Arita to Fukuoka

Michael arrives in the home of Japanese porcelain, Arita, where a railway line runs straight through the town’s stunning porcelain Shinto shrine. Michael learns about the traditional blue underglaze, gosu, and turns his hand to pottery decoration.

Japan’s volcanic geology means the country is full of thermal spa resorts. Michael stays in a ryokan, a traditional hotel with paper walls and tatami mats where he enjoys a relaxing soak in an onsen, a natural thermal bath.

Michael ends this leg in Fukuoka, Japan’s fasting-growing city, full of young Japanese who flock there for the food culture and entrepreneurial spirit. At one of the city’s many street food stalls, Michael meets the mayor, an ex-TV presenter turned politician who is transforming the city.