NHK (ж—Ґжњ¬ж”ѕйЂЃеЌ”дјљ Nippon HЕЌsЕЌ KyЕЌkai?, official English name: Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japan's national public broadcasting organization.[2] NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials,[3] is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.

Launched in 1980, NHK's renowned Silk Road series was the first foreign TV program allowed to film Silk Road inside communist China. The series sparked enormous interest. A quarter of a century later, NHK re-visits Silk Road with high-definition cameras. The first half of the journey is to Loolan, Tibet, Taklamakan Desert and Xian. The trip then continues from former Soviet Central Asia to the Middle East and Turkey. With its swirling mix of ethnic identities, this region is now carving out a new period of history led by the resurgence of Islam. NHK provides a new look at this modern-day Silk Road giving you a clear view of the regions' momentous changes.

A visit to a new city that has emerged near the border between Kyrgyzstan and China. The city shows rapid growth due to the huge influx of Chinese goods. Heading west, we will see the cotton fields spread out across a huge oasis in Uzbekistan. We also explore the beautiful, white-bricked city of Bukhara, which still maintains an atmosphere of the Middle Ages. In one of the city's narrow streets, Uzbekis, Russians, Jews, and others live together side-by-side in harmony. Visit these people who live to the fullest amidst the uncertainties after the collapse of the former Soviet Union.