Into the Depths of Mt. Fuji, Yamanashi & Nagano - Train Cruise

mount fuji the bell of japan [Music] train crews from hachioji west of the tokyo metropolis to the station nearest to mount fuji [Music] from there head north for some unexpected encounters watch a performing art that has entertained travelers for centuries [Music] descend into a sacred cave created by mount fuji [Music] marvel at the star studded skies climb to a temple that has passed centuries on a mountainside let's go on a remarkable journey into the depths of mount fuji and beyond hachioji a bedtown in the west of the tokyo metropolis our journey begins at jrhachioji station [Music] first we head west the next departure from track number four will be the 10 47 a.m local trend [Music] i setting out on a journey is always exciting it gets you wondering about what new discoveries you'll make [Music] [Music] well we change at takao station the next train's already waiting for us it's a quick transfer so don't drag your feet [Music] um [Music] [Applause] around 30 minutes outside hachioji and we're in the mountains of yamanashi prefecture when traveling to mount fuji from tokyo on commuter trains you need to change at oldsuki station let's take a look inside hey how cool is this a lump of solidified lava from mount fuji [Music] the city of oltsuki was a post town on the ancient highway that once connected tokyo to yamanashi [Music] this beautiful old house speaks of that history as does this bridge [Music] whoa that's a long way down we're about 31 meters up the stream is so narrow here the bridge doesn't need piers holes were bored into the rock face on either side for the base which supports the span 19th century ukiyoe artist utagawa hiroshige was apparently so impressed he created a wood block print of this scene performing art that dates back about 400 years [Music] we get a peek at their rehearsal [Music] each puppet is manipulated by three people just how do they keep it together the head puppeteer uses his left hand to move the head and his right hand for the right arm the left puppeteer manipulates the left arm from behind so as not to stand out the leg puppeteer controls the movement of the legs children ranging from ages 4 through 12 join the adults to learn the ropes [Music] station we change from the jr line to the fuji q railway from here we go right to the foot of mount fuji [Music] the world famous peak is the main motif on the gold body and the seats bear images of mount fuji too what attention to detail [Music] it's like a traveling museum with the old photos showing the history of the line before the railway took over carriages were drawn by horses along tracks laid over the roads in 1929 as travelers to mount fuji increased the horses were replaced with a proper railway and now tourists can take day trips to mount fuji from tokyo [Music] the doors on the right my kids [Music] so [Music] there it is beautiful as always [Music] it can you guess what these seats are lined up for to sit and admire the perfect view of mount fuji we could sit here all day but we've got more to see [Applause] exit the station and hang a right [Applause] now this is worth a photo mount fuji has been considered a sacred peak since ancient times buddhist paradise was thought to grace its heights if you climbed mount fuji your hopes and wishes would come true in the 17th century it was popular for communities to select representatives to make the pilgrimage up the mountain in their stead the town of fuji yoshida accepted these pilgrims at its peak 86 homes were opened up for use as accommodations [Music] [Music] locals rescued one of the remaining accommodations from demolition to serve as a museum showcasing that faith the pilgrims would cleanse themselves at this stream [Music] let's take a look around the building goes on and on this 250 year old residence for shinto priests was a popular inn and at times there were so many lodgers they'd be sleeping in the corridors this place is huge we're finally at the back here's an altar what deity is enshrined here pilgrims to mount fuji would visit one special location before their climb it lies concealed in this forest at the foot of mount fuji we have a guide to show us around ah it looks like an entrance to a cave cameras ready let's go [Music] a thousand years ago lava flows from mount fuji swallowed up the forest that stood here and solidified a strange web of caverns remained after the trunks burned away [Music] when people discovered them they envisioned the inside of the human body they believed that passing through cleanse them for their ascent of the sacred mount fuji [Music] is [Music] it's the same female deity that is enshrined in the inn's altar pilgrims crawled through here with only candlelight to guide them [Music] time to say farewell to mount fuji [Music] first back to j.r olsky station then we head north through an area with stony soil formed by eons of tectonic activity [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] vineyards everywhere the soil and the rainfall here are the ideal conditions for cultivating [Music] grapes the grapes and wine produced here were transported by train to tokyo and from there around the country this station preserves an important relic from that era [Music] trains once carried grapes and wine through this tunnel [Music] now it serves as a wine cellar 1 100 meters deep with the capacity to hold 1 million bottles it maintains a fixed temperature year-round making it an ideal place for neighboring wineries restaurants and wine connoisseurs from other regions to store their wines close by is daisenji founded in the 8th [Music] century [Music] the yakushido main hall is a national treasure [Music] [Applause] [Music] the temple's main image is yakushi nyorai the buddha who heals illnesses and brings peace to the nation the actual statue can only be viewed by the public every five years in its hand rust grapes a fruit once eaten as a medicine around 1 300 years ago yakushi nyorai appeared in a dream to a priest who was in the area on an ascetic retreat in the buddha's hand were grapes on awaking the priest carved what he saw and founded this temple to enshrine the statue daisenji is considered to be the birthplace of grape cultivation in japan and 15 varieties of grapes are grown on its land wine making began in the region around 150 years ago and the priests produced their own too [Music] the priests and the local grape farmers combine their harvest and produce wine here for their own consumption [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign the temple's red wine is made from muscat bailey a and the white from coal shoe grapes now let's keep going [Music] we get off at kasugai chow station and walk along the tracks for 20 minutes this guest house is popular with railway fans let's have a look this is the most popular room for the obvious reason [Applause] and it's blessed with a small view of mount fuji the owner yamada yuki quit his full-time job two years ago to start this guest house his pride and joy is his diorama of an end skill model railway visitors can bring their own favorite model trains to run on the tracks [Music] foreign foreign time to move on [Music] with the southern alps behind us we passed the yatsukatake volcanic group on the highland train [Music] so [Music] the tracks begin to climb after we leave the station and curve slowly to the right [Music] we're almost at the foot of the yatsugatake mountains [Music] [Music] this line reaches the highest altitude of all jr lines in japan of its 31 stations eight sit above one thousand meters [Music] [Music] this the highest jr station surpasses 1345 meters the nobeyama highland lies at the foot of the yatsugatake mountain range and cradles a world-famous astronomical observatory [Music] built right after the war it earned an international reputation for its solar radio and cosmic radio observations 45 meter wide radio telescope captures minute radio waves from several billion light years away helping to unravel some of the universe's mysteries [Music] and it has produced some amazing results [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] so [Music] you can always tell when there's something worth seeing [Music] mount osama don't let the serenity fool you minor eruptions disturb the peace from time to time you can sense the history in this house near the station komoro here in nagano prefecture was once a post town on the ancient highway that connected tokyo to the sea of japan a 10-minute car ride carries us into the mountains here a secluded temple perches out of reach of the currents of time so it's on stilts [Music] is a sacred spot far from the hustle and [Music] bustle [Music] priests would come here to renounce worldly desire and focus on prayer mount osama has watched over the pilgrims for centuries what an adventure but alas time to head back to tokyo [Music] you

Channel: NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Views: 889,464

Keywords:

Id: FbCbqpxDymE

Length: 44min 5sec (2645 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 22 2021