Explore Japan — Season 1, Episode 8: The Manufacturing Spirit and Sustainability

Episode synopsis

Ginza, Tokyo. Japan's traditional culture is protected within this modern district. Here, artisans work unseen to preserve time-honored crafts. We visit a small workshop that's been producing tabi, or Japanese-style socks, since the 18th century. We also examine the impressive Mannen Dokei, or perpetual clock, devised by genius engineer Tanaka Hisashige. The specialists who replicated the Mannen Dokei continue to create exquisite timepieces in Ginza. Their respect for their predecessors and determination to preserve their craft provide clues into how a sustainable society can be achieved.

About Explore Japan

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.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Koshu: The Miraculous Wine
• E2Japan-discovery, Self-discovery: Exchange Students in Tokyo
• E3My Life with Aikido
• E4Delivering to Space
• E5Peru & Japan Fusion of Cuisine
• E6The Somin Naked Festival
• E7The World of Miniatures
• E9Japanese Gardens, Aesthetic Encounters
• E10Going Beyond Tradition: The Challenge of Craftspeople in Kyoto
• E11Innovative Japanese Bread
• E12Capturing Masters’ Workmanship
• E13MUSIC TRUNK: Journey to Discover the Roots of Japanese Sound