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BBC Two 2026 1 season 15 eps Ended

Great Japanese Railway Journeys

2026 1 season 15 eps

7.4

Season 1

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Season 1

29 min

S1 · E1 · Apr 13, 2026

Osaka to Nagoya Episode 1

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.

7.8 · You

29 min

S1 · E2 · Apr 14, 2026

Kyoto Episode 2

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.

7.6 · You

29 min

S1 · E3 · Apr 15, 2026

Shima Peninsula to Nara Episode 3

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.

7.7 · You

29 min

S1 · E4 · Apr 16, 2026

Kanazawa to Kurobe Gorge Episode 4

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.

7.6 · You

29 min

S1 · E5 · Apr 17, 2026

Japanese Alps: Nagano to Narai Juku Episode 5

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.

7.6 · You

29 min

S1 · E6 · Apr 20, 2026

Kagoshima to Chiran Episode 6

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.

7.6 · You

29 min

S1 · E7 · Apr 21, 2026

Amakusa Islands to Shin Omuta Episode 7

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.

7.6 · You

29 min

S1 · E8 · Apr 22, 2026

Yame to Nagasaki Episode 8

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.

7.6 · You

29 min

S1 · E9 · Apr 23, 2026

Arita to Fukuoka Episode 9

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

7.6 · You

29 min

S1 · E10 · Apr 24, 2026

Shimonoseki to Hiroshima Episode 10

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.

7.7 · You

29 min

S1 · E11 · Apr 27, 2026

Tokyo (1) Episode 11

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.

7.8 · You

29 min

S1 · E12 · Apr 28, 2026

Tokyo (2) Episode 12

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.

7.9 · You

29 min

S1 · E13 · Apr 29, 2026

Tokyo to Sendai Episode 13

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.

7.8 · You

29 min

S1 · E14 · Apr 30, 2026

Sendai to Lake Toya Episode 14

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.

7.7 · You

29 min

S1 · E15 · May 1, 2026

Lake Shikotsu to Otaru Episode 15

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.

7.7 · You

15 episodes in Season 1

Some details come from TheTVDB.

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