1 00:00:03,670 --> 00:00:08,073 Imagine a realm where the seasons' rhythms rule 2 00:00:08,341 --> 00:00:11,510 where centuries of agriculture and fishing have re-shaped the land 3 00:00:11,678 --> 00:00:16,648 yet where people and nature remain in harmony. 4 00:00:21,287 --> 00:00:24,923 Sangoro Tanaka lives in just such a paradise. 5 00:00:25,091 --> 00:00:26,825 At 83, he's a guardian of 6 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:30,629 one of Japan's secret water gardens. 7 00:00:35,535 --> 00:00:37,169 Over a thousand years 8 00:00:37,303 --> 00:00:40,572 towns and villages have developed a unique system 9 00:00:40,707 --> 00:00:44,610 to make springs and water part of their homes. 10 00:00:49,883 --> 00:00:52,084 From inside their houses 11 00:00:52,786 --> 00:00:55,087 the stream pours into Japan's largest freshwater lake 12 00:00:55,388 --> 00:00:57,790 near the ancient capital of Kyoto. 13 00:01:07,767 --> 00:01:09,802 This is a habitat so precious 14 00:01:09,936 --> 00:01:12,671 the Japanese have a special word for it. 15 00:01:12,839 --> 00:01:17,676 "Satoyama" - villages where mountains give way to plains. 16 00:01:26,619 --> 00:01:29,455 They are exceptional environments essential 17 00:01:29,889 --> 00:01:35,094 to both the people who maintain them and to the wildlife that now share them. 18 00:01:52,045 --> 00:01:54,046 Late February at Lake Biwa 19 00:01:54,714 --> 00:01:57,716 an area 5 times the size of Paris. 20 00:01:58,384 --> 00:02:01,153 Its year has 4 distinct seasons. 21 00:02:06,326 --> 00:02:08,894 Reeds desiccated by winter winds 22 00:02:09,028 --> 00:02:11,830 feel the heat of spring. 23 00:02:14,167 --> 00:02:15,801 They are all that remain. 24 00:02:15,935 --> 00:02:19,037 The rest have gone to make roofs or screens. 25 00:02:21,841 --> 00:02:24,843 Flames consume both pest and weed. 26 00:02:27,614 --> 00:02:31,016 The ash will prove a powerful fertilizer. 27 00:02:38,258 --> 00:02:40,692 Destruction creates the very conditions 28 00:02:40,827 --> 00:02:42,227 in which a wide range of species 29 00:02:42,362 --> 00:02:45,030 will eventually flourish. 30 00:02:50,537 --> 00:02:52,571 By April, new shoots sprout. 31 00:02:52,705 --> 00:02:56,208 The fire and smoke have provoked new growth. 32 00:02:58,378 --> 00:03:00,779 Spring puts on its new coat. 33 00:03:06,252 --> 00:03:09,221 Melt water cascades from the mountains 34 00:03:09,355 --> 00:03:11,423 swelling the lake till it brims over. 35 00:03:11,558 --> 00:03:15,327 Parched earth soaks into wetland. 36 00:03:22,569 --> 00:03:25,671 Sudden sounds split the still of the day. 37 00:03:34,948 --> 00:03:38,150 A chain of male carp dance after a female. 38 00:03:45,625 --> 00:03:48,327 Some are longer than a man's arm 39 00:03:48,461 --> 00:03:51,863 but she's bigger still, heavy with eggs. 40 00:03:54,867 --> 00:03:57,803 She releases her eggs up to 200,000 of them 41 00:03:57,937 --> 00:04:01,106 and the males race to fertilize them. 42 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,922 For the rest of the year 43 00:04:17,056 --> 00:04:19,258 these carp inhabit the chill depths of the lake 44 00:04:19,659 --> 00:04:20,659 but to spawn 45 00:04:20,793 --> 00:04:23,929 they must seek warm shallows. 46 00:04:26,833 --> 00:04:30,202 Spring's rising energy is released. 47 00:04:35,341 --> 00:04:38,644 Over 200 carp crowd here today. 48 00:04:46,719 --> 00:04:48,654 The conditions created by the firing of the marsh 49 00:04:48,788 --> 00:04:51,923 offer an ideal site for breeding. 50 00:05:03,670 --> 00:05:05,671 There are only a few days a year 51 00:05:05,805 --> 00:05:07,906 when so many fish throng here. 52 00:05:15,815 --> 00:05:19,484 Sangoro the fisherman won't miss his chance. 53 00:05:23,156 --> 00:05:26,825 His methods, his 20 year-old boat, his bamboo pole 54 00:05:26,959 --> 00:05:28,894 all are tried and tested. 55 00:05:34,667 --> 00:05:38,303 It takes years to really master the art of punting. 56 00:05:45,845 --> 00:05:49,147 The river courses with fresh mountain torrents 57 00:05:49,282 --> 00:05:52,818 but here and there, natural springs well up from the bottom. 58 00:06:01,961 --> 00:06:04,296 The marsh is a maze 59 00:06:04,430 --> 00:06:08,100 but to Sangoro, it is as familiar as his garden. 60 00:06:08,234 --> 00:06:11,236 He has some 50 traps set in various corners. 61 00:06:33,826 --> 00:06:36,862 The carp are Lake Biwa's spring gift. 62 00:06:39,499 --> 00:06:42,134 Sangoro only fishes from March to June 63 00:06:42,268 --> 00:06:45,337 when the shoals retreat to the lake. 64 00:06:49,175 --> 00:06:52,411 He uses a simple snare, of traditional materials. 65 00:06:53,012 --> 00:06:56,181 There is not even any bait. He just sinks the trap 66 00:06:56,315 --> 00:06:58,850 for the fish to swim into. 67 00:07:04,791 --> 00:07:07,492 Where he places it depends on the weather 68 00:07:07,860 --> 00:07:10,629 and where he thinks the fish will swim that day. 69 00:07:18,638 --> 00:07:21,506 Intuition springs from long experience. 70 00:07:23,309 --> 00:07:25,744 His haul includes other fish as well as carp 71 00:07:25,978 --> 00:07:29,981 as they all flock to spawn in the shallows. 72 00:07:40,660 --> 00:07:43,762 This trap is full of carp called crucians. 73 00:07:44,330 --> 00:07:49,201 With a single trap, he may net a dozen fish to take home. 74 00:08:33,479 --> 00:08:37,716 As soon Sangoro returns, he prepares the fish for the table. 75 00:08:40,987 --> 00:08:45,290 The catch is usually sold or cooked for supper that evening. 76 00:08:45,424 --> 00:08:48,393 But today he is preparing Funazushi. 77 00:08:51,497 --> 00:08:56,301 Funazushi is believed to be how sushi first started 78 00:08:56,435 --> 00:08:59,938 perhaps a thousand years ago. 79 00:09:02,275 --> 00:09:05,810 It's salted and fermented crucian carp and rice. 80 00:09:06,279 --> 00:09:10,248 It smells sour, and takes a long time to make... 81 00:09:13,452 --> 00:09:17,956 First salt your fish. Stand for 3 months; 82 00:09:18,291 --> 00:09:21,426 mix with boiled rice to ferment. 83 00:09:21,561 --> 00:09:23,795 Leave another six months. 84 00:09:25,131 --> 00:09:29,734 The ingredients, rice and fish, are the key items of the Japanese diet. 85 00:09:35,975 --> 00:09:40,345 Sangoro's home lies about 2 km inland from the lakeshore. 86 00:09:40,980 --> 00:09:45,850 Water from boreholes under the village is piped into the houses. 87 00:09:55,328 --> 00:10:00,065 After it's been used, the water passes into a man-made stream. 88 00:10:07,006 --> 00:10:12,277 What could be a barren canal teems with hidden life. 89 00:10:20,853 --> 00:10:23,688 As spring gives way to early summer 90 00:10:23,889 --> 00:10:26,391 aquatic plants reach for the sun. 91 00:10:26,692 --> 00:10:29,995 This one takes its name from the tree- flower it resembles 92 00:10:31,530 --> 00:10:34,766 the plum-flower underwater buttercup. 93 00:10:50,650 --> 00:10:52,417 This little stickleback has no scales 94 00:10:52,551 --> 00:10:56,054 and can only live in the clearest of fresh water. 95 00:10:58,557 --> 00:11:01,259 It normally prefers cold northern currents. 96 00:11:01,394 --> 00:11:05,196 This is the furthest South it is found. 97 00:11:12,004 --> 00:11:15,373 The channel also harbors some strange-looking creatures. 98 00:11:23,015 --> 00:11:26,317 Brook lampreys - primitive, jawless fish 99 00:11:26,452 --> 00:11:28,820 that resemble eels. 100 00:11:29,255 --> 00:11:33,391 A river crab discovers just how slippery lampreys are. 101 00:11:34,193 --> 00:11:37,996 The channel through the village is home to creatures large and small. 102 00:11:41,701 --> 00:11:44,202 The water sustains people too 103 00:11:44,336 --> 00:11:46,538 and in turn they use it sustainably. 104 00:11:54,046 --> 00:11:59,084 Each home has a built-in pool or water tank that lies partly inside 105 00:11:59,218 --> 00:12:01,386 partly outside its walls. 106 00:12:02,988 --> 00:12:06,224 In the pool lounge friendly ornamental carp. 107 00:12:10,663 --> 00:12:14,299 A continuous stream of spring water is piped right into a basin. 108 00:12:14,433 --> 00:12:17,068 So fresh water is always available. 109 00:12:25,344 --> 00:12:28,113 The carp are not purely ornamental. 110 00:12:28,247 --> 00:12:29,948 Nor are they to be eaten. 111 00:12:32,351 --> 00:12:36,621 People rinse out pots in the tanks, and clean their freshly-picked vegetables. 112 00:12:40,025 --> 00:12:42,127 If they simply pour the food scraps back in the water 113 00:12:42,695 --> 00:12:44,796 they risk polluting the whole village supply. 114 00:12:47,533 --> 00:12:49,701 However; 115 00:12:53,539 --> 00:12:57,375 carp can scour out even greasy or burnt pans. 116 00:13:03,315 --> 00:13:06,651 They do the washing-up in Satoyama villages. 117 00:13:10,990 --> 00:13:14,692 This traditional arrangement is called the "riverside" method. 118 00:13:14,994 --> 00:13:17,662 It's used all over Japan. 119 00:13:20,833 --> 00:13:25,970 Cleaned up by the carp, the tank water eventually rejoins the channel. 120 00:13:36,348 --> 00:13:38,082 For some wildlife 121 00:13:38,217 --> 00:13:42,420 the man-made creek provides an ideal place to raise young. 122 00:13:51,130 --> 00:13:54,666 Like this variety of freshwater goby 123 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:56,868 a small fish about as long as a little finger. 124 00:13:59,205 --> 00:14:02,240 The villagers call it "the tiny mud-crawler". 125 00:14:02,641 --> 00:14:06,811 A male is busy excavating a breeding site. 126 00:14:10,149 --> 00:14:13,818 The even bottom supplies a perfect hidey-hole. 127 00:14:19,325 --> 00:14:23,261 As always, the best locations are highly sought-after. 128 00:14:24,997 --> 00:14:27,065 Here comes another male. 129 00:14:27,199 --> 00:14:28,900 He'd like to move in. 130 00:14:31,503 --> 00:14:33,738 And he's prepared to fight for it. 131 00:14:44,683 --> 00:14:47,385 Both do all they can to look threatening... 132 00:14:53,025 --> 00:14:57,929 Opening their mouths and erecting their dorsal fins to look bigger. 133 00:15:05,471 --> 00:15:08,573 It's a victory for the sitting tenant. 134 00:15:15,814 --> 00:15:18,349 There's another goby behind him. 135 00:15:23,489 --> 00:15:27,458 She's hanging upside down, and she's laying eggs. 136 00:15:34,333 --> 00:15:39,671 The victory over the den gave her a place to spawn in safety. 137 00:15:49,014 --> 00:15:52,116 The old, simple life of Satoyama communities 138 00:15:52,251 --> 00:15:57,288 is attracting some young Japanese back from the cities. 139 00:16:06,966 --> 00:16:08,766 It's June. 140 00:16:08,901 --> 00:16:12,070 4 months after hungry flames licked the air. 141 00:16:12,204 --> 00:16:15,740 Reeds that rose from the ashes now reach overhead. 142 00:16:19,144 --> 00:16:22,914 The marshy landscape takes on its summer look. 143 00:16:29,989 --> 00:16:33,624 The dense growth is almost like a jungle. 144 00:16:38,163 --> 00:16:40,565 A world filled with tiny lives. 145 00:16:46,338 --> 00:16:49,507 Each single reed stem is a microcosm. 146 00:16:52,511 --> 00:16:57,181 Tiny organisms called pseudo plankton live on their surface. 147 00:17:00,619 --> 00:17:05,156 Forests of tentacles reach out to seize organic material. 148 00:17:27,980 --> 00:17:32,884 Earlier, in spring, young carp hatched in the flooded fields. 149 00:17:33,986 --> 00:17:36,320 They stay there for about 3 months. 150 00:17:38,991 --> 00:17:40,925 The reed beds are their nurseries 151 00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:42,593 where they have plenty to eat 152 00:17:42,728 --> 00:17:45,329 and are concealed from predatory birds. 153 00:17:48,500 --> 00:17:51,335 An infant fish meets a sudden end 154 00:17:53,005 --> 00:17:54,405 ...it's been grabbed. 155 00:18:00,279 --> 00:18:02,480 The attacker is the larva 156 00:18:02,614 --> 00:18:04,949 of Japan's largest dragonfly. 157 00:18:11,623 --> 00:18:15,793 This aggressive ambusher hides in sand or gravel. 158 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:32,910 Only its head protrudes, as it lies in wait for its prey. 159 00:18:42,087 --> 00:18:46,557 Its correct name is the golden-ringed dragonfly. 160 00:18:47,326 --> 00:18:50,128 But to the Japanese, and to Sangoro 161 00:18:50,329 --> 00:18:54,565 in its adult form, it's the king of dragonflies. 162 00:18:59,004 --> 00:19:02,039 Chicks accompany a parent coot. 163 00:19:03,942 --> 00:19:06,310 Now is the best time to find food. 164 00:19:11,049 --> 00:19:13,217 An adult calls in warning. 165 00:19:20,626 --> 00:19:23,895 The cause the coots' number one enemy a weasel 166 00:19:24,029 --> 00:19:26,964 egg-thief and baby-coot-snatcher. 167 00:19:31,303 --> 00:19:33,371 A narrow escape. 168 00:19:33,505 --> 00:19:36,440 Waterfowl have to guard against foxes and snakes too. 169 00:19:39,478 --> 00:19:42,480 For safety, grebes make floating fortresses 170 00:19:42,614 --> 00:19:45,049 anchored to firmly-rooted plants. 171 00:19:49,988 --> 00:19:53,824 An adult bird is particularly alert while the eggs are hatching 172 00:19:58,997 --> 00:20:01,499 Each grebe has its own territory. 173 00:20:01,633 --> 00:20:05,436 And each nests at the same place every year. 174 00:20:11,677 --> 00:20:13,177 Here comes Sangoro. 175 00:20:13,345 --> 00:20:15,513 The birds know him already. 176 00:20:15,681 --> 00:20:17,682 This is his regular route. 177 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:30,127 He spends two hours 178 00:20:30,262 --> 00:20:32,897 checking all the traps he set yesterday. 179 00:20:38,470 --> 00:20:42,773 His work done, Sangoro returns to the landing stage. 180 00:20:49,381 --> 00:20:52,283 You should see the ones that got away! 181 00:21:05,330 --> 00:21:08,599 Turning muddy banks into reed beds has paid dividends. 182 00:21:08,734 --> 00:21:12,370 He has nearly 50 fish in all, of 8 different types. 183 00:21:12,838 --> 00:21:21,178 Carp, carp, catfish, catfish... 184 00:21:23,515 --> 00:21:26,150 Sangoro won't eat the smallest fish. 185 00:21:26,318 --> 00:21:28,019 He puts them aside. 186 00:21:35,694 --> 00:21:38,195 He will share his good fortune. 187 00:21:41,633 --> 00:21:45,036 The grey heron knows what will happen next. 188 00:21:47,873 --> 00:21:51,208 Sangoro finishes cleaning out his boat. 189 00:21:51,343 --> 00:21:54,712 And another pair of eyes watches his every move. 190 00:21:57,716 --> 00:21:59,016 Each fishing season 191 00:21:59,151 --> 00:22:02,053 this kite pays Sangoro a visit. 192 00:22:06,124 --> 00:22:07,625 When Sangoro leaves 193 00:22:07,759 --> 00:22:10,828 the grey heron doesn't wait any longer. 194 00:22:11,997 --> 00:22:14,332 It's happy to clear up. 195 00:22:19,671 --> 00:22:22,273 Sangoro left the tiddlers for the birds. 196 00:22:22,407 --> 00:22:26,644 It's his way of sharing nature's riches with those around him. 197 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,123 And they are only too pleased to take part. 198 00:23:02,647 --> 00:23:06,050 The kite will take the fish back to hungry chicks. 199 00:23:16,661 --> 00:23:19,997 Where the village houses crowd most closely together 200 00:23:20,165 --> 00:23:23,234 above a garden a lone pine towers. 201 00:23:23,668 --> 00:23:26,570 On a branch is a large nest. 202 00:23:48,026 --> 00:23:49,627 There are 2 chicks there. 203 00:23:49,761 --> 00:23:54,198 They are developing steadily, under the watchful eyes of the villagers. 204 00:24:07,646 --> 00:24:13,884 Sangoro's gift is a token of the village's close ties with wildlife. 205 00:24:27,999 --> 00:24:32,169 For Sangoro fishing is not just a job. 206 00:24:34,673 --> 00:24:36,440 Fishing is fun. 207 00:24:37,442 --> 00:24:40,010 It's exciting to see them caught in the trap. 208 00:24:40,679 --> 00:24:43,380 The traps capture relatively small numbers of fish 209 00:24:43,515 --> 00:24:46,517 but this means stocks aren't depleted. 210 00:24:48,019 --> 00:24:50,020 It's a battle of wits. 211 00:24:51,089 --> 00:24:55,626 I have to trick the fish. 212 00:24:56,895 --> 00:24:58,863 When I don't catch one 213 00:24:59,831 --> 00:25:03,601 I think: "The fish was just too smart". 214 00:25:04,803 --> 00:25:06,070 But you live and learn. 215 00:25:06,204 --> 00:25:09,640 Taking from nature without exhausting its supply is practiced 216 00:25:09,774 --> 00:25:11,976 throughout Satoyama. 217 00:25:15,814 --> 00:25:17,915 Reeds will make blinds 218 00:25:18,049 --> 00:25:20,985 indispensable in the glare of the Japanese summer. 219 00:25:25,156 --> 00:25:27,958 The stems are left for a year to season. 220 00:25:28,093 --> 00:25:30,561 Then each is straightened. 221 00:25:35,834 --> 00:25:38,502 Local materials find a use locally. 222 00:25:46,177 --> 00:25:50,481 It is 5 days since the gobies first laid eggs in the village channel. 223 00:26:07,566 --> 00:26:10,434 The male is still around. 224 00:26:14,139 --> 00:26:17,374 He's very protective, keeping predators away 225 00:26:17,509 --> 00:26:20,411 and taking great care of his offspring. 226 00:26:25,150 --> 00:26:28,652 Golden eyes peer out of the egg capsules. 227 00:26:29,654 --> 00:26:32,256 They are ready to break out. 228 00:26:47,339 --> 00:26:51,675 The anxious father fans them, keeping them oxygenated. 229 00:27:07,792 --> 00:27:11,996 The newly-hatched young are barely the size of a match head. 230 00:27:12,631 --> 00:27:17,101 Tiny as they are, they are about to embark on a journey. 231 00:27:24,476 --> 00:27:28,979 They will ride the current the two kilometers to Lake Biwa. 232 00:27:29,147 --> 00:27:32,483 There they will feed on the abundant plankton. 233 00:27:37,656 --> 00:27:40,257 At the same time, another new life 234 00:27:40,392 --> 00:27:43,260 is about to undergo a striking change. 235 00:27:51,670 --> 00:27:54,672 The larva of a golden-ringed dragonfly. 236 00:27:58,677 --> 00:28:01,645 In the dark, hidden from predators 237 00:28:01,780 --> 00:28:04,948 it quietly begins its metamorphosis. 238 00:28:45,990 --> 00:28:49,393 The larva is now a fully-winged dragonfly. 239 00:28:49,994 --> 00:28:51,528 In ten days 240 00:28:51,863 --> 00:28:56,433 it will be sexually mature and ready to trigger the next generation. 241 00:29:48,653 --> 00:29:52,089 In the sticky heat of mid-July villagers gather. 242 00:30:04,002 --> 00:30:06,770 Overgrown banks block the stream. 243 00:30:06,905 --> 00:30:10,007 Time to clear the water plants. 244 00:30:11,609 --> 00:30:15,879 20 families band together for their part of the channel. 245 00:30:17,015 --> 00:30:18,282 For the villagers 246 00:30:18,416 --> 00:30:22,352 it's a welcome task their ancestors carried out for hundreds of years. 247 00:30:25,023 --> 00:30:28,225 For the fish in the creek, it's a huge nuisance! 248 00:30:28,359 --> 00:30:29,693 Flushed out of the shady vegetation 249 00:30:29,828 --> 00:30:32,629 they seek refuge elsewhere. 250 00:30:41,940 --> 00:30:44,541 It's the children's big moment. 251 00:31:06,497 --> 00:31:09,666 "It's a huge carp! Wow, amazing!" 252 00:31:15,006 --> 00:31:19,543 "It's enormous! Well done! Well done!" 253 00:31:22,013 --> 00:31:26,917 With wild creatures are so close, children experience nature directly. 254 00:31:31,189 --> 00:31:34,825 Fish and birds are an everyday part of their lives. 255 00:31:49,908 --> 00:31:53,210 3 months have elapsed at Sangoro's house. 256 00:31:53,344 --> 00:31:57,447 Sangoro's wife Chikano washes the fish salted in Spring. 257 00:32:03,588 --> 00:32:06,490 Next she will bury them in rice. 258 00:32:13,564 --> 00:32:16,233 Sangoro's job is the backbreaking bit! 259 00:32:25,610 --> 00:32:28,111 First they lay out the fish evenly. 260 00:32:28,846 --> 00:32:30,614 Then they cover them. 261 00:32:31,015 --> 00:32:33,016 They build up several layers. 262 00:32:44,228 --> 00:32:46,263 The rice starch feeds microorganisms 263 00:32:46,397 --> 00:32:48,165 that cause fermentation. 264 00:32:57,542 --> 00:32:59,609 "Can I add one more layer?" 265 00:32:59,978 --> 00:33:01,845 "Yes, another layer should be fine?" 266 00:33:03,815 --> 00:33:05,549 With nature's blessing 267 00:33:05,683 --> 00:33:09,820 the Funazushi will be good again this year. 268 00:33:19,998 --> 00:33:21,932 After the clean-up 269 00:33:22,066 --> 00:33:24,835 the channel runs smooth and clear. 270 00:33:24,969 --> 00:33:27,671 Small fry are encouraged to return. 271 00:33:33,678 --> 00:33:36,747 The young gobies are now the size of a fingernail 272 00:33:36,881 --> 00:33:39,549 ten times as big as they were. 273 00:33:48,693 --> 00:33:52,129 The hatchlings from the village 274 00:33:52,263 --> 00:33:55,632 have spent 2 months feeding on Lake Biwa's plankton. 275 00:34:05,810 --> 00:34:07,344 They press on upstream. 276 00:34:07,478 --> 00:34:11,248 No obstacle deters them; not even vertical walls. 277 00:34:25,329 --> 00:34:27,531 Inland, the channel narrows. 278 00:34:27,665 --> 00:34:31,868 And ahead lies something only too keen to greet them. 279 00:34:53,858 --> 00:34:57,027 It's a Japanese keelback. 280 00:34:59,363 --> 00:35:03,033 It feeds on fish, which is unusual for terrestrial snakes. 281 00:35:24,822 --> 00:35:28,558 The quick brown keelback catches the lazy goby.... 282 00:35:48,012 --> 00:35:51,882 Those who escape continue their travels upstream. 283 00:35:52,016 --> 00:35:56,253 They must avoid herons and carnivorous fish too. 284 00:35:59,190 --> 00:36:03,260 The little gobies must find somewhere safe from ambushes. 285 00:36:09,634 --> 00:36:12,903 They bump into a row of fence posts. 286 00:36:13,037 --> 00:36:16,907 Inside are carp, which won't attack them. 287 00:36:22,980 --> 00:36:26,816 It's the channel that carries away the household's used water. 288 00:37:24,642 --> 00:37:28,378 Sangoro's pool offers the young goby sanctuary 289 00:37:28,512 --> 00:37:31,982 even if he will have to do the dishes! 290 00:37:38,990 --> 00:37:42,225 The villagers endure the humid days of late summer 291 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,761 with their natural neighbors. 292 00:38:57,835 --> 00:38:59,002 It's a drowsy afternoon. 293 00:38:59,670 --> 00:39:03,840 The moist air drains everyone's energy. 294 00:39:35,973 --> 00:39:37,741 The temperature of the spring water in the house pools 295 00:39:37,875 --> 00:39:41,344 remains a constant pleasure. 296 00:40:24,688 --> 00:40:26,189 "Oh, it's lovely and cool." 297 00:41:08,833 --> 00:41:14,204 At last the fiery summer burns itself out. 298 00:41:25,683 --> 00:41:28,852 Autumn brings welcome fresh breezes. 299 00:41:30,020 --> 00:41:32,522 It is time to gather rice 300 00:41:32,656 --> 00:41:35,091 the staple food of the Japanese. 301 00:41:39,630 --> 00:41:42,398 As the rice dries in the autumn sun 302 00:41:42,533 --> 00:41:45,535 the smell of hay spreads across the fields. 303 00:41:56,046 --> 00:41:59,816 With the harvest in, it's the time to give thanks. 304 00:42:00,484 --> 00:42:04,254 Sangoro picks 2 live fish from the house-pool. 305 00:42:15,666 --> 00:42:17,433 They will survive. 306 00:42:17,568 --> 00:42:20,904 But tomorrow is the day the God of the rice paddy 307 00:42:21,038 --> 00:42:23,006 goes back to the mountains. 308 00:42:24,174 --> 00:42:27,143 He won't depart without being given offerings 309 00:42:27,278 --> 00:42:32,415 rice cakes, sake, white radishes, and the fresh fish. 310 00:42:40,691 --> 00:42:45,762 Sangoro believes that the God of his rice paddy will eat before leaving. 311 00:42:46,163 --> 00:42:50,466 The god will return next spring, when rice is sown again. 312 00:43:01,078 --> 00:43:04,414 Each element in nature has its own god 313 00:43:04,548 --> 00:43:07,717 every tree, rock and stream 314 00:43:07,851 --> 00:43:10,086 8 million gods of nature in all. 315 00:43:13,324 --> 00:43:17,660 Prayer and ritual express Sangoro's gratitude. 316 00:43:18,395 --> 00:43:21,064 He is almost totally self sufficient 317 00:43:21,198 --> 00:43:23,466 thanks to the gifts of nature. 318 00:43:29,940 --> 00:43:33,276 It's December. Winter's harshness looms. 319 00:43:40,551 --> 00:43:42,585 Bitter winds start to gust from the lake; 320 00:43:42,753 --> 00:43:46,789 sturdy green gives way to brittle gold. 321 00:43:50,027 --> 00:43:53,096 9 months have passed 322 00:43:53,230 --> 00:43:55,365 since the scorched earth sent out shoots. 323 00:44:02,306 --> 00:44:05,775 Now the reeds soar above. 324 00:44:05,909 --> 00:44:09,646 The slender stems will make screens and thatch. 325 00:44:33,003 --> 00:44:34,604 The farmers cut carefully: 326 00:44:34,738 --> 00:44:37,674 They don't snap or bend the long stalks. 327 00:44:48,318 --> 00:44:50,353 Practice has made them perfect. 328 00:45:15,646 --> 00:45:20,149 They heap the bundles into a tent-like shape called a Round Stand. 329 00:45:20,984 --> 00:45:25,154 The stands will be left to dry all through the winter. 330 00:45:45,008 --> 00:45:48,010 The stands are visible reminders of the close connection 331 00:45:48,178 --> 00:45:51,848 between the farmers and the environment they have created. 332 00:46:07,631 --> 00:46:12,034 Winter grips the North of Lake Biwa. 333 00:46:21,311 --> 00:46:24,313 The reed beds show no sign of life. 334 00:46:34,925 --> 00:46:35,792 But 335 00:46:35,926 --> 00:46:40,329 even snow can't totally erase the traces of spring. 336 00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:47,003 In Sangoro's house the local delicacy is finally ready. 337 00:46:52,342 --> 00:46:55,278 He caught the carp in his trap in Spring. 338 00:46:56,013 --> 00:46:57,847 He and his wife salted them 339 00:46:58,282 --> 00:47:01,784 and when summer came, covered them in rice to ferment. 340 00:47:02,286 --> 00:47:04,821 Now a further 6 months have passed. 341 00:47:11,628 --> 00:47:13,563 They will eat both fish and rice. 342 00:47:15,799 --> 00:47:18,968 Inside is more evidence of nature's bounty 343 00:47:20,971 --> 00:47:22,972 orange eggs. 344 00:47:31,481 --> 00:47:35,384 Sangoro invites his neighbors to share the Funazushi. 345 00:47:41,491 --> 00:47:43,626 After half a year of maturing 346 00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:46,929 the fish has the sour taste of cheese. 347 00:47:49,666 --> 00:47:53,603 Slow food that is endlessly satisfying. 348 00:47:55,105 --> 00:47:57,707 Preparation, preservation and finally appreciation 349 00:47:57,841 --> 00:47:59,108 and finally appreciation 350 00:47:59,243 --> 00:48:02,945 the precious pleasures of people living close to nature. 351 00:48:08,151 --> 00:48:12,021 Right next to their dining room, there is the basin full to the brim. 352 00:48:12,623 --> 00:48:15,191 It's cool in summer, warm in winter. 353 00:48:26,136 --> 00:48:29,405 The Japanese describe tight-knit relationships 354 00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:31,641 as being "as close as water and fish". 355 00:48:32,209 --> 00:48:34,610 Intimate and inseparable. 356 00:48:35,979 --> 00:48:39,882 Like the pool and its little refugee. 357 00:48:44,254 --> 00:48:47,490 The goby sits in a quiet corner 358 00:48:47,624 --> 00:48:49,992 waiting for spring. 359 00:49:07,611 --> 00:49:10,613 March finally comes round again. 360 00:49:13,283 --> 00:49:15,952 The reed beds have slept throughout the winter. 361 00:49:16,520 --> 00:49:20,690 Now the first rays of sun coax warmth into them. 362 00:49:30,968 --> 00:49:35,972 Once more the silence yields to sounds of life. 363 00:49:43,647 --> 00:49:48,985 As the rhythm of the year picks up, so do lives, human and animal. 364 00:49:56,159 --> 00:50:00,997 The Japanese have another saying "Water comes, the fish live." 365 00:50:01,531 --> 00:50:04,300 They mean that when the right time comes 366 00:50:04,434 --> 00:50:07,003 everything will be fine. 367 00:50:14,344 --> 00:50:16,345 Sangoro knows that 368 00:50:16,480 --> 00:50:21,017 in the way of Satoyama, everything has its season. 369 00:50:32,195 --> 00:50:34,330 Together Satoyama people and nature 370 00:50:34,464 --> 00:50:39,268 weave life into a seamless fabric 371 00:50:39,469 --> 00:50:44,273 blessed by water circling on its journey without end. 372 00:50:50,347 --> 00:50:54,884 A new season, a new year, a new cycle 373 00:50:55,018 --> 00:00:00,-001 all begin in Japan's Secret Watergarden.