Great Japanese Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo is in Japan for a breathtaking railway journey.

Great Japanese Railway Journeys Series 1 release dates →

1. E15

   15. Lake Shikotsu to Otaru

   Finale 6 months ago

   Michael 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.

2. E14

   14. Sendai to Lake Toya

   6 months ago

   Michael’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.

3. E13

   13. Tokyo to Sendai

   6 months ago

   Michael 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.

4. E12

   12. Tokyo (2)

   6 months ago

   Michael 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.

5. E11

   11. Tokyo (1)

   6 months ago

   On 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.

6. E10

   10. Shimonoseki to Hiroshima

   6 months ago

   Michael 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.

7. E9

   9. Arita to Fukuoka

   6 months ago

   Michael arrives in the home of Japanese porcelain, Arita, where a railway line runs straight through the town’s stunning porcelain Shinto shrine.

8. E8

   8. Yame to Nagasaki

   6 months ago

   Michael 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.

9. E7

   7. Amakusa Islands to Shin Omuta

   6 months ago

   Michael 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.

10. E6

    6. Kagoshima to Chiran

    6 months ago

    Michael 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.

11. E5

    5. Japanese Alps: Nagano to Narai Juku

    6 months ago

    Michael 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.

12. E4

    4. Kanazawa to Kurobe Gorge

    6 months ago

    Michael 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.

13. E3

    3. Shima Peninsula to Nara

    6 months ago

    Michael 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.

14. E2

    2. Kyoto

    6 months ago

    Michael 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.

15. E1

    1. Osaka to Nagoya

    7 months ago

    Beginning 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.