Kitayama Village: A Community with Unique Charms
journeys in japan

Kitayama Village lies deep in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula in central Japan. It is a small village, with a population of about 450. Some 97 percent of its area is covered with thick forest. In the old days, the main industry was forestry, and the lumber cut in the mountains used to be transported to the coast by assembling the logs into rafts and floating them downstream on the Kitayama River. Around 40 years, the village decided to revive that tradition and offer tourists the opportunity to ride down through the rapids on similar log rafts. Kitayama Village is the only place in the world that offers visitors an experience of this kind. The local specialty is a variety of citrus known as jabara, which only grows in the valley around Kitayama Village. This fruit has a distinctive flavor and is made into a wide range of products that make up a source of income for the village. On this edition of Journeys in Japan, DJ George Cockle visits Kitayama Village to find out what makes this small mountain so unique.

Duration: 28 minutes and 3 seconds

Episode Number: 430

About Journeys In Japan:

The lifestyle series JOURNEYS IN JAPAN, provides an eye-opening look at the many unique places to visit in Japan.

English-speaking visitors travel the length of the country, exploring the culture, meeting the local people, visiting historic sites and offering travel hints rarely found in guidebooks.


Future Broadcast times for "Journeys In Japan": (show all)

Sun, Apr 12 10:30 A.M. Journeys In Japan     NH Create (11.4)
Sun, Apr 19 10:30 A.M. Journeys In Japan     NH Create (11.4)
Sun, Apr 26 10:30 A.M. Journeys In Japan     NH Create (11.4)
Sun, May 3 10:30 A.M. Journeys In Japan     NH Create (11.4)
Sun, May 10 10:30 A.M. Journeys In Japan     NH Create (11.4)
Sun, May 17 10:30 A.M. Journeys In Japan     NH Create (11.4)


NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

Explore - 11.2

World - 11.3

Create - 11.4

Kids - 11.5

All of our channels and NHK World Japan are streaming LIVE ONLINE and on the PBS App, available on most devices.

Learn More


 

Community Impact

NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

Bring Them Home | Bring Them Home - ASL
Ask This Old House | E17 | Lead Testing, Hillside Steps | Ask This Old House
This Old House | E17 | Suburban Victorian | Foot Traffic
The Forsytes | Episode 1
History with David Rubenstein | Ken Burns
The Making of The American Revolution | The Making of The American Revolution
The Count of Monte Cristo | Episode 1: The Letter
Nature | The Greatest Adventure | Parenthood
Finding Your Roots | Artistic Roots
Antiques Roadshow | Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Hour 2
American Masters | Sun Ra: Do The Impossible [EAD]
Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History |
NOVA | Mammal Origins
Austin City Limits | Leon Thomas
Secrets of the Dead | The Quest for Camelot
Safe Harbors: Lighthouses of Maine | Safe Harbors: Lighthouses of Maine
Raise Your Head Up: Freedom Colonies in America | Raise Your Head Up: Freedom Colonies in America
A Fuller Education | A Fuller Education
North to New York: The Great Migration in NY's Capital Region | North to New York: The Great Migration in NY's Capital Region
Bigger than Africa | Bigger Than Africa
The Puzzle Lady | Episode 1
All Creatures Great and Small | Episode 1: Gathering the Flock
American Experience | Bombshell
From That Small Island: The Story of the Irish | New Worlds
London's New Year's Day Parade | The London Parade 2026
Rome New Year's Day Parade 2026 | Rome New Year's Day Parade 2026
Bookish | Slightly Foxed, Part 1
Happiness | Episode 1
Great Performances | Nutcracker from English National Ballet
Miss Scarlet | Episode 3: The Delivery