I was planning on pointing everyone toward BBC Radio host Andy Kershaw's amazing musical journey through North Korea, touted as the first radio documentary done in that country. Alas, the audio link has been taken down.

As a consolation, here is this BBC Radio 3 Guide to Japanese music. Although it exemplifies and promotes the myth among World Music types that the only interesting modern Japanese music is that which mines the nation's musical traditions (how they remain oblivious to Japan's global influence on electronic, indie, noise, improv and experimental music I'll never understand), this show is a great introduction to recent mods on indigenous sounds.

One particular standout is Ainu (native Japanese) musician Oki (track 7).