Japan Video Topics 2008/12
Donabe - Most Versatile of Cooking Pots (3'41")
The donabe, a type of earthenware pot used for cooking at the table, is one of the oldest and best loved Japanese kitchen utensils. Traditionally made from a special clay, a donabe retains heat even after the flame is turned off, cooking its contents gently and thoroughly. This versatile pot can be used for many different kinds of cooking, and Japanese families love to use it to prepare food at the table, serving themselves straight from the pot.
Bonsai - Nature’s Beauty in Miniature (3'42")
Bonsai artists aim to create miniature but completely convincing natural landscapes, pruning their tiny trees and training them with wire to grow into the desired shapes in a process that can take hundreds of years. It’s a hobby with a huge following, and there is even an entire village of bonsai nurseries close to Tokyo. These living works of art, long popular among older Japanese, are now finding new fans in the younger generation.
Iwami Kagura – Ancient Ritual to Modern Folk Art (4'49")
Kagura is an old tradition of dance and music that traces its roots to the most ancient of Japan’s creation myths about the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Historically performed at shrines by Shinto priests, in the 19th century it was taken up by the public and transformed into the vigorous folk art we can see today. Of all the types of kagura, the Shimane regional style known as Iwami kagura is the most lively, gorgeous and dramatically entertaining.
Green Revolution Transforms City Rooftops (3'43")
Japan’s cities are controlling rising temperatures due to the urban “heat island” effect by planting greenery on building rooftops and walls. Rooftop gardens are dramatically cooler than concrete, and can now be added to most buildings thanks to new types of light, nutrient rich soil and special lightweight surfaces. Rooftop gardens are now a popular place to relax, and soon people will also be growing vegetables and rice on top of city buildings.
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