麻豆社

Michael begins his journey in Japan鈥檚 dynamic second city, Osaka, famous for its food culture, its nightlife and its friendly people. Using the city鈥檚 metro system, he heads for the bustling Shinsekai neighbourhood to taste the city鈥檚 signature dish - fried octopus balls.

Michael explores the artistic and cultural phenomenon of manga, the Japanese comics that have taken the world by storm, pays homage to the godfather of manga, Osamu Tezuka, and becomes the subject of his own railway manga.

Michael鈥檚 next journey is on one of Japan鈥檚 world-famous bullet trains, the Shinkansen. He meets an engineer, ex-Shinkansen driver and now Japan Rail executive to find out about the bullet train鈥檚 amazing history and is blown away by the extraordinary next generation of trains, the maglev.

Finally, Michael arrives in Nagoya, Japan鈥檚 manufacturing hub, and outside the city is a factory that makes one of the country鈥檚 most talked about exports - the smart loo.