About 5,000 species of mushroom can be found in Japan, a quarter of the world's known species. The matsutake is the gold standard of edible mushrooms. And whether it's a broth of shimeji mushroom, or tempura-fried hen-of-the-woods, mushrooms are a quintessential autumn food in Japan, and have been for centuries. There are also some very rare mushrooms, like the caterpillar fungus - which grows on insects and which has been used medicinally since ancient times - or the glow-in-the-dark mushrooms of Hachijojima. In recent years, Japan has seen a decline in the number of wild mushrooms. Intense efforts have been made to revive matsutake harvests. Some efforts to stimulate mushroom growth are even using artificial lightning strikes - quite a shocking idea! On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is mushrooms. We'll see how Japan's climate and culture have made it the nation that eats a wider variety of fungi than any other.

Scissors were first created in Europe and reached Japan in the 6th century. Japan has scissors for making kimonos and for preparing sweets. It has pruning shears that make a distinctive clack and scissors that help the world's hairstylists snip with style. Japan also makes fabric shears forged like samurai swords. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is scissors, an everyday tool that offers insights into Japanese culture.