Weekend Japanology, Begin Japanology, and Japanology Plus are Japanese television programs aired on NHK World, and presented by Peter Barakan. The programs explore aspects of traditional and contemporary Japan and interview experts in various fields.
The series premiered under the title Weekend Japanology, which was first broadcast in 2002 in Japan and beginning in other countries on April 6, 2003. Weekend Japanology is mostly talk-show style, typically hosted by Peter Barakan and Mami Kikuchi. It eventually developed into Begin Japanology (first broadcast on October 5, 2007 in Japan and in other countries on March 14, 2008) Japanology Plus (first broadcast April 3, 2014)) is the most recent show. Other than the title, little has changed in the content or format. For many years, Japanology Plus has two presenters: Peter Barakan, who guides the viewer through the show, and Matt Alt, who presented the section "Plus One" with useful tips. Alt has since left the show and has been replaced with Kyle Card. The show also has an occasional talk series called "Japanophiles" featuring interviews with foreigners doing activities in Japan. Both Japanology Plus and Begin Japanology are typically 28 minutes in duration.
The Japanology series also has two additional shows, "Begin Japanology Mini" and "Japanology Plus Mini." Both consist of five-minute episodes covering the same topics as their respective 28-minute counterparts.
List of Weekend Japanology episodes Season 1 (April 2003 - October 2004) # Name Air date 1 Cherry Blossoms April 6, 2003 2 Sumo April 13, 2003 3 Japanese emotional expression April 20, 2003 4 The power of design April 27, 2003 5 Japanese Food: Nattō May 4, 2003 6 Robot design May 11, 2003 7 Comedy May 18, 2003 8 Diet for a long life May 25, 2003 9 Contemporary dance June 1, 2003 10 Kimono June 8, 2003 11 "Koto" and its charm June 15, 2003 12 Traditional Japanese Houses June 22, 2003 13 Fireworks July 13, 2003 14 Japanese Paper July 20, 2003 15 "Yacht Race Around the World" July 27, 2003 16 Memories of the Atomic Bomb August 3, 2003 17 Wedding August 18, 2003 18 Summer Feature Special! Out and About August 24, 2003 19 Let's Drink Japanese Tea! September 7, 2003 20 Forefront of Universal Design September 14, 2003 21 Inheritance: Japanese Songs September 21, 2003 22 Changing Japanese Women September 28, 2003 23 Exploring Tokyo with a Special Guide October 6, 2003 24 Japan in Contemporary Art October 12, 2003 25 Haiku October 19, 2003 26 Invitation to Noh October 26, 2003 27 Calligraphy: A Soul That Interacts with Words November 2, 2003 28 Seasonal Food November 9, 2003 28 Challenging the World with Entertainment Movies November 16, 2003 30 Folk Songs Seen by a Jazzman November 23, 2003 31 Japanese Car Design November 30, 2003 32 Japanese People and Earthquakes December 7, 2003 33 Loss of Japan - Nippon Deciphered from Pop Culture December 14, 2003 34 The Ancient City January 11, 2004 35 Zen January 18, 2004 36 Shinkansen January 25, 2004 37 Makeup: Japan February 1, 2004 38 Japanese Animation February 8, 2004 39 Classical Japanese Music February 15, 2004 40 Yakimono February 22, 2004 41 Pearls February 29, 2004 42 Will Keitai Brighten the Future? March 7, 2004 43 The World of Japanese Painting Drawn by Senju March 14, 2004 44 Out & About—Best Of Selection (Part 1) March 21, 2004 45 Out & About—Best Of Selection (Part 2) March 28, 2004 46 Shakuhachi April 4, 2004 47 Contemporary Architecture April 11, 2004 48 Welcome to the World of Manga April 18, 2004 49 Japanese Pop Music April 26, 2004 50 Japanese Dogs May 2, 2004 51 Sushi Culture Magazine May 9, 2004 52 Rakugo May 17, 2004 53 Sounds of Japan May 23, 2004 54 Airplanes May 31, 2004 55 Learning from Edo: Recycling June 6, 2004 56 Japanese Garden June 13, 2004 57 Japanese Confectionery June 27, 2004 58 Shugendo and Faith July 4, 2004 59 Japanese Ships July 11, 2004 60 Fashion July 18, 2004 61 The Japanese Face July 25, 2004 62 Kagura August 1, 2004 63 Vending Machines August 8, 2004 64 Japanese Tableware September 5, 2004 65 80 Years of Life September 12, 2004 66 Japanese Jazz September 19, 2004 67 Tokyo Tourism - Yanaka Neighborhood October 3, 2004 68 Bushido October 10, 2004 69 Changing Akihabara October 17, 2004 70 Golf in Japan October 24, 2004 71 Bonsai October 31, 2004
Season 2 (May 2005 - January 2008) # Name Air date 1 Japanese Rock May 7, 2005 2 Sho May 21, 2005 3 Japanese and Mathematics June 11, 2005 4 Ramen June 25, 2005 5 Sentō July 23, 2005 6 Origami July 30, 2005 7 Exploring Nagoya August 6, 2005 8 Robot September 17, 2005 9 Edokomon September 24, 2005 10 Young Entrepreneurs in Japan October 8, 2005 11 J-Pop October 15, 2005 12 Baby Boomers' Consumer Activities October 29, 2005 13 Eco Cars November 12, 2005 14 Japanese Lights December 11, 2005 15 Japanese People and the Stars November 26, 2005 16 Yokohama Triennale 2005 December 3, 2005 17 Mottainai! December 17, 2005 18 Soba December 24, 2005 19 Japanese People and Hot Springs December 31, 2005 20 J League January 7, 2006 21 Taiko - Japanese Drums January 14, 2006 22 Washi: Wrapping Technique and Spirit January 21, 2006 23 Japanese People and Monkeys January 28, 2006 24 Small Houses February 4, 2006 25 Soy Sauce February 11, 2006 26 Ukiyo-e February 18, 2006 27 Japanese People and Fish February 25, 2006 28 Japan Fashion Week March 4, 2006 29 Cool Japan: Japanese Pop Culture March 11, 2006 30 Hay Fever March 18, 2006 31 Out & About — Best Of Selection (Part 1) March 25, 2006 32 Out & About — Best OF Selection (Part 2) April 1, 2006 33 Sake April 17, 2006 34 Japanese Language April 24, 2006 35 Buyō May 1, 2006 36 Kyoto Cityscape Preservation May 15, 2006 37 Japanese Castles May 22, 2006 38 Japanese Garden Plants May 29, 2006 39 Mt. Fuji June 5, 2006 40 The World of Tsuguharu Foujita June 12, 2006 41 Buddha Statues June 19, 2006 42 Ikebana July 3, 2006 43 Japanese Travel Culture July 10, 2006 44 Japan in Advertisements July 17, 2006 45 Home Appliances July 24, 2006 46 Tatami July 31, 2006 47 Asakusa August 21, 2006 48 Kamakura August 27, 2006 49 Udon August 28, 2006 50 Japanese Rivers September 4, 2006 51 Zazen Breathing Method September 11, 2006 52 Incense Culture September 25, 2006 53 Science Education in Japan October 2, 2006 54 Umeboshi October 9, 2006 55 Jōmon people October 16, 2006 56 Minakata Kumagusu October 22, 2006 57 Koizumi Yakumo and Japanese Kokoro October 23, 2006 58 Okami-san October 30, 2006 59 Small Theater Plays November 20, 2006 60 Tempura November 27, 2006 61 Rice Cultivation December 18, 2006 62 Itō Jakuchū and Edo Paintings December 25, 2006 63 Kyōgen January 8, 2007 64 Winter in Japan January 15, 2007 65 Nishikigoi - Koi Carp January 22, 2007 66 Convenience Stores January 29, 2007 67 Nabemono February 5, 2007 68 Snow in Japan February 12, 2007 69 Fishing February 19, 2007 70 Dashi February 26, 2007 71 Manzai March 5, 2007 72 Shamisen March 12, 2007 73 Japanese Wine March 19, 2007 74 Migratory Birds and Japan March 26, 2007 75 Japanese Patterns April 2, 2007 76 Island Country Japan April 16, 2007 77 Laughter in Japan April 30, 2007 78 Kendo May 7, 2007 79 The Charm of Japanese Lacquerware May 14, 2007 80 The Turning Point for Japanese-style Employment May 21, 2007 81 Shōchū May 28, 2007 82 Shōgi June 4, 2007 83 Tanka June 11, 2007 84 Forest Regeneration June 18, 2007 85 Tofu June 25, 2007 86 Osaka Traditional Performing Art: Bunraku July 2, 2007 87 The Heart of Osaka/The Heart of Beauty June 16, 2007 88 Shikoku Pilgrimage July 23, 2007 89 High-tech Japanese Ancient Technology August 27, 2007 90 Ekiben September 3, 2007 91 Disaster Prevention: Wisdom to Live in an Earthquake-prone Country September 10, 2007 92 Dolls September 17, 2007 93 Kimono Beauty and Technique September 24, 2007 94 Tokyo Station October 1, 2007 95 Miso October 20, 2007 96 Tarō Okamoto October 27, 2007 97 Onomatopoeia: The Charm of Mimetic Words November 3, 2007 98 Bamboo in Japan November 10, 2007 99 Sukiya Architecture November 17, 2007 100 Japanese Television Technology November 24, 2007 101 Crows in Tokyo December 1, 2007 102 Natsume Sōseki December 8, 2007 103 Unagi December 22, 2007 104 Isamu Noguchi and Japan January 12, 2008 105 Enka January 19, 2008
List of Begin Japanology episodes Season 1 (April 2008 - December 2008) # Name Air date 1 Bento April 14, 2008 2 Miyazawa Kenji April 21, 2008 3 Lacquerware April 28, 2008 4 Rakugo May 5, 2008 5 Tsukiji Market May 12, 2008 6 Yoshoku May 19, 2008 7 Kyudo May 26, 2008 8 Tea Ceremony Architecture June 2, 2008 9 Dagashi-ya June 9, 2008 10 Nihon Buyo June 16, 2008 11 Abacus June 23, 2008 12 Ryukyu Kimono June 30, 2008 13 Bamboo July 14, 2008 14 Shirakawa-go July 21, 2008 15 Fireworks July 28, 2008 16 Hanging scrolls August 17, 2008 17 The Tale of Genji: Part 1 August 24, 2008 18 The Tale of Genji: Part 2 August 31, 2008 19 Matcha September 7, 2008 20 Tokyo Tower September 14, 2008 21 Dashi September 21, 2008 22 Oribe-yaki (pottery) September 28, 2008 23 The Colorful World of Utagawa Hiroshige October 5, 2008 24 The Seven Gods of Good Fortune October 12, 2008 25 Sushi October 19, 2008 26 Mikoshi (portable shrines) October 26, 2008 27 Yuzen Kimono November 2, 2008 28 Buddhist Statues November 9, 2008 29 Hot springs November 16, 2008 30 Fish November 23, 2008 31 Tatami (straw mats) December 1, 2008 32 Castles December 8, 2008 33 Miso December 15, 2008
Season 2 (January 2009 - December 2009) # Name Air Date 1 Nishijin-ori January 19, 2009 2 Kyoto Lacquerware January 26, 2009 3 Sake February 2, 2009 4 Katsura Rikyu February 9, 2009 5 Bonsai February 16, 2009 6 The Four Seasons February 23, 2009 7 Hina Dolls March 2, 2009 8 Nagasaki March 9, 2009 9 Five-Story Pagodas March 16, 2009 10 Cherry blossoms March 23, 2009 11 Chopsticks April 3, 2009 12 Aizome April 10, 2009 13 Bunraku April 17, 2009 14 Kiriko Cut Glass April 24, 2009 15 Traditional Folk Houses May 8, 2009 16 Tea Ceremony May 15, 2009 17 Soba May 22, 2009 18 Origami May 29, 2009 19 Imari Porcelain June 5, 2009 20 Folding Fan June 19, 2009 21 Kaiseki Cuisine July 10, 2009 22 The Sounds of Japan July 17, 2009 23 Masks July 24, 2009 24 Satoyama July 31, 2009 25 Kendo August 29, 2009 26 The Fragrances of Japan September 4, 2009 27 Spinning Tops September 11, 2009 28 Rock and Stone September 18, 2009 29 Ink Brushes September 25, 2009 30 Tsukemono October 2, 2009 31 Dogs October 9, 2009 32 Ramen October 16, 2009 33 Rice October 23, 2009 34 Shinto Shrine October 30, 2009 35 Festivals November 6, 2009 36 Shinkansen November 13, 2009 37 Gagaku November 20, 2009 38 Marriage November 27, 2009 39 Shogi December 4, 2009 40 Nabe Cuisine December 11, 2009 41 Sword December 18, 2009
Season 3 (January 2010 - December 2010)