power required travelogue.

Had to give up watching because of the awful narration. It's a shame because I am a massive fan of Japan and Japanese culture.

Beautiful imagery of a beautiful nation. Narration is a lot of one line deliveries, delivered slowly and in a tone meant to sound profound, yet are very simple statements confirming the food tastes good, etc. Looove Japan, but might need to turn the sound off when the narrator speaks. Also we see scenes frozen on the narrator's face as he stares at plant, etc. Very weird.

What a excellently put together program ruined by the worst narration I've ever experience an insult to japan is all I can say but don't be put off watching as everything else about it is fascinating

Handling the subject of any Asian culture is a task fraught with danger in the current age. The last one hundred and fifty years of East Asian history are replete with strife, complicated politics and the horrors of war. Add to this the western tendency to hand wave meaningful cultural practices as mystical and you've often got a recipe for stereotyped and reductive programs at best and outright offensive and borderline racist nonsense at worst.

Fortunately Prime Japan handles several aspects of Japanese culture with something short of grace, mostly due to the wildly fluctuating narration of Johnathan Sherr, but definitely lacking any ham fisted mysticism.

We often see the topics of the Japanese obsession with cute things, or sexual proclivities, or samurai and ninja or cherry blossoms. Certainly these topics loom large in any discussion about Japan but they've been scrutinized with the fervor of a researcher trying to cure a deadly disease. Prime Japan takes a look at things that are intrinsically Japanese, the katana, sushi, the ryokan, and things Japan has embraced and given distinct Japanese flair, ramen, tea, confections. Sprinkle in a look at some things that are more intangible like the Japanese love of cats, Zen Buddhism and Japan's design culture, and you've got a series of mini documentaries that leaves you educated and appreciative of Japan's culture and development.

On the topic of the writing and delivery of the host, at times it is weird, heavy handed and even bad. Johnathan often seems confused, particularly when tasting things. He looks at pieces of sushi like they were made from alien creatures. He states into a bowl of tea like he's never been in a kitchen. He then uses superlatives with none of the feeling that words like exquisite or spectacular need to make them truly meaningful. Often the script attempts a level of grandeur that Johnathan either cannot or doesn't care to convey.

If it wasn't for the flat narration this series would be 10/10. It's excellent. I'm only deducting 2 stars for the narration because even though it is at times quite unenjoyable it is never empty of interesting information.

To sum up if you're interested in Japan in particular or simply like to learn about the minutiae of other cultures don't shy away from this series. The narration is a small part of it and it would be a shame to miss it over that.