Our focus today is Shirauo, often called noodlefish in English. These beautiful fish have tiny, transparent bodies that grow up to only 10 centimeters long. They are both precious and pricey as the fish can only survive in brackish water conditions where freshwater meets seawater. Fishing for Shirauo symbolizes the coming of spring, their peak season. Visit a lake in the northern prefecture of Aomori to find out more about this mysterious fish.

In Trails to Oishii Tokyo, reporters from around the world discover Japan's best ingredients. This time, fermented foods like katsuobushi, the skipjack tuna flakes used to make dashi soup stock, miso and soy sauce, 2 of Japan's favorite seasonings, tsukemono pickles, a precious food source in harsh winters and sticky natto beans. All these ingredients have helped make Japanese food the world-renowned cuisine it is today. Learn how each is created with methods stretching back generations.

*This special contains segments from Trails to Tsukiji and Trails to Oishii Tokyo: Katsuobushi, Miso, Soy sauce, Nozawana, Natto