EBS documentary series World Theme Travel heads to Hokkaido this week for a four-part journey led by internationally acclaimed photographer Kim Hong-hee, whose work earned recognition from Nikon as one of its "20 Photographers of the World." Rather than following a conventional sightseeing route, the series explores Japan's northernmost island through changing light, seasonal landscapes and the everyday lives of the people who inhabit them.
Across four episodes, Kim travels from vibrant cities and working fishing ports to volcanic valleys, rural farmland and remote coastlines, revealing an island where every season reshapes the scenery. His photographs become less about iconic landmarks than about fleeting moments created by weather, time and place.
The journey begins in Sapporo, where spring announces itself with blooming lilacs in Odori Park. From the observation deck of the Sapporo TV Tower, the city's orderly streets unfold below, while historic streetcars continue to roll through neighborhoods that preserve a slower rhythm of urban life. The episode also introduces Hokkaido's famous jingisukan, the grilled lamb specialty long associated with the city.
Farther north, Abashiri welcomes spring with its lively horsehair crab festival, where traces of winter still linger along the Sea of Okhotsk. In Takikawa, vast fields of canola flowers transform working farmland into brilliant shades of yellow, before the route reaches Cape Kamui, where the striking turquoise waters known as Shakotan Blue meet dramatic coastal cliffs.
The second episode shifts to Otaru, where the historic canal district takes on an entirely different atmosphere after dark. Gas lamps illuminate the waterfront, reflections ripple across the water and the city's preserved warehouses recall its days as one of Hokkaido's busiest trading ports. A visit to the Otaru Music Box Museum offers another window into the city's history before the journey climbs into the mountains of Shimukappu.
At Tomamu's Unkai Terrace, visitors ascend above a sea of clouds that has become one of Hokkaido's signature natural spectacles. The day concludes in the port city of Tomakomai, where fresh salmon rice bowls and locally harvested surf clams reflect the region's enduring connection to the sea.
Rail travel takes center stage in the third chapter as the route stretches across central and northern Hokkaido. Noboribetsu's Jigokudani reveals steaming volcanic vents and sulfur-rich valleys shaped by geothermal activity, while nearby hot springs demonstrate the island's powerful natural forces.
The journey continues through Asahikawa before arriving in Biei, where the Blue Pond, Shirahige Falls and gently rolling hills have made the region one of Japan's most celebrated landscape photography destinations. Farther north, Wakkanai marks Japan's northernmost city, leading to Cape Soya, where visitors stand at the country's northern edge facing the distant shores of Sakhalin.
The final episode follows Hokkaido's northern coastline from Wakkanai Port and its iconic Breakwater Dome to the rugged wilderness of Shiretoko National Park, part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Towering cliffs, dense forests and untouched shorelines reveal one of Japan's most pristine natural environments.
Returning to Hakodate, the series revisits the island's rich history through the star-shaped Goryokaku Fort, the city's red-brick warehouses and streets that preserve the legacy of one of Japan's earliest international ports. The journey concludes atop Mount Hakodate, where one of Japan's most celebrated night views brings together the harbor, surrounding mountains and sea in a panoramic finale that reflects the spirit of the entire expedition.
World Theme Travel: Hokkaido Through Four Seasons airs July 6-9 at 8:40 p.m. KST on EBS 1.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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