Original subtitles

The art of mastery...

it entails precision

and painstaking devotion,

an astute dedication to detail,

an aspiration to set a higher standard.

In Japan, there is a culture of appreciation and refinement.

A virtuosity often imitated

but never replicated anywhere else,

and it's what brings Milo Ventimiglia and me

together for a trip through Old Kyoto and Osaka.

Alright, hit it!

Here we go!

Yeah, baby.

That was crazy!

Stop me if you've heard this one before,

but, Japan and I, we go way back.

As a kid, I spent a year in Shiba,

and Tokyo remains one of my favorite cities in the world.

Kyoto.

But this time, I'm venturing beyond the bright lights

of Japan's capital city to take my first ride to Kyoto.

Have you been here, personally?

No, never. First time here?

Never. First time here, yeah.

How do you like it?

I love Japan.

That's Hideo Wakamatsu,

owner of Kamikaze Pinstripe, a local top-detail shop.

He's showing me around this ancient, traditional city.

Kyoto used to be capital in Japan.

Tradition is very important in Kyoto,

the original culture of Japan.

Tomorrow, my friend Milo Ventimiglia

rolls into town.

He's spent serious time in this part of Japan,

so I'm going to let him lead the way to Osaka.

But today is all about Kyoto.

Along the river to the left,

are these houses or businesses?

Businesses. Then some of them are houses.

That's a cool place to have a house.

Cool, but, you know, Kyoto is definitely small city.

Hideo is part of a Chicano lowrider subculture

that first emerged here back in the '90s,

an homage to the streets of East L.A.

right in the middle of old-world Japan.

I'm excited to meet these lowrider girls.

Oh, yeah. They are so cool.

- Right here. - Right here, yeah.

- Konnichi wa. - Konnichi wa.

- Hi. - Hi.

How are you? I'm Norman.

I know you. Daryl, yes.

Nice to meet you. Hi.

Do you have a name?

- Precious Time. - Precious Time.

Precious Time. Aw, that's so cool.

You're the first girls in Japan

I've seen wearing Dickie's.

Dickie's.

Did you guys build these cars?

Did you paint these cars? Yeah.

They had some shop to build everything, paint.

She put the speaker by herself. Oh, nice.

Nice. Thank you.

Do they bounce? You got hydraulics in them?

For real? These cars are sick.

- Sick. - Very sick, very cool.

Monte Carlo. My mom used to drive this car.

Yeah, yeah.

Yes. So you guys going to take us around?

Little bit of Kyoto. Let's do it.

Let's do it. Let's do it.

- Yeah. - Let's do it.

- Let's go. - Let's do it.

Yeah.

It's so quiet, Japan, on the streets, everywhere.

Yeah. How's that sound in New York?

In New York, it's like, "Honk, honk. you.

You. Honk, honk, honk."

Rolling down the street alongside pimped-out

Monte Carlos, we're headed to Kanga-an Temple

to partake in a slightly more traditional Kyoto experience.

Have you ever hung out with a geisha?

Yeah.

What does a geisha do, exactly?

Pour you some sakes, beers, dance.

They do, like, a traditional dance?

Uh-huh, and some games.

What kind of games?

Well, there's so many.

After you. After you. After you. After you.

After you. After you. After you.

Ah.

Geishas exude old-world mystique,

and their tradition began here in Kyoto.

Since the 18th century, these skilled entertainers

have charmed clients from all across the world.

Aah!

Boom.

You let me win, didn't you?

- This is really good. - Good?

Yeah, it's delicious.

Did you make all this food?

No, we are not allowed to cook.

Oh, wow. What do geishas do?

We perform traditional arts,

dancing, tea ceremony, flute,

drummings, shamisen, three-strings instrument,

and singing. Oh.

Is there a school to learn how to be a geisha?

Not like a normal university,

but we go to lessons early in the morning

to learn all those subjects.

There's no graduation.

Oh. As long as I'm professional,

I need to keep going to the lessons,

so I hope I can continue until I get old.

That's amazing.

What made you want to be a geisha?

I was born in Kyoto, and some of my family members

were working for kimono industry,

so I got interested in Japanese tradition...

Oh, wow. Since when I was little.

I sometimes travel abroad...

Oh, you do? As well, to perform.

Oh, wow. Mm.

What's the farthest you've been to perform?

Maybe France, New Zealand.

What's your favorite movie?

Harry Potter.

Really? Yes.

Okay. Just checking.

Oh, thank you so much. Yeah. It was a pleasure.

Thank you. Fist bump.

Do you fist bump, as a geisha?

Bump.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Lowriders.

All right, brother. Be good.

See you. See you, man.

I think it's going to rain.

Sumo, one of the most iconic Japanese traditions.

With its Shinto roots spanning nearly 2,000 years,

it's the perfect mix of ceremony and spectacle.

So when I found out about the team at Kyoto University,

I made plans to stop by and check out a practice.

Hi. Don't let me interrupt.

Fight.

I've seen the ones, the... the sumo wrestlers on TV,

and they're huge.

Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Students. So I feel like this is an unfair advantage.

Ah. He's bigger.

But he has better skill.

Ah. Important.

Yeah.

Where did this sport come from?

Around 2,000 years ago.

Wow. Really?

The origin of sumo, it was a kind of fighting.

A kind of fighting. Yeah.

What's that called?

Was originally to kill the evil one in the ground.

To kill the evil one in the ground?

Yeah, on the hope that good harvest.

Oh, wow. In the ancient time.

Wow.

But now this is a kind of training for legs.

To get your legs strong. Yes.

We usually do this about 120 times.

Really? Yeah.

Wow.

This means that, "I do not have anything in my hands."

We play sumo fairly.

It's a very honorable sport.

Yeah. Yes.

Fight.

One part chaos, one part composed ritual,

demanding years of regimented discipline, dedication,

and, I'm guessing, a solid appetite.

Thank you so much for showing us around.

- Yeah. - Yeah, what a pleasure.

Yeah. Nice to meet you.

And as night falls on this ancient city,

a tip from my travels...

If you look hard enough, you can find an underground after-hours

just about anywhere, even in old-world Kyoto.

Hello. I'm Nick Yamamoto.

Nick, nice to meet you, man.

I think I'm going to get a cocktail.

And since I'm in Japan, I couldn't be too surprised

when things suddenly got weird.

Yeah. It's probably best that our cameras call it a night.

Today, I'm up early to go meet my friend Milo Ventimiglia.

What's up?

What's up, man?

Ooh.

What's going on? Good to see you, man.

Good to see you, brother. How you been?

I'm good, man. Good to see you.

Whoo.

Been cold for days.

At least the sun came out, though.

Thank God.

I first met him back on the Comic-Con circuit

and became friends with him through our mutual buddy,

Jon Bernthal.

This guy has been all over Japan,

so when I planned this trip,

I knew he had to come along for the ride.

Kanpai.

Kanpai. Cheers.

So what have you been up to?

Tell me... You know,

I know "This Is Us" is, like, killing it.

Yeah. Yeah. Which is great.

Writing is phenomenal.

As an actor, you're looking for those words that are just...

they stick to your brain.

It's one of those jobs I just hope goes on for a while.

How's Bernthal? How's he doing?

Johnny's good. He's always working.

Yeah. And what about you?

You, uh, you're on a break.

You got this show. Where are you, like...

A break? What break? What are you talking about?

An art show here

or a book there, and I'm, you know,

constantly doing something.

Just had a baby.

Yeah. That's great, man.

Congrats, man. Yeah. Thanks, man.

Speaking of Bernthal, he just...

He came to the house, like, a couple weeks ago

and came bearing gifts. Yeah.

You know, he's big with the babies.

I took her, and I went... I went,

"Here, say hi to Uncle Jon,"

and she goes "Waah!" right in his face.

Yeah, dude, yeah.

So what got you into Japan?

How do you know so much about Japan?

When I was a kid, I had to do a report

on the Bushido code of samurai.

There was something about the culture of it that

I just loved, and then, as I got older,

I wanted to know more about Japanese culture,

stuff like that, so I just spent some time over here,

loved it so much, started to learn the language.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

That's awesome. So when you called me like,

"Hey, come out to Kyoto," I was like, "Yeah cool, yeah."

Have you studied martial arts or anything like that?

Man, I think I took karate when I was a kid.

Yeah, and I'm an idiot.

Somebody gave me Chinese throwing stars,

and I'd throw them at everyone.

Yeah.

My entire house would be shredded.

Yeah, dude. Yeah.

Well, thank you for doing this ride, man.

This is going to be fun.

Absolutely. I'm stoked.

Because I lived in Japan

for a little while, in Moto-Okubo in Shiba...

Okay. Like, you know,

when I was in my teens.

I do know that Kyoto used to be the capital.

Yeah. The south of Japan

has a different feel from the north,

like Tokyo to Kyoto.

Kyoto, you can still walk around certain districts

and, like, really see geisha walking around.

I passed a couple of them on the way in.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, speaking of the old with the new,

we're going up in the mountains,

where we're going to meet monks...

Yeah. Who ride motorcycles.

Mm-hmm. I'm excited to meet the monks.

I'm stoked. I mean, I, you know, some friends of mine

that we're going to see I think later today or tomorrow,

I know he's got a couple cool things

that he wants to show you, too.

Right on. Let's get out of here

while we still have some time. Yeah. Let's do it.

Yeah, man.

It's like glass piercing through your skin.

And miss it. Miss it. Miss it.

Go bow to this deer. I want to see it happen.

- Okay, bow? - Bow, bow, yeah.

- Oh! - Oh!

Yeah, what a beautiful day.

Yeah. This is perfect.

That's an awesome pagoda.

Yeah. That's beautiful.

Yeah. Everything over here is just pristine, manicured.

Everything is a pleasant experience.

Give me something to believe in every day ♪

Give me reasons to care

Leaving Kyoto, Milo and I will trek

into the region of Nomanaka to witness a waterfall ritual.

We'll then set off to Nishinomiya,

where we're going to put our archery skills

to the test before arriving in the old merchant city of Osaka

on a 150-kilometer ride.

Give me money when I need it every day ♪

Well, now I need it

While Shintoism is Japan's native religion,

the path to enlightenment for 90 million Japanese

is Zen Buddhism.

Buddhists don't worship any God

but believe meditation and reflection

lead to liberation and eventually nirvana.

- Yeah, look how cute this is. - Japanese mountain town.

The Ewok forest through here.

We're off to visit some monks

who've turned their temple into a biker destination.

Yeah, these monks that ride,

there's a waterfall purification thing.

Yeah, it might be a little cold.

It's supposed to crush your ego.

Crush your ego? Yeah, no, I need my ego.

My ego is the only thing that gets me through the day.

There's no way I'm giving that up.

This is beautiful up here.

This is incredible.

- Hi. - Hi.

What's going on? Hi, guys.

Hi. I'm Norman. Hi.

Nice. Shuke, yeah.

Nice to meet you, Shuke. Nice to meet you.

Yeah. It's a pleasure.

Hi, I'm Norman.

- Nikki. - Hey, Nikki.

- What's up, Nikki? Hi. - Nice to meet you.

You speak Japanese?

So what is this place?

- Temple cafe. - Yeah.

Yeah, many bikers come here to enjoy the view.

Oh, wow. A biker cafe in a temple.

- Yeah. - That sounds rare.

Yeah.

How did it become a motorcycle destination?

Bikes are dangerous, so...

You bless motorcycles?

Of course. Caffeinated and safe.

Yeah. How old is the temple?

- Wow. - Would you like to go see more?

Of course.

Taki is waterfall, and hon is like the main,

so this is the main waterfall temple, literally.

And this gate is meant to symbolize water,

so inside, they worship the God of water.

How long have you both been here?

So they're brothers, and they were born here.

It's their family temple.

Their family is the fifth generation

to look over this temple, but their family name is Noma,

and, traditionally, in this region,

people of the Noma family were always the Buddhists.

- Oh, it's like my name. - Right? Yeah.

- Noma, Norman. Norman, Noma. - Yeah.

We're brothers.

Yeah. We're brothers.

I'm the missing brother from New York

that just showed up.

- Here, we have the waterfall. - Oh, wow.

It's like glass piercing through your skin.

Wow.

Our apprentice monk will now demonstrate.

The taki-go is a way to battle your own demons

and your own will.

So people come here,

and they need to sort of reset their minds and to...

To work harder, to protect their families,

to keep pursuing their goals.

So he can leave as soon as he wants,

but he's battling his own will.

That was amazing.

Go get warm.

And what is... What was it he was saying?

I've heard that chant before.

Yeah, it's a mantra of the Hoki Kyo sect

of Buddhism.

How many times have you gone in there?

This is

Oh, wow. Oh, wow.

From this place? Yes.

Wow.

Oh, thank you so much.

Arigato. Thank you so much.

All right. Here we go. I got a spot.

Here you go.

Boom. Protection.

Protection city.

Arigato.

I like those monks. I feel at peace.

I feel... Yeah.

The evil spirits are warded away.

The bell is doing its job.

Do you speak a lot of Japanese?

Not as much as I used to.

I studied it for two years while I was also shooting

"This Is Us," and then, at a certain point,

the work on the show was just too much,

so I had to take a break from class,

so I kind of speak like a kid nowadays.

Me too, and that's English.

We're traveling to Kashihara Dojo

to partake in the ancient art of Kyudo,

or the way of the bow, but as someone who's

made a living shooting a crossbow on TV,

let me be the first to say it doesn't always go as planned.

This whole complex is just archery?

Wow.

- Hi. - Hi.

So we ask you to wear Japanese socks.

- Sure. - They have fingers separated.

It's a Vulcan sock.

- Take those chairs. - Okay.

This is we call a ceremonial shooting.

They are preparing for shooting.

I love the sound of... slap.

It's such a good sound.

There are two kinds of sound, right?

Hitting a target is one thing,

but sound of bow swing is very important thing.

Better shooting person, better sound.

So we don't have to watch.

We can just listen to see if he has matured.

Oh, wow. Wow.

Now we're going to go shooting.

Okay. Shooting place.

Watch the target.

Please look at your target.

You use this.

Oh, okay. And then...

After nine years and thousands of shots fired,

you'd like to think I could hit any target.

Release.

- Oh. - That was a little high.

I knew that was high before I let it go.

Much better. Much better than ground.

Okay. Yeah.

But, luckily for me, that's not what Kyudo is about.

And miss it. Miss it. Miss it.

Okay.

- Ooh. - That was good.

- Oh, getting there. - That was good.

- One more. - One more.

One more. Let's keep going.

I'm going to hit that thing yet.

The true art lies in the process, in discipline

and in self control, a few things that I...

evidently still could use a little more of.

Oh, so close.

So close.

Almost. Close.

Yeah, the zombie lived today.

Yes, you're exactly right. Very funny.

Very, very funny.

Pleasure. Nice to meet you.

- That was fun. - That was fun.

That was harder than you'd think.

I like being away from all the Hollywood hoopla.

- Yeah. - It's kind of nice

being out in the woods. - I agree.

What are the fans of that show? Are they just insane?

Yeah, super.

You know, you got to a Comic-Con, everybody is like,

"Hey, so what sci-fi thing you promoting?"

and I'm like, "No, 'This Is Us.'"

"This Is Us."

People freak out. They literally go from

seeing you in "Walking Dead"

to come and seeing me in "This Is Us."

With darkness falling in the Land of the Rising Sun,

we're off to meet Milo's buddy

and explore a little bit of Osaka.

Feels nice to walk around, I have to say.

Wow. This is like Times Square.

- It's photo time. - Here you go, Norman.

Check it out, Milo, a tunnel.

So where we headed to now?

Osaka. We're going to go meet up

with my pal Sonny.

We rode from Oregon down to Orange County.

Oh, right on, right on.

We're going to go get some food.

Osaka.

Leaving Nishanomiya, it's a 25-kilometer ride east

across the Odo river into the city of Osaka,

next to Tokyo, Japan's largest and most modern city.

Is that Osaka right there?

Yeah, straight ahead.

Working on a living, got up right into the space ♪

Her finger on a trigger and a smile across her face ♪

Tired of watching life go by beneath feet ♪

They started talking, zipped it up, and hit the street ♪

Oh, yeah. I know where we're at.

Have you been here before?

I have, yeah.

It's like a Japanese version of an arcade of shops.

How cool is this? Oh.

There's Sonny up here on the right.

Yeah.

- Oh. - What's up, dude?

I'm Norman. Nice to meet you.

How are you? Long time, no see.

Yeah.

- I'm starving. - Yeah.

Hi. - Hi.

I like spots like this,

you know what I mean?

This is authentic. This is the real deal.

Norman.

Norman. I know.

Oh, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. Norman.

Oh, you're so warm. Oh.

Yeah. My God.

Ah, this is nice.

Thank you.

Yeah, she ride a Harley Davidson, too.

Lowrider. Oh, nice.

- Oh, lowrider? - Yeah.

Yeah.

- Big sides? - Big sides.

- Okay. - Please.

- What's been going on? Busy? - Still busy.

So explain to me

exactly what you do? So you...

In Japan, you guys do vintage stuff really well here.

Yeah.

Vintage bikes, vintage clothes...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything.

Yeah, mm. Yeah.

I think so. What do you think

the appeal of vintage is in Japan?

Yeah. Yes.

Vintage is like...

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Osaka pizza.

- Is that mayonnaise? - Mayonnaise, yes.

- Is that a kitty cat? - Yeah.

Oh, I dig it.

Mmm.

Mmm. Good?

Osaka pizza.

Mmm. It's so good.

What do you like about Osaka the best?

Osaka?

In Osaka? In Osaka.

Mm-hmm. Oh, did it really?

Yeah, yeah. Oh, wow.

Because a lot of the American service members, like,

the motorcycles that were here from,

like, back in the war time...

Yeah, yeah. Just stayed here.

World War II, yeah. World War II.

They just stayed here. Yeah.

And then they started acquiring them

because people weren't taking care of them back in the States.

They'd buy them in the States and bring them over.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, wow.

Well, that's interesting. I didn't know that.

This was delicious. So we're meeting tomorrow,

and you're going to take us someplace, right?

Yeah, yeah.

We're just going to cruise around with...

With Sonny. Thank you so much.

- Yeah, thank you. - We'll see you tomorrow.

Like Kyoto, Osaka dates back thousands of years,

but unlike its neighbor to the north,

Osaka didn't emerge unscathed from the fury of World War II.

U.S. aerial raids destroyed a third of the city,

bringing this industrial center to a grinding halt.

But through reconstruction, enemies turned allies

as the city rebuilt and a modern hub emerged.

Day three begins with a walk

through Osaka's Dotonbori neighborhood.

It feels nice to walk around, I have to say.

Yeah.

Yeah. Right?

Oh, it's a river?

- Yeah. Many picture here. - Oh, this is awesome.

Look at this. Yeah.

It's photo time. Here you go, Norman.

Perfect. Perfect. Great.

You see the... Ferris wheel?

Yeah. Oh, wow.

Wow. This is like Times Square.

Yes. Right?

Yeah.

Um, can I have the chocolate one?

Thank you.

So this is full of ice cream?

Oh, shut up.

Yeah, like a custard.

Mmm. Mmm.

This is ridiculous, bro.

So good. How good is that?

Mmm.

Yeah, let's go.

- What is that? - It's a firetruck.

- Firetruck. - Oh, my God.

This doesn't even look real.

I'm kind of falling in love with you.

Hug me.

What are these, uh, foxes here?

Are those foxes or dogs? - Fox.

Oh, wow. So this is all just, like...

Amulet, oh.

I feel like we should make a wish.

Okay. I'll buy you a fox amulet.

Oh, thank you.

Address, name, and wish here to make a wish.

Can I just keep this?

I just put it in my pocket.

If you keep it, it won't be real.

Okay. Yeah.

Fine. Be that way.

Okay. We hang it on the thingy?

Oh. Oh.

Yeah.

Are we supposed to draw a cool face on it?

You make a face.

Oh, they're good. That's a good one.

It's a little Satanic, but it'll work.

Osaka.

So, up on the left here, this is Osaka Castle.

- Oh, wow. - Such a mixture of styles.

- Yeah. - The super-modern one,

the traditional one.

It we're going to Semba,

go look at all the vintage bikes.

Right on.

Back in the '50s and '60s, Japan was busy

being reborn and, in many ways, reinvented.

There was a new focus on technology,

a mad dash towards the future.

In its wake emerged an appreciation

for the tried and true,

for companies that stood the test of time,

and a subculture devoted to the restoration of that

which time forgot.

Semba Motors.

- My friends, Semba, what up? - Hello.

- Oh, how are you? - Konnichi wa.

Hi. I'm Norman.

How do you do? Nice to meet you.

Oh, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

This is your shop? Yes. Please come in.

Wow.

And you restore all of these bikes here in this garage?

Yes. Yes.

What is that?

It's a firetruck. It's a firetruck?

Oh, my God.

1936.

This doesn't even look real. It's a 1961.

This is original paint. It's so beautiful.

And so every floor of this building has motorcycles on it?

Yes, yes. You want to see upstairs?

Yeah. Okay.

Just the detail, too, on these old bikes.

These two are

This is a '47 knucklehead and a '49 Panhead.

How do you find them?

Like, is there a newspaper, an online search,

people just saying they're selling them?

Mostly old people, collector calling me,

and they ask me if I want it.

Yeah. You have really good

I feel like everybody is out looking now.

Everyone is looking, and, like,

but nobody scores like this. Nobody's finding anything.

Cool. So which one can I have?

Everything.

How did you get into all these old bikes?

I think I was born with a motorcycle.

Yeah. I think you were, too.

Because my father started this business since 1947...

Oh, wow.

Right after the World War II.

That's... that's what Milo was saying.

Like, a lot of these bikes come from there.

So you were born with... When you were a kid,

there were all these beautiful motorcycles everywhere.

I get it.

I like the style, and I like the history.

Yeah.

U.S. history or Harley histories,

I like it.

Across Japan, it's a common refrain,

a nostalgia for 20th-century Americana.

Given our history, it's a lot to wrap your head around,

but, to me, maybe it's a respect and admiration

for the aesthetics of classic design

and of a time when American ingenuity drove the world.

What parts of the United States are best to find barn finds?

Middle to east.

And it's just in a garage with cobwebs on it?

Yes.

And do you walk in, you go, "It's okay. I don't know."

Right, exactly. My heart is pumping.

All the time.

Yeah, totally.

It was a pleasure.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. Yeah. Call me next barn find.

That guy has got a lot of cool stuff.

Yeah, right?

I've never seen a firetruck motorcycle before.

Me neither.

I didn't even know those were a thing.

I mean, that collection is ridiculous.

Sonny, you have cool friends.

Yeah, thank you very much.

Try to stand up on that bike, buddy.

Ooh. Oh, there you go.

We're heading over to the Tsurumi-ku ward of Osaka

to meet a friend of Sonny and Milo's

who's taking his own approach to a time-honored Japanese trade.

- Coffee. - Always coffee.

- Yeah. - There's so much coffee.

- Hey. - Hi. I'm Norman. Hey.

I am Truck. Nice to meet you.

You too. Hi. How are you?

My coffee and bird.

Yeah. Super cool.

You got a record player. That's cool.

Yes, yes. He's got a collection.

And we make fresh doughnuts here.

I... I can... I can smell them.

They smell great. Very good doughnut.

I like it. I like it.

Yeah.

To... to eat.

What are those glass ball things right there?

It looks like some sort of laboratory,

Dr. Frankenstein thing.

Yeah, yeah. That's so cool.

- Have you ever seen that before? - First time.

That's a very good smell.

Why did you start a coffee doughnut shop?

I make furniture for furniture store next-door.

Wow. Just next-door.

We moved here, and there's nothing,

no cafe or nothing, but... And no stores,

so I wanted to make coffee and doughnuts and...

The first place people go to. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yes.

I like the craftsmanship in here.

Everything is awesome.

Yeah. I did the ceiling and flooring,

painting, everything.

Did you make this? Yes.

Everything. Everything.

- Oh, wow. - Everything, he make.

How do you guys know each other?

Eight years ago, my customer.

Yeah.

- And then you became friends? - Yeah, yes.

And, next day, he came here.

- Yeah. - Oh, cool.

And bought two chairs.

Two doughnuts.

Yeah. 40 doughnuts.

I bought 40 doughnuts.

- Mmm. - Oh, my God.

- Mmm. - That's so good.

I'm kind of falling in love with you.

Yeah. Hug me.

Come here.

Mmm. So good.

New couple right here.

Deer is just chilling out and letting people pet them.

Konnichi wa.

How did this place happen?

- Awesome here. - Isn't it great?

Arigato.

Whoo!

You want some of what I got

We can get more

I can make you feel better than before ♪

I can make you feel good

Just outside Osaka's city limits is a site

Sonny and Truck said we have to check out,

so we're taking a 40-kilometer trek east

into the neighboring city of Nara,

home to some of Japan's oldest temples and works of art.

Its main attraction is the free-roaming deer,

all 1,200 of them.

- Are you ready for the deer? - Oh, yeah.

Really close? - Yeah.

Yes. You can see a lot of deer.

Wow. Holy They're not scared at all.

Oh, they're all over the place.

- Oh, wow. - Yeah.

Wow.

I've never seen anything like that.

Deer is just chilling out and letting people pet them.

That's nuts. Can we just walk over there or what?

Yeah. That is bananas.

He's like, "What do you got for me?"

No.

Just walked up and kissed the lens.

Can people eat them or just...

Don't taste...

- Hi! - Hi!

Hi. Hi, buddy.

- You? - You are pretty cute.

You are pretty cute.

Konnichi wa.

How did this place happen?

Oh, wow.

And the deers have been here the whole time?

Yes.

You can hear God's message through the deer?

Yeah.

But were the deer here first or the people here first, here?

Maybe deer, I think.

- Yeah. - Really?

Yeah, yeah, bows. Yeah, yeah.

Go bow to this deer. I want to see it happen.

- Bow? - Yeah. Bow, bow, yeah.

- Oh! - Oh!

He's like, "No, man. Cracker. Cracker."

I think I'm going to go buy more crackers.

I think this is yam.

Oh, really? Oh, I'm trying this.

Yeah, right?

- Arigato. - Arigato.

How do I eat it, just...? So yeah, yes, yes.

Here you go. Have some.

Good. Yeah?

You try it.

This is really good.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Do deer eat this?

Yep. They like sweet potato.

I... I don't want to give the deer any more

because it's delicious.

I hear that... Is that the deer making the noise?

Yeah, yeah. Yes.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. No way.

That's a deer noise?

Yeah. The deer.

You hear the message?

This one is talking to us.

The legend goes that, back around 700 A.D.,

the Japanese God of thunder appeared

on a mountaintop in Nara, riding a majestic white deer.

Ever since, deer have been considered sacred in Japan,

an omen from the gods.

And while I didn't get what this deer was trying to tell us,

I'm sure it was rooted in old Shinto significance and wisdom.

Then again, maybe he just wants a bite of my potato.

- Fun day. - Yeah. Thank you for that.

I've never fed a deer before.

- Oh, really? - That was pretty cool, yeah.

- Me neither. - Oh.

- Oh, look at the sun. - Yeah. It's beautiful.

I think Sonny's bike is getting hot.

Maybe Sonny and Truck should just bomb ahead?

- Yeah. - Hey, Sonny.

- Hey, Truck. - What?

Sonny's bike is overheating.

You guys go ahead and just go.

- Really? - And we'll meet you

at your house. - Okay.

Okay. See you.

- What a pretty day. - Right on.

- Incredible. - Yeah.

This came out to be perfect today.

Just so you know, I'm going to back to "Walking Dead" soon.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah, so, like, sometimes I'll be on the bike,

and I'll be thinking about going back to "Walking Dead."

I'm like, "Whoa, whoa. Hold on.

The worlds, you know, they criss-cross."

Yeah.

I get it, though. That's the thing.

For actors, just with that character

20 hours out of the day.

You ever get to the point, though, where you've been

away from it for so long you actually look forward

to going back?

All the time. I agree.

Right now, on this motorcycle...

In Japan.

In Japan, thinking about getting back

in my Daryl Dixon head, you know, start talking

like this all the time, you know what I mean?

I think we're getting close.

- Hi. - Hey.

- What's up? - What's up?

What's up? What's up? What's up?

Hi, Norman.

Yeah!

Yes.

It's my friend. Motorcycle trainee.

- Pleasure, man. - Nice to meet you, man.

This is a good life you got. You guys have a good life.

This is great.

Ride on. Ride on.

Ride on. Ride on.

I need a motorcycle

Go to Japan, and it becomes apparent...

Life is an art form.

But here it's more than simple artisanship

or being good at what you do.

It's a desire to achieve and to learn,

a deep sense of obligation and a pursuit of perfection.

In Japan, it's to be shokunin,

and to get there, that can take a lifetime.

But to me, the journey is well worth it,

and I'm grateful to my friend for showing me the way.

Thank you for introducing to all your cool friends.

- Absolutely. - Your friends, and then

your friends and friends, like, it's a good vibe.

Yeah. Good vibe for sure.

They're good people.

- Yeah. - Thank you so much.

Thank you.

- Kanpai. - Cheers.

Cheers. Kanpai, everybody.

Kanpai. Cheers.

Ride on. Ride on.