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Journeys in Japan
Season 17 · Episode 4
Akan: The Sacred Winter World of the Ainu
0.028mFebruary 17, 2026
Akan, in eastern Hokkaido, is renowned for its breathtaking winter landscape with majestic volcanic mountains and ice-blanketed lake. The area is home to an indigenous Ainu community, which has long protected its distinctive traditions and culture. Kit Nagamura gets to know some local Ainu people and discovers their deep ties to the natural world.
Episodes
- Episode 1Hiking the San'in Coast: Hyogo-Kyoto
- Episode 2With Isabella Bird - Part 7: On the Road to Ise
- Episode 3Noto: Lighting a Torch for the Future
- Episode 4Akan: The Sacred Winter World of the Ainu
- Episode 5Hokkaido: Voices from the Northern Land
- Episode 6Kushimoto: Life at the Water's Edge
- Episode 7Northern Yatsugatake: Adventures in Snow Hiking
- Episode 8Kokuto Okinawa Island Sweetness
- Episode 9Toyama MINGEI: Beauty in the Everyday
- Episode 10Tsuruoka: Gastronomy Rooted in Tradition
- Episode 11Komatsu: Stone Stories
- Episode 12Maze: A Museum Without Walls
- Episode 13Tokunoshima: Bull Sumo on Subtropical Island
- Episode 14Kihoku: A Wonderful Waterside World
- Episode 15Okayama: Traditions of the Seto Inland Sea
- Episode 16Aichi, Nagoya: Savoring its One-of-a-Kind Food Culture
- Episode 17Arimatsu: Nagoya District Shaped by Shibori
- Episode 18Kitakami: Land of the Demon Dance
- Episode 19Furumachi: Niigata's Hidden World of Geigi
- Episode 20Miyako Islands: Living with the Ocean and Gods