Japan Video Topics 2009/07
The Miniature Appeal of Netsuke (3'51")
Most Japanese have a small ornament hanging from their cellphone strap. This modern trend is in fact an old tradition, originating in 17th century netsuke - tiny toggles used to secure pouches or boxes to kimono sashes. At first these were functional objects, necessary to carry items on a pocket less kimono, but custom designs became fashionable and antique netsuke are highly valued for their artistic beauty. Modern netsuke designers continue to find new uses for this old idea.
Nature's Beauty at Lake Akan (3'51")
Lake Akan, in eastern Hokkaido, is a beautiful lake set among mountains and primeval forest that has become a popular year-round leisure destination. One unusual pastime is to sit in tents to fish through holes in the ice when the lake freezes in winter. This also the home of unusual green spheres of algae called marimo. Formed by the rare conditions in the lake, marimo found here are larger than anywhere else in the world. A festival at the lakeside town features songs and dances in praise of nature by the local Ainu people.
Keeping Frozen Cells Alive–CAS (3'30")
CAS stands for Cells Alive System, a revolutionary freezing technology that's now practically available. CAS freezes without destroying cellular structure - CAS frozen flowers will even begin blooming again after defrosting. This makes a huge difference to the taste, color and texture of frozen food products. Conventional flash freezing breaks down cells, so much taste is lost in liquid runoff after defrosting. Chefs are welcoming this technology, especially for marine products to be served raw far from the sites where they are frozen.
Wazuma–Japanese Traditional Magic (3'43")
Japanese stage magic is possibly one of the oldest in the world, originating as far back as the 8th century and with manuals of techniques surviving from 300 years ago. Old woodblock prints show wazuma magicians performing the same tricks you can see on stage today – illusions using traditional Japanese items such as washi paper, folding fans and of course, gorgeous kimonos. Most spectacular is the mizugei, where performers dexterously manipulate spouting columns of water.
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