Japanese television programs feature regional travel and fishing challenges

Various Japanese television programs are highlighting regional activities and local specialties. In the program ‘Chibara Junior Taxi Noritsugi Tabi’, participants travel a 260-kilometer route from Ibaraki Prefecture to Mount Tanigawa in Gunma Prefecture. The journey involves navigating through Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma using a unique taxi fare rule based on the sum of the digits in the taxi's license plate number. The trip also features local delicacies such as sauce katsu-don and traditional rice curry.

In the program ‘The! Tetsuwan! DASH!!’, cast members Shigeru Kojima, Yu Yokoyama, Joichiro Fujiwara, and So Matsushima attempt to catch a massive stingray (Hoshiei) in the waters of Suo-Oshima, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The stingray, which can grow up to three meters in length and weigh over 100 kilograms, is noted for its increasing presence in the Seto Inland Sea due to rising seawater temperatures. The episode focuses on the physical struggle of catching the large fish and the subsequent preparation of the catch for consumption.