Season 2 · Episode 1

Cycle Around Japan: Winter - To Lake Biwa and Kyoto

In this episode, we will take you a winter journey through Lake Biwa, the biggest lake in Japan, to Kyoto. In the ancient capital, we will celebrate "Setsubun", one of the spring festivals. Lake Biwa serves as a reservoir for the cities such as Kyoto and Osaka. It provides drinking water for about 15 million people in the Kansai region. On the lakeside people have been enjoying unique lifestyle with abundant body of water. Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan. We will visit an old temple in Kyoto, and join a special ritual to cleanse away all the evil of the former year and drive away disease-bringing evil spirits for the year to come.