RUDY MAXA'S WORLD: THE TASTE OF JAPAN takes an in-depth look at the places in Japan that many visitors miss, as well as the food that makes Japanese cuisine one of the world's most admired. Along with Tokyo-born, Washington, D.C. restauranteur Daisuke Utagawa, host Rudy Maxa tours Tokyo, the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, and the southern, subtropical island of Kyushu. Along the way, they pay special attention to local producers of such Japanese cuisine as Wagu beef, ramen, sushi, black pork, rice, pasta and vinegars, and discuss how the cuisine ties in centrally with Japanese culture. In the one-hour special, Rudy goes beyond the more heavily touristed cities of Tokyo and Kyoto and shows the range of climates and attractions across the country. While eight feet of snow lined the roads of Hokkaido, where ramen reigns, it was palm trees and cherry blossoms on Kuyshu, where visitors relax by being buried up to their necks in sand made hot from natural springs.
