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Great Japanese Railway Journeys - Season 1 Episode 15 - Lake Shikotsu to Otaru
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00:04Japan.
00:05Michael, welcome to Japan, a railway paradise.
00:08Its huge population spread over Long Islands lives by its railways.
00:13Too like I'm driving.
00:14My new adventure takes me through the land that launched the high-speed train.
00:20I love Shinkansen.
00:21Where millions of journeys are made each day through some of the most bustling stations on Earth.
00:27Busy city.
00:28I'll ride Japan's vast railway network to uncover a land of bold innovation.
00:35Haven't quite got the hang of it yet.
00:37A place of enduring traditions, volatile geology, and remarkable people.
00:44Kanpai.
00:45Join me on an excursion like no other.
00:48I'm too excited to sit down.
01:05I've traveled by train the length of Kyushu and Honshu Islands, and now I'm making inroads on Hokkaido on the
01:14final stage of my Japanese adventure.
01:18I'm on a fine old diesel train on the island of Hokkaido.
01:23And this feels very different indeed from Tokyo where this leg of my journey began.
01:29Even though the island has been very thoroughly absorbed by Japan since it was annexed in the 19th century.
01:36This land historically belonged to the Ainu people whose origins and customs, language and religion had nothing to do with
01:46Japan.
01:46And as I conclude my journey to the north, I'll be asking, what happened to those people?
02:00From the capital Tokyo on Honshu Island, via Fukushima and Sendai, I traveled through the Seikan Tunnel to Hokkaido Island.
02:09I explored the southern city of Hakodate and continued on to Lake Toya.
02:14I'll visit Lake Shikotsu, then head north to the island's capital, Sapporo, before ending my journey at the port of
02:22Otaru.
02:29My first destination this morning is Tomakomai, on the Pacific coast, the island's fourth largest city.
02:37It lies in the Iburi region, an area closely associated with Ainu culture,
02:42and it's by a lighting point for Lake Shikotsu.
02:5125km inland, the lake was formed by volcanic activity around 40,000 years ago
02:58and takes its name from the Ainu word shikot, meaning hollow.
03:16What a lovely sight.
03:18A magnificent stag with a full set of antlers, enjoying the cool of the water.
03:29Ryoko-san!
03:31Hi!
03:32Hello!
03:32Michael!
03:34To explore the history and traditions of the island's original population,
03:38I'm meeting Ainu activist Ryoko Sususapno.
03:43Welcome to Hokkaido!
03:45Well, thank you very much indeed.
03:46Iran Kalapte.
03:49Iran Kalapte.
03:50Yes, Iran Kalapte means Ainu greeting.
03:54Oh, lovely, an Ainu greeting.
03:55Does it have a particular meaning?
03:59Deeper meaning is, may I touch your heart gently.
04:04That's so beautiful.
04:05yes may i touch your heart gently tell me about what you're wearing uh this is i know traditional
04:12clothing it's very very lovely and then you wear a headdress as well uh jewelry is this typical
04:18i knew jewelry as well that's right well you look fantastic thank you very much are you hungry we
04:23have oh how traditional iron soup are you able to prepare it out here a picnic yes
04:32the ainu thought to have emigrated from northeast asia over 10 000 years ago settled throughout the
04:40japanese archipelago how lovely thank you very much
04:47this is aino soup uh salmon soup ah this is a very important
05:03that must have given so much flavor that looks wonderful well that's a soup that looks me in the
05:10eye with chopsticks thank you very much
05:19it's delicious seaweed kombu this is the base flavor this is dried kombu
05:28that's in here mm-hmmすべての食べ物もそうですけどもいろいろな生活に必要なものすべて自然から
05:45頂いて生活していましたですのであの私たちは自然の一部だと思ってますから自然の中の一つですからね
05:46tell me about the religious beliefs of the ainoそして風や火や太陽やすべてに魂があると考えていますそういうものを私たちは神と言ってるんですよねそして風や火や太陽やすべてに魂があると考えていますそういうものは私たちは神と言ってるんですよね
06:02ねどうぶつも神と考えます
06:04following the japanese colonization of hokkaido in the late 19th century the aino's way of life came
06:11under pressure their lands were confiscated and traditional practices of hunting and of worship
06:17were banned子供たちはね日本語を強制的に学んだりとか私たちが小さな土地を与えられてそしてそこで農業するようにねまあ言われて大変困ったわけですそういったことで大変食べ物にも困りましたしどう生活していいかわからないという状況でした
06:39were you brought up as anu no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
06:45no no
06:45in 2008 the japanese government recognized the aino as a separate indigenous people
07:11four years later the aino party of japan was set up to protect their rights today there are
07:17thought to be around 20 000 aino people living on hokkaido to temoねあの子供たちがやっぱり私の一つのルーツ若いあいぬの人たちがだんだん自分のそのにの文化に目覚めてきていて
07:37てそれが今だんだん活発になってきていますそれはとても嬉しいことです that is good news indeedはい私の家族の写真見たいですか
07:44yes please this is my
07:50私の日おばぁおばあちゃんですね this is myこれが日おばあちゃんであとは親戚ですね
07:55it's my friends and my friendsい見えづらいんですけど唇の周りにタトゥーがあります
08:00this is my唇の周りにタトゥーがあります this is my tattoo on the noseこれはアイヌの成人女性が皆さんしてましたね
08:05it's a custom yes it's a custom yesそれで私は鈴サプの日おばあさんの名前を使って
08:14this is my name of the私は鈴サプの日おばあさんの名前を使って this
08:17singer this music and dance play a central role in ainu cultureこんにちはこんにちは
08:26riyoko
08:27and
08:27her friends are about to perform the traditional crane dance
08:40中島に500音楽音楽チーカ
08:52prendsイメージ教えチーカ
09:12The Ainu believe the crane to be a messenger from the god of the wetlands,
09:18and their ancient dance mimics the birds' graceful movements.
09:29Thank you so much.
09:45This afternoon, my train takes me around 40 kilometers north to the capital of Hokkaido.
09:54I'm looking forward to Sapporo, which is the largest Japanese city north of Tokyo.
09:59It's famed for the beer that bears its name and for having hosted the Winter Olympics 1972.
10:07The very heavy snowfall is caused by icy ocean currents.
10:12Now, I've heard, not surprisingly, that the city has a beer culture, and as the neon lights
10:19come on, so the bars and the restaurants and the pubs and the nightclubs give it a really
10:26zingy, nocturnal vibe.
10:29Watch out, Sapporo. I'm on my way.
10:52Japan's fourth largest city, Sapporo, lies on the vast Ishikari plain, surrounded by mountains.
10:59It was founded in the second half of the 19th century by the Hokkaido Development Commission
11:05during the reign of Emperor Meiji.
11:09Some numbers about Sapporo that surprised me.
11:12In 1857, it had a population of seven.
11:17Today, it has a population of two million.
11:20And its annual snowfall is nearly 16 feet, which, amongst metropolises, is highly unusual.
11:29Settlers and soldier farmers known as Tondenhei came from across Japan to transform a small
11:36Ainu trading post into the island's administrative centre.
11:40Hokkaido grows a high proportion of the fruit and grain and rice for Japan.
11:47And during the country's modernisation, the Sapporo Agricultural College was opened in 1875,
11:54at a time when almost nothing else existed here.
11:59It soon acquired an American clock tower.
12:02And Americans taught here too, including Dr William S. Clarke,
12:07who had been a colonel during his country's civil war.
12:10He's still remembered to this day for his valedictory remarks,
12:14which have surely been heeded by generations of Japanese people.
12:18Boys, be ambitious!
12:29As the day draws to a close in the city centre, the final evening of my journey awaits.
12:35I think Japanese cities measure themselves by the brightness of their neon,
12:41and Sapporo is not to be outdone.
12:46This is the Susukino district, one of Japan's largest nightlife hotspots,
12:51with more than 3,000 shops, bars and restaurants.
12:55Sapporo is famed for its cuisine, especially its ramen, the nation's favourite noodle soup.
13:02No city would be truly Japanese without an alleyway.
13:06And this one is called Ramen Alley.
13:10Thank you very much. Good evening.
13:14The restaurant Teshikaga prides itself on its authentic recipes.
13:19For dinner, I'm joining Sapporo resident and photographer Yuta Nakamura.
13:24I'm Michael.
13:26Yuta, nice to meet you.
13:27It's great to see you.
13:28How's it going?
13:30It's going very well.
13:31Ooh, I wouldn't mind a beer. Should we order a beer?
13:34Yeah.
13:34When you call someone, you say, sumimasen.
13:38Let me try that.
13:40Sumimasen!
13:45Sapporo is very well known for beer.
13:47Yes.
13:48It's a very new city, a very modern city.
13:51Is it also a young city?
13:53I would say so.
13:54There's a big university and then it has like super urban, like energetic vibe.
14:01I think the light, the neon, that makes like Sapporo city special.
14:06In a weekend.
14:07Oh, our beers were ripe.
14:09There you go.
14:14Shall we order some ramen?
14:15There's heaps of options.
14:17Do you have a favorite?
14:18I usually go for this pork miso.
14:22Yeah, barbecue pork topped ramen miso soup.
14:25That sounds perfect.
14:27Sumimasen!
14:29Miso ramen, a Sapporo speciality, was created in the city in the 1950s.
14:35Made with slow cooked pork bones and mixed with miso paste, the rich broth became a popular
14:41comfort food enjoyed during the region's cold winters.
14:45It's not small, is it?
14:47When do you tend to eat a ramen?
14:49I usually eat ramen at the end of the night.
14:53Yeah.
14:54To recover myself from like getting tipsy or getting drunk.
14:59Hangover food.
15:00Yeah.
15:01Very good.
15:02And it serves its purpose.
15:03It's pretty solid, isn't it?
15:05It's super thick and rich.
15:07Yeah, yeah.
15:08Mix it up first.
15:09Yeah.
15:10Before you eat, I wanted to say you're good to slurp.
15:14Slurp?
15:15Slurp.
15:16Maybe like you think it's a batman or a bat.
15:19But it's not.
15:20But it's okay.
15:20Okay.
15:28It's good, isn't it?
15:29Mm-hmm.
15:30I didn't feel too comfortable slurping, but I'll get used to it.
15:34Actually, by slurping, we believe that we can enjoy the smell of the ramen and also the
15:41smoothness of the noodle going down.
15:44These noodles are good.
15:45Yeah.
15:46Full of flavor.
15:49This town has a great reputation for its nightlife.
15:53Is that right?
15:54Yes.
15:55Especially here in Suzuki-no, you have so many options.
15:59Rock music, punk, in the nightclub, we have techno, like all kinds of music.
16:06And then there's a karaoke bar.
16:08Not for me.
16:10And there's a magic bar.
16:12Magic bar?
16:12Yeah.
16:13That sounds intriguing.
16:14Yeah.
16:15It's quite interesting.
16:19As the night is still young, following Utah's advice, I'm on the search for some magic with my nightcap.
16:27In Japan, any business can be on any floor.
16:30The place I'm looking for is on floor five.
16:35No.
16:40Does that mean magic?
16:45Magic.
16:46It looks kind of tiny, but it is open.
16:49Yes.
16:50Magic bars, offering close-up tricks with your drink, are hugely popular in Japan.
16:57And over the past 20 years, they've opened in many big cities.
17:04Please call me Moyashi.
17:06Moyashi.
17:06M-O-Y-A-S-H-I.
17:08Got it.
17:09Moyashi.
17:10Notebook.
17:12A notebook.
17:13Notebook.
17:14This is white.
17:15Absolutely blank.
17:17Blank.
17:17Three, two, one.
17:20Yay!
17:21Yay!
17:23Yay!
17:24Good one.
17:25Very good.
17:27Yay!
17:28Please take end card.
17:30Okay.
17:31Heart of the 10.
17:33Ten of hearts.
17:34Okay.
17:34Signature.
17:35First side.
17:36Okay.
17:36Nice.
17:39Okay.
17:42Middle of the deck.
17:43Okay.
17:43Okay.
17:52Move fast.
17:54Three, two, one.
17:58Perfect.
17:59If you open the card, face down.
18:02Face up.
18:03Face up.
18:04Face up.
18:05Face up.
18:05Face up.
18:08Oh!
18:10First card is face down.
18:13This is...
18:14This is your card.
18:16Yay!
18:18This is good.
18:20Do you like Japanese green tea?
18:22Of course.
18:23Three, two, one.
18:27Perfect.
18:27This is a new bottle.
18:31Shield bottle.
18:32Okay?
18:33Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:34Remove the label.
18:45Inside this bottle.
18:47Of green tea.
18:48Ten of hearts.
18:51And your signature.
18:52No!
18:54This is souvenir for you.
18:56Yeah.
18:57Watching it close up, you can't see the trick.
19:00How did he do that?
19:03He is absolutely amazing.
19:06Thank you very much.
19:08Thank you very much.
19:08Thank you very much.
19:08Thank you very much.
19:10I've still got my watch.
19:11I thought he might have my watch.
19:12Thank you very much.
19:22This morning's journey is the last leg of my Japanese tour.
19:29I'm travelling just over 35 kilometres north-west along the coastline of the Sea of Japan to the port city,
19:37Otaru.
19:47I love a railway that runs by the sea and the water is so blue.
19:57Where has the British helped Japan to build its first railway?
20:01On Hokkaido, it was the Americans who supplied the expertise and locomotives from Pennsylvania and rolling stock from Delaware.
20:10The first railway carried coal from a mine past Sapporo towards the port at Otaru, on broadly the route that
20:18I'm following now.
20:20It also transported kelp, which was a valuable fertiliser.
20:24The railway enormously helped the island to develop, attracting vast numbers of immigrants from Japan who settled here.
20:36This is now part of the Hakodate main line, covering over 423 kilometres and connecting the island's western cities.
20:48And so ends my last railway journey in Japan.
20:59Here are two tours of the ship which is designed to develop and use an Washodan and IC-165.
21:10Ah, you know on the Shinkansen the stations are of steel and glass.
21:17They are very impressive.
21:18But it's wonderful to come to a station that has history.
21:24It opened in the centre of Otaru in 1903, and this Art Deco entrance hall was added in 1934.
21:33By then the harbour was bustling with passenger steamships and freight barges.
21:39On Ishikari Bay, in the shadow of Mount Tengu, the new port is a growing centre for international trade.
21:4850 kilometres west along the coast, the town of Yoichi is the birthplace of one of Japan's most famous names.
21:56Although Sapporo is associated with beer, Hokkaido is also noted for having a splendid distillery making fine whisky.
22:06And the story concerns a determined young Japanese gentleman called Masataka Taketsuru,
22:13who travelled to Scotland to learn the art of whisky making.
22:17And there met and married Rita, who returned with him to Japan.
22:23Taketsuru would become known as the father of Japanese whisky.
22:28Today the company that he founded, Nikka, is one of Japan's largest producers,
22:33with distilleries and plants across the country.
22:36But Yoichi is where it all began.
22:40This distillery reeks of tradition and also, of course, of the smell of whisky.
22:46And in this case of coal, inside these stills, the first distillation is occurring
22:53and the temperature is raised still, traditionally, using coal.
22:58And I'll tell you what this site reminds me of, something I've seen so often.
23:01The shoveling of coal in an old steam locomotive.
23:07I'll explore the company's history with its head of global education and public relations, Emiko Kaji.
23:15Emiko-san, it's a very attractive distillery.
23:19The colour of the stone reminds me of Scotland.
23:22Yes.
23:22It doesn't look to me at all like Japan. When was it built?
23:26Yoichi distillery was built in 1934.
23:29The interesting character here is Taketsuru.
23:32Yes.
23:33Tell me about him.
23:34He was born into a sake brewing family in Hiroshima.
23:38He learned chemistry at the university.
23:40And he was supposed to take over the family business, sake brewing.
23:44But he was more interested in the western type of alcohol beverages.
23:48Was whisky made in Japan? Was it known in Japan?
23:52There was the product labelled whisky, but it is not actually authentic whisky.
23:59Kind of a mixture of neutral alcohol and flavouring and colouring.
24:02He met Rita, whom he would marry. How did that happen?
24:06So after arriving in Scotland, the University of Glasgow allowed him to enter.
24:11So there, he met Rita's younger sister, Elva.
24:15So one day he visited Elva's house. There, he met Rita for the first time.
24:20I mean, Rita must have been quite brave early in the 20th century.
24:24Yes.
24:25To go to Japan as an English wife of a Japanese gentleman.
24:29Yeah. International marriage was not common.
24:31So both family were opposed to their marriage at that time.
24:34But Rita decided to immigrate to Japan to support Masataka's dream to make whisky in Japan.
24:41After gaining experience with other companies, Takatsuru planned his own distillery
24:47and chose Yuichi as the perfect location.
24:51There were local barley and local peat and also the environmental conditions are quite similar to Scotland.
24:59Cool climate and crisp air and also rich water source were available.
25:04Launching his first whisky in 1940, Takatsuru insisted on traditional Scottish coal-fired distillation,
25:12in which the company to this day takes pride. Emiko has invited me to sample their range.
25:19This is a tasting bar.
25:20Excellent.
25:23These are all single-mode from Yuichi distilleries.
25:26Quite different from each other.
25:28But I think you will find similar smokiness due to the coal-fired distillation.
25:33You can start with this single-mode classic.
25:36So it has a present PT node.
25:38It is widely sold even in the UK and across Europe.
25:49It is certainly getting the peat in this.
25:51Yes.
25:52Oh lovely warmth, lovely fire in the throat.
25:56Very nice indeed.
25:57I believe this is a first for me.
25:59I am not sure I have ever tasted a Japanese whisky before.
26:02Really?
26:02And that is a very pleasant start.
26:04Yeah.
26:05So this is one of the limited editions only available at the distillery shop,
26:10from the new American oak barrels.
26:13Some vanilla flavour.
26:15Less peaty?
26:16Yes, less peaty.
26:22Smoother.
26:23I personally am slightly missing the peatiness.
26:26I like a peaty whisky.
26:27So that brings us maybe to number three.
26:30That is another limited edition.
26:32I think that will fit your palate.
26:34So this is called peaty and salty.
26:39Deeply peaty.
26:40Yes.
26:42A lovely whisky.
26:44Just thinking back to your founder,
26:47is the company still inspired by his example, do you think?
26:50Yes.
26:51And when I try to do something new or challenging,
26:55I always think whether he will be happy with that or not.
27:01So he is kind of the benchmark.
27:04I think all the people feel the same way.
27:07That's very moving.
27:08And I raise my glass to the memory of Taketsuru.
27:23You can make the great railway journey of your lifetime in Japan.
27:29I have been whisked by Shinkansen and by every variety of train from one end of the country to another,
27:37from towering cityscape to awe-inspiring scenery.
27:41I have been made welcome by the politest people on earth and I have feasted on one of the great
27:48cuisines of the world.
27:50I have been fascinated and mystified by the culture.
27:54But isn't that one of the benefits of travel?
27:57I'm convinced that in Asia, Japan represents islands of decency and democracy and defends and promotes values that I share.
28:09God bless you.
28:38Transcription by CastingWords
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