From geisha girls to blossom festivals,
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(crowd murmurs) (mysterious music)
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ancient temples
to ultra-modern cities,
the culture of Japan is incredible.
But even this amazing diversity is overshadowed
by nature's beauty.
Look beyond the skyscrapers and wild volcanoes tower,
bears hunt in the meadows,
monkeys play, (monkeys chatter)
and birds do battle. (cranes honk)
This is "Hidden Japan."
(soft string music) (birds chirping)
(determined music)
Japan, a country famed for big population
and huge high-tech cities.
(crowds murmur)
It's the fourth-largest island nation,
but the second most populous, home to 126 million people.
But a hidden world of enchanting landscapes
remain surprisingly untouched, (cranes honk)
and in them dramatic wildlife. (birds sing)
(water rushes)
(bear splashes)
There are more than 130 mammals
and an astonishing 600 birds. (cranes honk)
Among them, some iconic and unexpected species.
(soft mysterious music)
(branch rustles)
(water gurgles)
Look beyond the cities, and a wild paradise calls.
(wondrous music)
Japan is a series of islands strewn along 3,000 kilometers
of the Pacific Ocean.
The island chain is so long
that it spans different climate zones,
which to the North bring harsh winters.
(wind howls)
The most famous of Japan's wild neighbors
need little introduction.
Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys,
have found a neat way to beat the cold.
(soft string music) (water bubbles)
Hot Springs bring steaming water
from deep underground, warmed by volcanic heat.
The hot tubs give the chilly primates a chance
to thaw out and relax.
This quality time at the spa is central
to the monkeys' social lives,
the perfect chance to catch up with friends and family.
(water splashes) (wind howls)
They're not the only primates that have learned
to harness the powers of Japan's geology.
(men speaking in Japanese)
But for most creatures,
the winters in the North are a challenge
to their very survival. (solemn pipe music)
Serows are one of Japan's natural treasures.
Dubbed, living fossils,
they represent a time in evolutionary history
when sheep and goats separated from antelope
and other horned animals.
Their thick, stocky body,
and coarse, oily fur help to keep out the cold.
But at this time of year,
they must abandon their normal diet
of green herbs and grasses, and make do with twigs and bark.
They cling to the rocky high country.
(wind howls)
But for sika deer, confined to the low plains,
snowdrifts make life tough.
(snow crunches)
Walking in one another's footprints
eases the strenuous search for food.
They must use their hooves to try and excavate
any remaining vegetation buried beneath the snow.
(mysterious music)
The same challenges face a supermodel of the bird world.
(cranes calling)
An icon of Japan,
the red-crowned crane is a bird symbolizing happiness
and long life.
(cranes honking)
It's hard to be happy in the heavy snow,
but these hardy birds choose late winter
to begin their courtship rituals.
(soft music)
(airy cheerful music)
A ballet of elegance and grace, the birds dance together,
singing their duets.
They pair for life,
galvanizing their commitment to each other,
ready for the breeding season ahead.
Once winter is over, the pairs will break away to breed,
but for now, they flock and dance together.
As hard as this winter is, the birds have seen worst times.
Over the past few hundred years,
they were hunted to the point of extinction.
Since the 1930s, they have been protected by law.
(somber music)
Once locals learned to appreciate the beauty of the crane
and realized just how endangered they were,
they were quick to extend a helping hand,
giving gifts to the birds to help see them through winter.
A practice they still enjoy today.
(cranes honk) (soft hopeful music)
Of course in winter, food is scarce
and free handouts don't go unnoticed.
(determined orchestral music)
Winters are tough for all animals,
including giant sea eagles.
Japan's biggest birds fight over food,
one of the most dramatic spectacles
the bird world has to offer.
(eagle screeches) (cranes honk)
The cranes put up a good fight,
(dramatic music)
but ultimately don't want to risk injury
from the eagle's powerful talons.
Fortunately, there's plenty of food to go around.
(water splashes)
(suspenseful music)
Winter's passed and a temperate climate warms most of Japan.
(expectant music)
(water rushes)
(birds sing)
(bright hopeful music)
(water splashes)
Sika deer get to enjoy fresh growth
and replenish their bodies after tough winter months,
(birds calling) (grasses rustling)
though spring also brings a new threat.
Japan is home to a population of huge brown bears,
the country's largest mammals.
They slept through winter and during that slumber,
the mother gave birth to two tiny cubs.
(playful music)
After months of suckling in the den,
the young are now precocious,
(grasses rustle)
but their mother's hungry.
Bears don't often hunt big game,
but a deer would offer weeks of protein.
(tense music)
(birds call)
(grasses rustle)
(insects buzz)
But it's not easy to stalk your quarry
with impatient cubs in tow.
(bear huffs)
Before she has the chance to try again,
another family appears.
(ominous music)
(grasses rustle)
The cubs seemed keen to meet their new neighbors,
but their mothers aren't too sure.
(suspenseful music)
After an awkward standoff,
they agree to go their separate ways.
(soft music)
(grass rustles)
(birds chirp)
The cubs will have to make do
with playing with their siblings.
(light playful music)
(birds call)
The reason for the extremes of temperature in Japan
are the physical shape of the islands,
a long thin chain from north to south.
But in geological terms, they are the tip of the iceberg,
just part of the huge and famous Ring of Fire,
a volatile horseshoe of unstable rock
surrounding the Pacific ocean,
the cause of 90% of the world's earthquakes.
Japan was once connected to mainland Asia,
but the movement of tectonic plates
tore it from the mainland,
(lava roars)
and underlying volcanoes were quick to spew mounds of lava,
creating new mountains.
(lava crackles) (expectant music)
(wind howls)
108 volcanoes remain active today.
(steam hisses) (water gurgles)
(mud gurgles)
Even the capital city of Tokyo is shadowed
by this geological history,
with the island's highest volcano, Mount Fuji,
in spitting distance.
(wind howls)
(water rushing)
With such a turbulent past, it is hardly surprising
that most of the country is mountainous,
with rocky slopes too challenging for farmers.
A mere 12% of the land mass is suitable for farming.
(birds sing)
But in the lush lowlands in the warmer regions to the South,
the same wetlands that the cranes chose to breed,
farmers are able to grow Japan's most important crop,
(insects buzz)
(water splashes)
rice.
Right now, in spring,
they plant the seedlings into carefully-flooded fields.
(water splashes)
Though the plant is a monoculture,
fish, snakes, and frogs are tolerated in the soggy fields.
They eat the insect pests
that might otherwise threaten the crops.
(engine hums)
The farmers invest almost as much care in raising their crop
as the cranes do in bringing up their baby.
(birds sing)
(wind whistles)
The pair make a lifelong commitment to each other
and return to the same nesting ground year on year.
Like the farmers, they seek low, flat, waterlogged meadows.
They share all duties,
both spending a week building the nest
and a month sitting on their egg.
But their work has only just begun.
It will take nine months for them
to teach the chick everything it needs to know
to survive. (water splashes)
(insects buzz)
The classic waterlogged fields are not only iconic,
but vital.
Rice is the staple food in Japan
and ingrained in its culture.
At one time, rice was even used as the currency
and its success is only possible
thanks to water flowing from the mountains
and the abundant rain.
(wondrous music)
(water rushing)
Southern Japan experiences a rainy season,
fueling rivers and streams,
(water roars)
the perfect conditions for a monster.
The Japanese salamander is one of several species
unique to Japan and China,
the biggest amphibian on the planet.
The creature's one and a half meter body
is supported by the water
and it ambles slowly in search of food.
Staying underwater, it breathes through porous skin
and relies on fast-flowing, oxygen-rich streams.
Its tiny unblinking eyes only give a sense
of light and dark, so it relies on pores on its skin
to sense the vibrations of prey.
(water rushing)
(ominous music)
Because vision isn't important to it,
but can be to its prey,
it does most of its hunting after dark,
lying in wait until a fish
or frog moves into the strike zone.
(suspenseful music)
(dramatic music)
(cymbals crash)
(men speaking in foreign language)
There are other hunters using the waterways at night.
For well over 1,000 years,
Chinese fishermen have gathered on the riverbanks at dusk
and brought with them surprising allies.
Small fishing boats head out,
fiery lanterns blazing on their bow.
The light in the darkness will lure fish to the surface
and their trained fishermen will be ready.
Cormorants are raised from chicks by the fishermen
to build a close bond.
(water splashes)
Each bird has string tied around its throat.
Any fish smaller than finger sized,
the bird will be able to eat,
but anything bigger gets stuck.
After a dive, the birds, follow the light back to the boat.
Any catch in their throat is dislodged
and becomes the property of their masters.
(wondrous music) (water splashing)
(lantern creaks)
(wings flapping)
(men speaking in foreign language)
Fishing is vital to Japan's economy and food resources
to make up for the lack of farmable land.
In many areas, the terrain is too rocky to farm.
Where cultivation is impossible, Japan is rich in forest.
It covers around 70% of the landmass
and provides homes for a wide variety of animals.
(birds sing)
Hidden in the depths of the forest,
a family cautiously emerges.
Known as tanuki in Japan,
a fun and mischievous shape-shifting legend,
the raccoon dog is far more elusive.
(light sneaky music)
(water rushing)
The eight pups are a good-sized litter,
though occasionally, they can have twice as many.
This family is quite big enough
to keep the mother busy providing food.
They'll suckle from her for two months,
even though their parents will introduce them to solids
long before that, encouraging them to fend for themselves.
(tanukis squeal)
While the young are small and vulnerable, Dad stands guard.
Not only will he stick around and help with the pups,
but the pair have mated for life
and will raise many litters together.
(leaves rustle) (birds chirp)
Despite their raccoon face masks,
they are not raccoons at all,
but little, primitive, wild foxes.
They have plenty of unique tricks, like climbing trees
and having a diverse diet.
Everything from frogs to fungi can be on the menu.
They are just as likely to scramble into the branches
to collect berries as they are to hunt a mouse.
(wondrous music) (birds calling)
The dad's sensitive nose picks up a scent.
The little foxes have good reason to be nervous.
There are much bigger creatures in these forests.
(tense music) (tanukis cry)
Best to stay underground for now.
Japan boasts not one, but two species of bear.
These are Asiatic black bears,
perfectly at home in the temperate forests.
Slightly smaller than the brown bears,
they're accomplished tree climbers.
The mother is trying to teach her cubs,
showing them how to access the riches of the forest,
but cubs just want to have fun.
They still suckle from mom,
and so don't take the foraging lessons very seriously.
(mischievous music)
Young macaques are equally full of mischief.
In the warmer forest to the South,
life is easy for the troop.
Lush green food is plentiful
and the forest makes one giant jungle gym
for the little ones. (light magical music)
(branches rustle)
Mothers with smaller babies stay away from the games.
The mother and toddler groups give the little ones
a chance to lay the foundations for lifelong friendships.
As they grow,
they'll be able to hang out and learn from your friends
of their own age.
(water splashes)
Monkeys here even have the luxury of a trip to the beach.
(monkeys squeal) (mystical music)
Beachcombing is a rewarding pastime.
You never know what treats the sea might wash up.
Time at the beach is enjoyed
by more than one kind of primate.
(waves crash)
A chance to play, (children exclaim)
be with the family,
(monkeys squeal)
and sunbathe.
As countries go, Japan boasts the sixth-longest coastline
in the world.
With so many little islands,
it twists and turns for a total of 30,000 kilometers.
(waves crash)
And while some are frigid ocean coasts,
others host tropical mangrove forests.
(enchanting music)
Mangroves are vital to coastlines around the world.
The tangle of plant roots
can literally hold the fragile beaches together,
protecting them from the forces of the sea.
(water gurgles)
Especially useful here, where thanks to the Ring of Fire,
there are regular earthquakes and tsunamis.
(birds chirp)
But the trees also create habitats for animals,
and twice a day, as the tide retreats,
a surprising community appears.
Armed to the hilt, like something from a horror film,
male fiddler crabs are the first to emerge.
(light music)
The imposing enlarged claw looks weaponized,
but actually it's more of a banner,
a flag to wave at rivals,
perhaps challenging them to an arm wrestle,
or to beckon potential mates.
Individuality is rife,
with males being either left or right-handed.
But while they are busy showing off large appendages,
other animals are working hard,
not wanting to waste any time.
(joyful music)
Mudskippers know they have only a short window between tides
and get to work.
First job, slurp up and expel any debris
that has washed into their burrows.
And then, the housework done,
they do something unexpected for a fish, they walk.
Quickly, a fish army is mobilized.
Their terrestrial forays are possible
thanks to enlarge jaws that can hold a bubble of water,
the opposite of an oxygen tank,
allowing them to use their gills on land.
And if they take the occasional dunk to moisturize,
they can absorb some oxygen through their skin as well.
Then they are ready to graze,
hoovering over the mud for algae
and any tiny traces of solid food washed out from the forest
or left behind by the tide.
These fish like personal space,
so when neighbors get too close, they flash their fins.
(suspenseful music)
(dramatic music)
Another army.
(frantic music)
An ultra-efficient beach cleaning team,
picking over the sand.
Soldier crabs stick together, hoping for safety in numbers.
They work fast.
The tide is making its way back up the beach.
(water gurgles)
Timing is everything on the coast,
and soon all of the mud dwellers head back to their burrows
to hide from bigger sea creatures
that might return with the waves.
(waves roar)
(water gurgles)
Japan's territorial waters make up just 1%
of the world's oceans,
and yet 15% of all marine species are found here,
more than 33,000 different kinds.
(solemn violin music)
One reason for the richness is the diversity of coastline,
from deep trenches along the Pacific coast,
some of the deepest in the world,
to the freezing, but productive icy seas of the North.
(water rushes)
With the influence of the Oyashio current
that brings cold water from the North Pacific,
the Northern coast can become covered in pack ice,
but still harbors an impressive array of cold water species,
like cod, halibut, and pollock.
(water gurgles)
They are hunted by huge Steller sea lions.
(haunting music)
And they, in turn, are sometimes pursued
by much bigger killer whales.
(air whooshes)
(killer whales whistle)
(air whooshes)
(water gurgles)
In contrast to the South,
coral reefs are bathed in warm water of the Kuroshio current
that flows up from the tropical Philippines.
Most of the coral creatures are small and colorful,
(graceful violin music)
(waves crash)
but the coastline also attracts giants,
basking sharks,
turtles, (tense music)
and hammerheads.
(foreboding music)
There are also meadows of sea grass,
vast forests of kelp.
This, biggest of seaweeds, can grow half a meter a day.
Air bladders in its leaves hold them aloft
to wave with the current,
but powerful root-like structures, called holdfasts,
anchor them tight to the ocean floor.
(tense music)
With the incredible diversity of habitats,
it's hardly surprising that marine life thrives.
(boat engines hum)
For many, the creatures of the sea are welcomed.
In fact, Japan has the fourth-largest fishery in the world.
(fish slap)
But it's not always necessary to go out to sea
to enjoy the riches.
Towards the end of summer,
some of Japan's rivers receive some special visitors
from the sea,
salmon.
Several species use Japan's rivers.
These are sockeyes.
Their silvery, muscular bodies turned blood red
for the breeding season.
They lived their lives out at sea,
but after four or five years,
they have returned to the fresh water rivers
where they were born.
The powerful fish must fight their way up river,
(water rushing) (hopeful music)
but the current may be the least of their worries.
With fish in abundance, it's time for a teddy bear's picnic.
The brown bears have been waiting for them.
To survive Japan's harsh winters, the bears will hibernate,
but can only do so if they build up adequate fat reserves
to live on during the long frozen months ahead.
(water splashes)
The salmon run happens at just the right time,
giving them the chance to feast,
gorging themselves with fatty meat and nutrient-rich roe.
(birds squawking) (determined music)
The bears are usually solitary,
but because there's such an abundance of food,
they tolerate each other's presence.
(water splashing)
(salmon flapping)
(soft music)
All ages join in, though the younger bears,
preparing for their first winters on their own,
steer clear of the bigger males,
allowing the dominant animals
to hold onto the best fishing spots.
(birds calling) (water splashing)
And with so many salmon, there's plenty of target practice,
an ideal time for a mother
to teach her young cubs how to fish,
though it can take a while to get to grips
with the technique.
(water splashing) (hopeful music)
(bear splashing)
(salmon flopping)
While the bears enjoy the season's riches,
people can reap what they sowed.
(motor hums)
The rice is cut, dried, and soon ready to eat.
(bright cheerful music)
(rice sheaves rustle)
(family speaking in foreign language)
Japan doesn't have large-scale agriculture,
most of its crops are produced by small holders,
people still living off the land
and retaining a close bond with nature.
(motor hums) (shears squeak)
(sheaves rustle)
(people murmur in foreign language)
(woman laughs)
(frogs croak)
In Japan, there's still a special relationship with wildlife
and the changing seasons,
and it goes beyond a childhood fascination with nature.
(insects buzz)
Key religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism,
both of which encourage a harmonious relationship
with nature.
(child laughs)
Shrines are adorned with depictions
of Japan's rich natural heritage,
(enchanting music)
and wildlife is respected and tolerated,
even when it's being a bit naughty.
The bond with nature has reached extraordinary heights
with some species.
Carp swim wild in Japan's waterways,
often swimming up river, which led to people respecting it
for its strength and perseverance.
(carp splashing)
People began to keep and breed the impressive fish,
partly for food, but then increasingly for their beauty.
For more than a thousand years,
they have been selectively bred
and are now treasured collector's items
with pedigrees as valuable as race horses.
(delicate wondrous music)
Well kept, they can live for hundreds of years.
The koi has become a national icon
and symbol of love, prosperity and good fortune.
The distinctive colors are all said
to denote different traits, such as virility,
energy or masculinity.
But Japan's links to nature are much more than just pets.
(birds calling) (insects chirping)
(soothing music)
The seasons of the islands are startling in their beauty
and at the center of everyday life.
Throughout Japan, spring is celebrated through Hanami,
the blossom festival.
Hanami means, viewing flowers,
and for more than a thousand years,
the Japanese have enjoyed doing just that.
(birds singing)
(crowds murmur in foreign language)
Central to the festival is picnicking under the blossom,
a feast to celebrate nature.
(crowds speaking in foreign language)
(soft music)
And later in the year, there is another festival
to celebrate the majestic colors of autumn.
To survive harsh winters,
trees withdraw the nutrients from their leaves.
The chlorophyll that gives them their green color
breaks down and reveals instead the reds and yellows.
(mystical pipe music)
(leaves rustling) (wind whistling)
As the colors spread across Japan, tourists follow it
to marvel at a display of color like no other.
For the Japanese, blossom and autumn leaves are revered
for their fleeting beauty,
fueling the philosophy to enjoy it while it lasts
because nothing lasts forever.
(wind howls) (cranes honk)
Perhaps that's why Japanese people have stepped in
to help their endangered species,
bringing them back from the brink,
keeping the hidden natural wonders of Japan alive
for future generations to enjoy.
(light percussion music) (animals chatter)
(bright cheerful music) (birds chirp)