Journeys in Japan

Journeys in Japan is a good travelogue which goes off the beaten track to show parts of Japan most Westerners won't be familiar with. It gives lots of attention to rural areas, showing Japanese farms, fishermen, and little roadside inns. One episode recently showed Japanese bullfighting, which involved actual bulls butting heads rather than a matador. There is also good interaction with ordinary Japanese, giving some interesting insight into rural culture.

Overall the program is highly interesting, but at times it suffers from odd musical choices. For example, one episode played an instrumental version of a song by Sting over a scene of a boat trip. This elevator music undermines the overall feel of the show and would have been better replaced with traditional Japanese music, or at least some J-pop.

My fav episode is hosted by Deborah Ten. I wish she starred in more as she is just fabulous. The cherries show was awesome.