Michael Portillo is in Japan for a breathtaking railway journey through the country that launched the magnificent Shinkansen bullet train.
Social & External
The people behind it
Michael Portillo
Self - Presenter
From sumo wrestling to robots, Japan's traditions and high-tech innovations fuel host Sue Perkin's cultural exploration in this docuseries.
A ten-part series on Japanese language and culture.
Akihito, the Emperor of Japan, abdicated on April 30, 2019. This 3-parts NHK World documentary series chronicles the life of a former "divine child" who became the symbol of the Japanese State when he ascended the throne in 1989.
Peter Barakan is a broadcaster and a 45-year resident of Japan. In this series, he discovers how Japan is changing.
Looks into the lives of legendary sumo wrestlers who come from humble beginnings in Hawaii and become the first foreigners to rise to the highest ranks in Japan.
Forests cover close to 70 percent of Japan's land area. Japan's climate varies significantly from north to south, making it home to diverse forests. These forests have been an intrinsic part of Japanese culture since time immemorial.
Japan continues to thrive as it incorporates cultural elements of music, fashion, cuisine, sports, arts and science from around the world. People’s encounters trigger the fusion of Japan’s and the world’s diverse culture, unceasingly producing a myriad of new phenomena and events. This series will feature how various culture in modern Japan and overseas blend together and influence each other.
"Japan Delish" is a banquet of foods from overseas adopted by the Japanese. From fare steeped in tradition to its many modern variations, uncover the delicious histories at the heart of every dish.
Marking a 1150 year anniversary in 2019, the Kyoto Gion Matsuri was subsequently suspended for two years due to outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Live coverage of the Yoiyama evening on July 16th and the next day's Yamaboko parade is accompanied by a set of special documentaries explaining the festival history and the activities during the pandemic.
Truck mechanic and motorcycle racer Guy Martin goes on an off-beat 2500-mile journey around Japan to find out how it really works.
"Talent" Chip Tsao went to London, Greenwich, Wales, Oxford, Cambridge, England, to analyze the British people's living habits, academic development, economic conditions, etc .; and went to Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow to know a country with a hundred years of blood and tears. Eason Chan visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Fukuoka in Japan to learn about the cultural differences; Social worker Shiu Ka-chun went deep into Finland's Turku, Helsinki, Nokia and other places to experience the local customs through living with locals. They will introduce the details of each famous city from a social, historical, and cultural perspective, bringing different connotations, depths, and education.
James May embarks on a remarkable journey across Japan, from its icy north to its balmy south. He’ll see the sights, meet the locals, and eat the noodles in a bid to truly understand the Land of the Rising Sun.
What comes to mind when you say Japan? Sushi or cupping geishas? The Land of the Rising Sun offers so much more. Naomi Adachi is half Czech, half Japanese. She often visits her second home to visit family and friends, and this time she's taking you with her. She will introduce you to the beauty of Japan, its traditional customs and everyday life in her own unique style. And of course, there will be plenty of food!
From epic landscapes and unforgettable culture, to the often trying times that come with international travel, Departures chronicles the unforgettable friendships, personal successes and sometimes crushing disappointments that befall travellers Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach on their journey. Departures is as much about the journey as it is the destination.
Kevin McCloud is passionately optimistic about technology and the future, but Jon Richardson, Phil Wang and Alice Levine aren't so sure. Can Kevin persuade his trio of sceptics to see the light?
Criss-cross Japan by rail. Enjoy an amazing diversity of nature and scenery across the four seasons, exploring both well-known and hidden Japan.
An insider's look at the engineering and scientific miracles behind the things that form the modern world.
Award-winning actor and nervous explorer Eugene Levy steps out of his comfort zone for a whirlwind tour of the world's most beautiful and intriguing destinations.
Actor Zac Efron journeys around the world with wellness expert Darin Olien in a travel show that explores healthy, sustainable ways to live.
Motoring programme featuring reviews of and reports about cars of all types.
Explores WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age, examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt, and the human cost of total war.
MegaStructures is a documentary television series appearing on the National Geographic Channel in the United States and the United Kingdom, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, France 5 in France, and 7mate in Australia. Each episode is an educational look of varying depth into the construction, operation, and staffing of various structures or construction projects, but not ordinary construction products. Generally containing interviews with designers and project managers, it presents the problems of construction and the methodology or techniques used to overcome obstacles. In some cases this involved the development of new materials or products that are now in general use within the construction industry. MegaStructures focuses on constructions that are extreme; in the sense that they are the biggest, tallest, longest, or deepest in the world. Alternatively, a project may appear if it had an element of novelty or are a world first. This type of project is known as a Megaproject.
The epic motorcycle adventure continues in this third chapter of the Long Way series, as Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman journey to glorious landscapes across South and Central America—on the backs of prototype electric Harley-Davidsons.
Explore the surprising things we know (and don’t know) about why people are the way they are through expert interviews, rare footage from historical experiments, and brand-new, ground-breaking demonstrations of human nature at work.
Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.
An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.
This compelling series investigates the motives and m.o. of female murderers. While males are often driven by anger, impulse and destruction, women usually have more complex, long-term reasons to kill.
Come one, come all to The Circus. This real-time documentary series pulls back the curtain on the current political stories, revealing the intense, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines. Key characters and events are presented in real time, as they are happening.
Learn how popular Disney attractions and destinations came to be, how they have changed over time, and how fans continue to obsess over them.
Filmed across six continents, this docuseries uses cutting-edge camera technology to capture animals' nocturnal lives, revealing new behaviours filmed in full color like never before.
In this true-crime documentary, a cult expert and filmmaker infiltrate a polygamist sect to expose a self-proclaimed prophet and bring him to justice.
Before he was Hulk Hogan, he was Terry Bollea. Uncover the man behind the legend in this unfiltered documentary featuring his very last interview.
This docuseries explores the period between 1979 and 1981 when at least 30 African-American children and young adults disappeared or were murdered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mark Gatiss examines the history of the horror film, from classic Hollywood monsters to Hammer's glory days and beyond.
30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN
Chronicles the life and death of Amy Carlson, also known as Mother God, a self-proclaimed spiritual savior who built a cult through her online manifestos and live-streaming sessions. As Amy's health declined, her followers believed her death would lead to her evacuation by UFO and salvation for humanity. Told through the eyes of Amy's devotees and constructed from the cult's archival footage, the three-part docuseries captures the perils of internet proselytizing and a conspiracy-driven faith.