Recipes are often developed over several lifetimes of work, lovingly crafted and passed on from generation to generat...

Sisters 69-year-old Akemi and 67-year-old Satsuki have embraced "shojin ryori," a kind of vegetarian cuisine practice...

Akio Okamura (75) is a man who lives by the sea in the quaint town of Matsuzaki. He's master builder of the Okamura M...

The town of Monzenmachi in Ishikawa Prefecture is surrounded by both the sea and mountains. Here, Sayaka Mori (38) ha...

Something is always cooking in 92-year-old Misao Kuwata's kitchen. Every week she prepares 600 Sasa-mochi, a sweet st...

Jiyu Gakuen is a unique school in the Tokyo suburbs that emphasizes "learning from daily life." Every day, the middle...

Lake Biwa is the largest body of fresh water in Japan. There's a town, Harie in Shiga Prefecture, on its northwestern...

Shimi-konnyaku is a unique, naturally freeze-dried Japanese food, that would be able to be kept for 50 years. It was ...

Hayama, a seaside resort to the west of Tokyo, is known for its high-quality vegetables and beef ... but not its seaf...

Deep in the countryside is the peaceful area of Maru-bashira in Iga in southern-central Japan. This tiny village of o...

The clear waters of the Akigawa River course through a verdant gorge, just 90 minutes west of Tokyo. They are home to...

Babies are about 6 months old when they gradually stop drinking breast milk or formula and start eating solids. It's ...

If you duck under tree branches, wade up a stream and climb over rocks, you will find a secret place of wasabi patche...

Anda Yuko, owner-chef of a Tokyo restaurant, has a singular philosophy. On first glance her food looks like unfussy, ...

Ito Chimomo leads a wonderfully rustic life in the picturesque town of Hayama, close to the sea and surrounded by nat...

Suzuki Kinue knows a thing or two about making delicious bento boxed meals. She's been operating a tiny store in Toky...

Much of Japan's renowned Uji tea is produced in Minamiyamashiro, the last remaining village in Kyoto Prefecture. Head...

The people of Tokunoshima live long, and well. But one woman on the small Japanese island stands out. At the sprightl...

Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture. Here, Akutsu Yasuko runs a fish shop renowned for its "marinated herring with ...

In a quiet Tokyo residential neighborhood is where you'll find the home of Norimatsu Sachiko. Open the door, and you'...

Rie left Tokyo to get married in a rural village. Running a chestnut farm and welcoming people with her unique cookin...

Honda Sueyasu has spent a lifetime thatching roofs and making sure a delicious taro thrives in his community. The ete...

For over 200 years, Yoshida Kiyoshi's family has been farming yukina, a rare vegetable cultivated in the snow.

Junko lives with her cat among the mountains of Nagano Prefecture. She runs a restaurant specializing in soybeans, an...

Junko lives with her cat among the mountains of Nagano Prefecture. She runs a restaurant specializing in soybeans, an...

Ishigashira Etsu runs a workshop specializing in saki-ori, a traditional fabric made of unwanted materials. And her c...

Teshima in Kagawa Prefecture is one of the area's "art islands." Playing host to tourists, 89-year-old Akeda Hanae co...

Traditional futomaki sushi rolls hold their true beauty within. Ando Kuni has been making them for years, and they ta...

In a small mountain town of just five people, we visit the kitchen of Isogai Hamako, sharing in distinctive foodways ...