Kiyoji vs. 12m Snow: Keeping the Tsugaru Train Moving

A 20 km lifeline buried under towering snow — and one young snow clearer who refuses to let it stop. Step into Tohoku’s Snow Country where Kiyoji Nakagawa and his crew battle relentless drifts to keep the Tsugaru train on time. From there, the journey lifts into the cedar forests of Mount Haguro, where the five-story pagoda and Dewa Sanzan’s pilgrims meet Shinkichi Ito’s soulful Shojin Ryori, including a local take on sesame tofu you won’t expect. Down on the Shonai Plain, salmon farmer Shuichiro Ogata readies a new generation of Yamagata salmon for an epic ocean voyage, while rice grower Yasumitsu Okuyama turns ducks into natural weeders. The ride continues south on an art-painted Shinkansen, past oceans of blue at Hitachi Seaside Park and into Tokyo’s after-dark heartbeat — from Tsukiji’s master wholesaler Yasuhiro Yamasaki to skyscrapers engineered for quakes, and Mizuki Tanaka’s Mount Fuji murals restoring sento magic. Watch the full film for the moments that tie seasons, craft, and resilience together across Japan’s north to its capital. #JapanFromAbove #TsugaruTrain #Tohoku #DewaSanzan #ShojinRyori #TsukijiMarket #Shinkansen #MountFuji