In the old days, the cities of Ashikaga and Tochigi were post towns along the highway that led to the famous Nikko Toshogu Shrine, where the first Tokugawa shogun was buried. Pilgrims used to make their way along this highway, as did Imperial court messengers from Kyoto. The cities also prospered thanks to their riverside locations. Lumber and other merchandise was shipped downstream and there was a busy trade with merchants in Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Ashikaga boasts renowned tourist sites, including the Ashikaga Gakko, the oldest school in Japan. And the Ashikaga Flower Park draws visitors from far and wide to see the remarkable display of wisteria blossom. On this edition of Journeys in Japan, Leina Bambino visits these two cities where people continue to live with tradition, while preserving the natural environment and creating new attractions.

Yuki (in Ibaraki Prefecture) and neighboring Oyama (Tochigi Prefecture) are famous throughout Japan as the home of traditional hand-made textiles known as yuki-tsumugi. The techniques for producing the yarn, dyeing it and weaving the fabric date back to ancient times and are unique in Japan. In the old days, Yuki flourished as a castle town, and many stores and warehouses that were used by the textile wholesalers remain to this day. Meanwhile, Oyama was known for culturing the silkworms that produce the raw silk used for yuki-tsumugi. Leina Bambino meets with some of the artisans in Yuki who produce textiles. In Oyama, she also visits farmers who grow the local specialty, bottle gourds (kanpyo), which are in peak season from late June through August. On this edition of Journeys in Japan: meeting the families - the artisans and food producers - who are working to pass down their skills for future generations.

Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture developed as a castle town of the Kaga Domain under the Maeda Clan's rule. For about 300 years from the late 16th century onward, the powerful feudal lords encouraged the arts, resulting in gorgeous landscape gardening, gold leaf and other crafts. On this edition of Journeys in Japan, TV personality Leina Bambino explores Kanazawa's deep culture through its colors.

Nishi-izu, with stellar views of Mt. Fuji, is located on the western coast of the Izu Peninsula. Geopark sites with strata formed by an undersea volcano are reachable on foot or by boat. The neighboring town of Matsuzaki is known for its beautiful townscape featuring buildings with distinctive Namako plaster walls. Kote-e artworks created with plaster by Matsuzaki craftsman-turned-artist, Chohachi Irie, are also a must-see in this town. Matsuzaki is the largest production region of salt-pickled sakura leaves. We visit people in the industry and hear about the appeal of the leaves. On Journeys in Japan, traveler Leina Bambino explores the culture nurtured in a small port town and the beauty of Nishi-izu.

Mishima Town, in western Fukushima Prefecture, receives some of the heaviest snowfall in all of Japan. During the winter, when the local people are unable to work in their fields, they spend their days making traditional handicrafts, using vines, leaves and bark from plants that grow wild on the nearby mountainsides. It's a folk tradition that continues to this day. Leina Bambino is an English instructor from the United States. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, she visits Mishima to meet the people living there, and sees how they keep their traditions alive. She also joins in a New Year ceremony that's been held in this area for over 200 years.

Because Japan's landmass extends north-south through a number of different climatic zones, farmers can cultivate a wide variety of different produce, reflecting the local environment and conditions. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, we look back at episodes from past years celebrating the variety of summer vegetables that are grown around the country. We follow our reporters as they visit farms in 3 parts of Japan. We find Renkon (lotus root) being cultivated in the fertile soil and abundant water of Ibaraki Prefecture. We discover how Rakkyo (a kind of shallot) is grown in the sand dunes of Tottori Prefecture. And we introduce Kanpyo, a preserved food produced in Tochigi Prefecture, which has been part of the Japanese diet for over 300 years.

When people think of the samurai they imagine fearless warriors skilled in the martial arts. But that's just one side. In this episode, we look at how elite samurai promoted artisanal culture and works of art even outside Edo (old Tokyo) and Kyoto. We trace their footsteps in Kyushu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture.