Autumn in Tohoku *RERUN
Tohoku is at the northern end of Honshu. Autumn is the region's richest season. Forested hillsides are a blaze of red and yellow and trees bear bountiful fruit. Salmon swim upstream to return to their spawning grounds. Fields are full of golden rice with their stalks bent over, laden with grains. Local people are thankful for the bounty of the sea and the forest as they celebrate the fruits of their year's labor. We see how the autumn unfolds in Tohoku, where, following the Great East Japan Earthquake, people are awed by and yet grateful for the power of nature.
Yamada Bay, Iwate Prefecture
Yamada Bay is located midway along the Sanriku Coast in the Rikuchu Kaigan National Park, one of the most famous scenic areas in Japan. The region is particularly well-known for its numerous inlets and estuaries. Oysters and scallops are cultivated on rafts floating in the sea. We also watch as fisherman catch conger eels by reeling in their lines by hand.
Ouchi-juku
Ouchi-juku is a small post station in the town of Shimogo, Minamiaizu District, Fukushima Prefecture. The history of the station, which lay on an important route linking Tohoku and Japan's old capital of Edo (now Tokyo), dates back to around 1640. Lines of houses with thatched roofs ensure that the post station still preserves the atmosphere of times gone by. The best autumn colors are usually on view from late October through to early November.
Yuza Salmon
The town of Yuza at the foot of Mount Chokai in Yamagata Prefecture is a rich source of spring water. 3 of the rivers running through the town support salmon hatcheries. The salmon in Japan are a species known as chum salmon. The hatcheries featured in the program lie along the Takiguchi River.