Famed British actress Joanna Lumley does another one of her travelogues. She has created a niche of gentle journeys to foreign lands with a good amount of social commentary. In this one, she travels to the land of the rising sun, Japan. It's a short and sweet three episode series. The first episode has her start from the north. She visits a sake brewery, monkeys, the Fukushima exclusion zone, and an old man from a disappearing minority. The second episode has her visiting Tokyo and Kyoto. The last episode has her island-hopping south. Among her stops are a fertility Buddhist temple, a robot hotel, a school in Nagasaki, a radish farm in the shadow of an active volcano, Okinawa, and a singing group of elders.
The first episode's emotional highlight is the old man and his daughter. It's interesting to see sake being made. The second episode is a bit bland. Tokyo has been done to death and it's a little silly to see her overjoyed at shopping. Lots of this feels touristy. The girl group is a little creepy. It's like National Geographic going to and admiring a strip club. It's weird. Otherwise, it still has plenty of charming old school Japan. The third episode is fun, charming, and touching. The kids bowing to peace is poignant. I like Joanna going to out-of-the-way places and presenting different people. She does go too far at times pushing her social views. One does know what to expect from her.
The first episode's emotional highlight is the old man and his daughter. It's interesting to see sake being made. The second episode is a bit bland. Tokyo has been done to death and it's a little silly to see her overjoyed at shopping. Lots of this feels touristy. The girl group is a little creepy. It's like National Geographic going to and admiring a strip club. It's weird. Otherwise, it still has plenty of charming old school Japan. The third episode is fun, charming, and touching. The kids bowing to peace is poignant. I like Joanna going to out-of-the-way places and presenting different people. She does go too far at times pushing her social views. One does know what to expect from her.