One of Japan's oldest roads, the Yamanobe no Michi runs about 25 kilometers along the foot of the mountains in the Nara basin, linking Sakurai and Nara Cities. Agriculture prospers along the route, which is also dotted with many significant shrines and ancient burial mounds. Michael Keida, an American actor who also farms, heads down the southern stretch, visiting historical places and meeting people who live close to the land.

Matsusaka City of Mie Prefecture is famous for its premium Matsusaka Beef. In the Edo period (1603-1868), it prospered as a merchant town owing to its location on the pilgrimage route to nearby Ise Shrine. Various goods, information and people concentrated here, eventually producing Japan's leading merchants. Lena Yamaguchi from Germany explores Matsusaka where traces of the castle and merchant town remain.