National Geographic: Living Treasures of Japan

Amid the clamor of technological and economic success, a reverence for age, custom, and tradition endures in Japanese culture. The honorable title, "Living National Treasure", is the highest award that can be achieved in the Japanese arts. Some seventy master craftsmen and performers are bestowed with this title and are charged with passing on the country's artistic heritage to future generations. Living Treasures of Japan takes you into the homes and workshops of the remarkable people who quietly keep Japan's most precious creative traditions alive.