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Great Japanese Railway Journeys

6.0 2026 Documentary

Michael Portillo is in Japan for a breathtaking railway journey through the country that launched the magnificent Shinkansen bullet train.

Cast

Michael Portillo

Osaka to Nagoya

Osaka to Nagoya 28m Beginning his journey in Osaka, Michael explores the artistic phenomenon of manga, takes a trip on the Shinkansen…

Kyoto

Kyoto 29m Michael travels to the cultural heart of Japan, Kyoto, the city that for a thousand years was the…

Shima Peninsula to Nara

Shima Peninsula to Nara 29m Michael takes a luxury, panoramic Shimikaze train to the beautiful Shima peninsula. He visits Nara, the ancient capital…

Kanazawa to Kurobe Gorge

Kanazawa to Kurobe Gorge 29m Michael begins in the city of Kanazawa, where he goes behind the scenes of the Shinkansen operation. He…

Japanese Alps: Nagano to Narai Juku

Japanese Alps: Nagano to Narai Juku 29m Michael ends the first leg of his Japan adventure on a Shinkansen bullet train, heading to Nagano, the…

Kagoshima to Chiran

Kagoshima to Chiran 29m Michael starts a journey in and around Japan's southernmost main island, Kyushu. He begins in Kagoshima, an extraordinary…

Amakusa Islands to Shin Omuta

Amakusa Islands to Shin Omuta 29m Michael Portillo takes the ferry to the Amakusa archipelago, visits the town where missionaries brought Christianity to Japan…

Yame to Nagasaki

Yame to Nagasaki 28m Michael visits a Kyushu tea farm and the city of Nagasaki, the only port open to foreign trade…

Arita to Fukuoka

Arita to Fukuoka 29m Michael arrives in the home of Japanese porcelain, Arita, where a railway line runs straight through the town’s…

Shimonoseki to Hiroshima

Shimonoseki to Hiroshima 29m Michael tries the deadly delicacy of pufferfish in the harbour town of Shimonoseki and visits Hitachi’s Kasado Works,…

Tokyo (1)

Tokyo (1) 28m On board a sleek Shinkansen bullet train, Michael arrives in Tokyo, one of the greatest cities on earth,…

Tokyo (2)

Tokyo (2) 29m Michael rides the 21-mile Yamonote line, an elevated railway that encircles the city, and visits the busiest train…

Tokyo to Sendai

Tokyo to Sendai 28m Michael heads north from Tokyo to Honshu’s Tohoku region, known as the rice granary of Japan. In the…

Sendai to Lake Toya

Sendai to Lake Toya 28m Michael’s bullet train takes him through the undersea Seikan tunnel to Hokkaido. He explores the southern port city…

Lake Shikotsu to Otaru

Lake Shikotsu to Otaru 28m Michael explores the history of Hokkaido’s indigenous Ainu people. At Lake Shikotsu, he enjoys a traditional meal of…

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