Explore Japan

tv show

poster for Explore Japan

21 total episodes

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1 seasons

First Aired November 25, 2016

Overview

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.

tv poster

The Alluring Beauty of Japanese Gardens

Season 1 - Episode 16 - 0h 28m

Air Date

December 24, 2021

Overview

Frenchman Emmanuel Marès meets experts at famous gardens in Kyoto, to explore the unique aesthetic of Japanese gardens. First, he visits Saiho-ji Temple, nicknamed "moss temple" because its garden features over 120 types of moss. He speaks with modern-day priests to learn more about its connection to Zen philosophy. Next, Marès heads to Shoden-ji Temple, which takes up the “borrowed scenery” that incorporates a mountain as a spectacular backdrop for its garden. What is the fascination of the garden of the borrowed scenery that rock star David Bowie often visited and was deeply moved? His third destination is Kennin-ji Temple, where the rooms overlooking the garden feature famous folding screens and fusuma paintings. In one of the rooms, the temple commissioned a new fusuma painting by an artist who incorporated dyeing techniques into her paintings, creating a masterpiece of modern art, collaborating with the garden scenery.