The Giants: From Hawaii To Sumo Legends

Looks into the lives of legendary sumo wrestlers who come from humble beginnings in Hawaii and become the first foreigners to rise to the highest ranks in Japan.

Lost in Tokyo

Japanese Language and People

A ten-part series on Japanese language and culture.

Japan with Sue Perkins

From sumo wrestling to robots, Japan's traditions and high-tech innovations fuel host Sue Perkin's cultural exploration in this docuseries.

Barakan Discovers

Peter Barakan is a broadcaster and a 45-year resident of Japan. In this series, he discovers how Japan is changing.

A Culture Built with Wood

Forests cover close to 70 percent of Japan's land area. Japan's climate varies significantly from north to south, making it home to diverse forests. These forests have been an intrinsic part of Japanese culture since time immemorial.

Emperor Akihito

Akihito, the Emperor of Japan, abdicated on April 30, 2019. This 3-parts NHK World documentary series chronicles the life of a former "divine child" who became the symbol of the Japanese State when he ascended the throne in 1989.

Explore Japan

Japan continues to thrive as it incorporates cultural elements of music, fashion, cuisine, sports, arts and science from around the world. People’s encounters trigger the fusion of Japan’s and the world’s diverse culture, unceasingly producing a myriad of new phenomena and events. This series will feature how various culture in modern Japan and overseas blend together and influence each other.

japan sense of seasons

Naomi in Japan

What comes to mind when you say Japan? Sushi or cupping geishas? The Land of the Rising Sun offers so much more. Naomi Adachi is half Czech, half Japanese. She often visits her second home to visit family and friends, and this time she's taking you with her. She will introduce you to the beauty of Japan, its traditional customs and everyday life in her own unique style. And of course, there will be plenty of food!

Our Guy in Japan

Truck mechanic and motorcycle racer Guy Martin goes on an off-beat 2500-mile journey around Japan to find out how it really works.

Think You Know Kansai?

Ukiyoe EDO-LIFE

Centuries ago, Tokyo was known as Edo. More than a million people enjoyed life in this small but abundant city. They live on in ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Each episode is a deep dive into a single print, and an exploration of the soul of Old Tokyo. We examine works by artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige not just for their aesthetic and historical value, but for the stories they tell of everyday life. That is how the people of Edo themselves enjoyed this mass-produced medium.

Magical Japanese

Explore the richness and depth of the Japanese language and discover how words and expressions reflect history, culture and the natural world.

Cycle Around Japan

Come ride with us! Bicycle through the scenery of Japan, stay with locals and discover hidden traditions in a Japan you didn't know existed.

Japanese Style Originator

Find out everything there is to know about Japanese tradition, from food to culture to objects and arts, and the people who are continuing it today.

Japanology Plus

Host Peter Barakan delves into various aspects of Japanese culture; exploring practices, history, and modern innovations in such areas as ramen, rice, sushi, geisha, bonsai, and so much more. Local experts discuss their passions at fascinating length, and American Japanophile Matt Alt experiences the food, practices, and cultures in each episode in depth. Viewers will finish each half hour episode with a new understanding of an area of Japanese life through demonstrative videos and explanations, all delivered respectfully and true to the Japanese way of life.

Nanairo no Suisou

The theatrical aquarium "átoa" that opened in Kobe is a new bayside landmark that offers new discoveries and impressions through exhibits that fuse art and aquarium. It is a new landmark in the bayside area of Kobe. A mini drama about a fish-viewing manual for modern people, set in an aquarium where you can be soothed by colorful creatures.

Begin Japanology mini

Trivia on aspects of Japan's unique culture and products that reflect the aesthetic sense and values of the Japanese people.

Asie Insolite Compile

How Do They Do It?

An insider's look at the engineering and scientific miracles behind the things that form the modern world.

Trust Me: The False Prophet

In this true-crime documentary, a cult expert and filmmaker infiltrate a polygamist sect to expose a self-proclaimed prophet and bring him to justice.

Top Gear

Motoring programme featuring reviews of and reports about cars of all types.

MOURINHO

This trophy-packed, insider-fuelled documentary charts José Mourinho's iconic rise as one of the world's top footballing managers of the most elite clubs.

MegaStructures

MegaStructures is a documentary television series appearing on the National Geographic Channel in the United States and the United Kingdom, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, France 5 in France, and 7mate in Australia. Each episode is an educational look of varying depth into the construction, operation, and staffing of various structures or construction projects, but not ordinary construction products. Generally containing interviews with designers and project managers, it presents the problems of construction and the methodology or techniques used to overcome obstacles. In some cases this involved the development of new materials or products that are now in general use within the construction industry. MegaStructures focuses on constructions that are extreme; in the sense that they are the biggest, tallest, longest, or deepest in the world. Alternatively, a project may appear if it had an element of novelty or are a world first. This type of project is known as a Megaproject.

The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy

Award-winning actor and nervous explorer Eugene Levy steps out of his comfort zone for a whirlwind tour of the world's most beautiful and intriguing destinations.

World War II with Tom Hanks

Explores WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age, examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt, and the human cost of total war.

Deadly Women

This compelling series investigates the motives and m.o. of female murderers. While males are often driven by anger, impulse and destruction, women usually have more complex, long-term reasons to kill.

The Circus

Come one, come all to The Circus. This real-time documentary series pulls back the curtain on the current political stories, revealing the intense, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines. Key characters and events are presented in real time, as they are happening.

Behind the Attraction

Learn how popular Disney attractions and destinations came to be, how they have changed over time, and how fans continue to obsess over them.

Long Way Up

The epic motorcycle adventure continues in this third chapter of the Long Way series, as Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman journey to glorious landscapes across South and Central America—on the backs of prototype electric Harley-Davidsons.

Eli Roth's History of Horror

An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.

Earth at Night in Colour

Filmed across six continents, this docuseries uses cutting-edge camera technology to capture animals' nocturnal lives, revealing new behaviours filmed in full color like never before.

History 101

Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.

Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones

Travel around the world with author Dan Buettner to discover five unique communities where people live extraordinarily long and vibrant lives.

Biography

Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987. The older version featured historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or long-dead entertainment figures such as Will Rogers or John Barrymore. The A&E series has placed the emphasis on such people as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo, Freddie Mercury, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Eric Clapton, Pope John Paul II, Gene Tierney, Selena, Diego Rivera, Mao Zedong and Queen Elizabeth II, and fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. The program ended up profiling enough figures that in 1999, A&E spun it off into an entire network, The Biography Channel.

Horizon

Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.

30 for 30

30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

Down to Earth with Zac Efron

Actor Zac Efron journeys around the world with wellness expert Darin Olien in a travel show that explores healthy, sustainable ways to live.

Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God

Chronicles the life and death of Amy Carlson, also known as Mother God, a self-proclaimed spiritual savior who built a cult through her online manifestos and live-streaming sessions. As Amy's health declined, her followers believed her death would lead to her evacuation by UFO and salvation for humanity. Told through the eyes of Amy's devotees and constructed from the cult's archival footage, the three-part docuseries captures the perils of internet proselytizing and a conspiracy-driven faith.