Series
Great Japanese Railway Journeys
Documentary
Michael Portillo is in Japan for a breathtaking railway journey through the country that launched the magnificent Shinkansen bullet train.
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Seasons & episodes
Michael Portillo is in Japan for a breathtaking railway journey.
1Osaka to Nagoya13 Apr 2026 · 28mBeginning his journey in Osaka, Michael explores the artistic phenomenon of manga, takes a trip on the Shinkansen and, in Nagoya, visits the factory making the smart loo.
2Kyoto14 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael travels to the cultural heart of Japan, Kyoto, the city that for a thousand years was the capital. He visits a Shinto shrine, learns about a classic of Japanese literature and meets a geisha.
3Shima Peninsula to Nara15 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael takes a luxury, panoramic Shimikaze train to the beautiful Shima peninsula. He visits Nara, the ancient capital of Japan, and encounters one of the largest bronze Buddha statues in the world.
4Kanazawa to Kurobe Gorge16 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael begins in the city of Kanazawa, where he goes behind the scenes of the Shinkansen operation. He discovers the history of the Maeda family and rides the exhilarating Kurobe Gorge railway.
5Japanese Alps: Nagano to Narai Juku17 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael ends the first leg of his Japan adventure on a Shinkansen bullet train, heading to Nagano, the host city of the 1998 Winter Olympics and the gateway to the Japanese Alps.
6Kagoshima to Chiran20 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael starts a journey in and around Japan's southernmost main island, Kyushu. He begins in Kagoshima, an extraordinary city which sits in the shadow of Japan’s most active volcano, Sakurajima.
7Amakusa Islands to Shin Omuta21 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael Portillo takes the ferry to the Amakusa archipelago, visits the town where missionaries brought Christianity to Japan and meets a master swordsmith in Shin Omuta.
8Yame to Nagasaki22 Apr 2026 · 28mMichael visits a Kyushu tea farm and the city of Nagasaki, the only port open to foreign trade when Japan was closed to the outside world for more than 200 years.
9Arita to Fukuoka23 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael arrives in the home of Japanese porcelain, Arita, where a railway line runs straight through the town’s stunning porcelain Shinto shrine.
10Shimonoseki to Hiroshima24 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael tries the deadly delicacy of pufferfish in the harbour town of Shimonoseki and visits Hitachi’s Kasado Works, where the iconic Shinkansen high-speed trains are manufactured.
11Tokyo (1)27 Apr 2026 · 28mOn board a sleek Shinkansen bullet train, Michael arrives in Tokyo, one of the greatest cities on earth, with a population of 37 million in the metropolitan area.
12Tokyo (2)28 Apr 2026 · 29mMichael rides the 21-mile Yamonote line, an elevated railway that encircles the city, and visits the busiest train station in the world by passenger numbers.
13Tokyo to Sendai29 Apr 2026 · 28mMichael heads north from Tokyo to Honshu’s Tohoku region, known as the rice granary of Japan. In the city of Sendai, he learns about the disaster of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
14Sendai to Lake Toya30 Apr 2026 · 28mMichael’s bullet train takes him through the undersea Seikan tunnel to Hokkaido. He explores the southern port city of Hakodate, one of the first to trade with the outside world.
15Lake Shikotsu to Otaru1 May 2026 · 28mMichael explores the history of Hokkaido’s indigenous Ainu people. At Lake Shikotsu, he enjoys a traditional meal of salmon soup and witnesses a performance of the ancient Dance of the Cranes.
Details
- First aired
- 13 Apr 2026
- Last aired
- 1 May 2026
- Status
- Ended
- Language
- English
- Network
- BBC Two
- Episodes
- 15
- Votes
- 1 on TMDB
Cast
Michael PortilloSelf - Presenter
