Crested Ibises

The crested ibis (scientific name Nipponia nippon) has beautiful pale rosy feathers that have been loved in Japan for centuries. The crested ibis used to live all over Japan, but at one point, because of overhunting and the destruction of its natural habitat, it disappeared from the wild. After a lot of hard work, crested ibises were successfully bred in captivity. And several years ago, they were reintroduced into the wild in Japan. Currently, the crested ibis lives in just one place in Japan: Sado Island. Farmers in Sado are working hard to create a pure natural habitat for the ibises. Some of them are tending their rice fields without any agricultural chemicals. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is crested ibises. The story of this bird's disappearance and eventual revival reveals various ways in which people are learning to coexist with the natural world.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows

Big Brother
Big Brother follows a group of people living together in a house outfitted with dozens of high-definition cameras and microphones recording their every move, 24 hours a day. Each week, the Houseguests will vote someone out of the house. At the end, the last remaining Houseguest will receive the grand prize of $500,000.

World War II with Tom Hanks
For eighty years, the Second World War has remained the most devastating and defining conflict in human history. World War II with Tom Hanks is a landmark documentary event that reexamines the war through the lens of a new century. Told over twenty hours and guided by Tom Hanks, whose lifelong passion for this history has shaped some of the most profound screen portrayals of the era, the series captures the full arc of the war — from the rise of fascism in Europe to the fall of Berlin, from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima, and the uneasy peace that follows. Each episode uncovers new dimensions of the conflict: the decisions that shaped the battlefield, the unseen networks that sustained the war effort, and the aftershocks that still shape our world today. "World War II with Tom Hanks" is the definitive retelling of that story for a new generation: a sweeping, deeply human portrait of how the modern world was forged in the fires of global war.

Harry Wild
Literature professor Harriet "Harry" Wild is adjusting to retirement when she's mugged. While recovering at the home of her son, a detective in the Dublin police, Harry gleans a clue for his current case. But when she's rebuffed, Harry decides to solve the crime herself. Recruiting an unlikely young sidekick, she finds a new path as a private investigator.

King of the Hill
King of the Hill follows the life of Hank Hill, his wife Peggy, their 13-year-old son Bobby, their 18-year-old niece Luanne, her husband Lucky, their newborn baby girl Gracie and his beer guzzling neighborhood buddies, Dale, Bill and Boomhauer.

Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens explores the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years. From the age of the dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the US, each episode in this hit History series gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, first-hand accounts and grounded theories surrounding this age old debate. Did intelligent beings from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago?