Journeys in Japan · SEASON 17
Toyama MINGEI: Beauty in the Everyday
Episode 9 · 2026-05-12

- Documentary
Episode overview
Architect James Lambiasi discovers the living culture of mingei folk craft in Toyama, north-central Japan. James visits a 92-year woodturning artisan in the town of Shogawa, a nearby ironware workshop, and a museum displaying traditional medicine peddlers' tools. He stays in a restored farmhouse and enjoys its displays of work by prominent mingei figures, as well as contemporary pieces. All in all, he sees how mingei still permeates the spirit of local communities.
28 minutes
Season 17 episodes
1. Hiking the San'in Coast: Hyogo-Kyoto2026-01-06
2. With Isabella Bird - Part 7: On the Road to Ise2026-01-13
3. Noto: Lighting a Torch for the Future2026-02-10
4. Akan: The Sacred Winter World of the Ainu2026-02-17
5. Hokkaido: Voices from the Northern Land2026-02-24
6. Kushimoto: Life at the Water's Edge2026-03-17
7. Northern Yatsugatake: Adventures in Snow Hiking2026-03-24
8. Kokuto Okinawa Island Sweetness2026-04-14
9. Toyama MINGEI: Beauty in the Everyday2026-05-12
10. Tsuruoka: Gastronomy Rooted in Tradition2026-05-26
11. Komatsu: Stone Stories2026-06-16
12. Maze: A Museum Without Walls2026-06-23
13. Tokunoshima: Bull Sumo on Subtropical Island2026-06-30
14. Kihoku: A Wonderful Waterside World2026-07-07
15. Okayama: Traditions of the Seto Inland Sea2026-08-04
16. Aichi, Nagoya: Savoring its One-of-a-Kind Food Culture2026-09-01
17. Arimatsu: Nagoya District Shaped by Shibori2026-09-08
18. Kitakami: Land of the Demon Dance2026-09-29
19. Furumachi: Niigata's Hidden World of Geigi2026-10-13
20. Miyako Islands: Living with the Ocean and Gods2026-10-27
21. Miyagi: A Walk Through Sendai, City of History and Style2026-11-10