Part 3

Synopsis

British novelist Marcel Theroux is fascinated by Wabi Sabi, a theory of Japanese aesthetics in which imperfection and transience are the touchstone of beauty.

The Japanese say that if you can understand Wabi Sabi, you will understand Japan and the Japanese. Yet at the same time they have immense difficulty in explaining the concept themselves, so Marcel travels across Japan, from Tokyo to Kyoto and then on to the mountains of Fukui, trying to unravel the meaning of this baffling concept that is at the heart of what makes the Japanese tick.

It is a challenging, funny and ultimately moving journey that starts under the bright neon lights and craziness of Tokyo and ends in an austere Zen Temple in the snowy foothills of Japan's eastern mountains.

Related Links

• Japanese word of the day

Credits

Presenter

Marcel Theroux

Director

Richard Alwyn

Producer

Richard Alwyn

Broadcasts

1. Mon 16 Mar 2009
   21:00
   BBC Four
2. Tue 17 Mar 2009
   00:25
   BBC Four
3. Sat 21 Mar 2009
   22:00
   BBC Four
4. Thu 2 Apr 2009
   21:00
   BBC HD
5. Mon 25 May 2009
   22:00
   BBC HD
6. Mon 1 Jun 2009
   22:00
   BBC HD
7. Mon 8 Jun 2009
   22:00
   BBC HD
8. Mon 27 Jul 2009
   22:30
   BBC HD
9. Mon 3 Aug 2009
   22:30
   BBC HD
10. Mon 10 Aug 2009
    22:30
    BBC HD