Stream It
Charcoal
For centuries, charcoal was a key resource in everyday Japanese life, and it is still used in a great variety of ways today. For Japanese cuisine, which uses simple preparation methods to get the most out of ingredients' original tastes, charcoal is essential. Charcoal makers still ply their trade using traditional methods. In the 8th century, an emperor embarked on a construction project that would become the largest-scale use of charcoal in Japanese history. In the old days, charcoal was widely used as a household fuel. The advent of electricity and gas has brought an end to that, but charcoal is still used in homes to regulate moisture, by farmers to help their soil, and in tea ceremonies as a source of beauty. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is charcoal. We examine its many uses in Japan over the centuries.
Aired: Oct 06, 2011 Genre: DocumentaryCasts: Peter BarakanDuration: 28m Rating: 0 Country: Japan, United Kingdom Production:
Episodes
01: Mochi Rice Cake02: Watches and Clocks03: Fugu Blowfish04: Haneda Airport05: Kagura Dances06: Snow07: Pollen Allergy08: Sashimono Woodwork09: Cranes10: Kitchen Knives11: Fishing12: Armour13: Judo14: The Life of Taro Okamoto15: The Life of Osamu Dazai16: The Life of Kenzo Tange17: The Life of Hideko Maehata18: Toilets19: Lifts20: Motorcycles21: Unagi Eel22: Japanophiles - Ilan Yanizky23: Japanophiles - Silvain Guignard24: Japanophiles - Stéphane Danton25: Japanophiles - Dorothy Feibleman26: Plastic Food Samples27: Insects28: Traditional Japanese Mathematics29: Bicycles30: Chusonji31: Seaweed32: Charcoal33: Rain34: Golf35: Shipbuilding36: Japanophiles - Bruce Huebner37: Japanophiles - Noelke Muho38: Japanophiles - Matt Alt39: Karaoke40: Holidays41: Red Sea Bream42: Shopping Streets43: Chickens and Eggs