NHK Cycle Around Japan – Memories from the Road Spirit of the North (2020)

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Selected moments from rides in the north country, cherry blossoms in spring and red leaves in fall. In Aomori Prefecture, northernmost part of Japan’s main Honshu island, we encounter its traditional tenacity of spirit in young children learning to master the local style of shamisen playing. In neighboring Akita Prefecture, children sing songs handed down for generations, tales of fishermen, their families and the sea. Finally, in Fukushima Prefecture, we see how Aizu still lives by the code of its mountain samurai clan, famed for staying true to their principles.