A Promise Kept - The White Stork Flies Again

50 years ago, the oriental white stork faced extinction as industrialization destroyed its natural environment. The people of Toyo-oka, a major stork habitat, decided to capture the last wild storks, promising to release them again into the wild once a large enough population had been bred in captivity. In Sept. 2005, with the environment restored, oriental white storks flew in Japan's skies again after over 40 years.

Underground Tokyo

A face of Tokyo most tourists never see - beneath ground. As well as the vast subway system - 12 lines and 245 stations - and underground shopping malls as big as small towns, we see some ingenious uses of space below the surface, such as huge warehouses of survival supplies ready for use in disasters and a library that goes 8 stories down, lit by sunlight even at the bottom level.

Cycling the Islands of the Inland Sea

Dotted with 3'000 islands, the Seto Inland Sea, between Honshu and Shikoku, boasts a mild climate and some of Japan's most lovely scenery. The Shimanami Kaido highway spans this sea, carried by bridges from island to island. Designed with the touring bicyclist in mind, the 80 km route is the perfect way to explore a charming, laid-back region of Japan.

Rice and the Japanese

The Japanese have been growing and eating rice for over 2'500 years, and this food has shaped both the culture and the landscape. The countryside is still made beautiful by watery paddy fields and green rice terraces ringing the hills. As well as the traditional ways of eating rice (and drinking rice wine) it is now used in products as varied as bread and cookies, food seasonings, cosmetics and cleaners.