Cycle Around Japan

Season 10, Episode 2: Akita: The Wisdom of Nature

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From sea to mountains, nature in Akita Prefecture is spectacular. As we ride through the gales of late fall, we see people preparing for the long snows of winter with pickles and preserves. We visit a village where an 800-year-old lacquerware tradition uses timber made fine-grained and strong by the harsh winters. Among the rice paddies we find farmers crafting a huge straw guardian deity, and in a mountain village we meet a man living the ancient way, where everything in life is a gift from the nature gods.