0:00:05 > 0:00:10Adventurer and naturalist Steve Backshall has circumnavigated the globe.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12We are so, so lucky.
0:00:13 > 0:00:19But there's one country that draws him back, again and again - Japan.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Japan is so unique. It's an incredibly diverse place.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Somewhere where people are immensely proud of their heritage and culture.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31With him is his wife, Helen Glover.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33She's a champion athlete,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36world record holder and two-time Olympic gold-medal-winning rower.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40It is amazing being back on the water.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45I really think that to be immersed in the culture in Japan is really
0:00:45 > 0:00:46unique and really special.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51Steve wants Helen to experience Japan by going somewhere he's never been before.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55They are going off the beaten track to the lesser-known highlands
0:00:55 > 0:00:57of Japan's northern wilderness.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05The rugged north of Japan's main island is one of the country's
0:01:05 > 0:01:07wildest territories,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10with active volcanoes, ancient mountain shrines
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and abundant wildlife.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Helen and Steve will zigzag down the six provinces of this region
0:01:18 > 0:01:21of outstanding natural beauty known as Tohoku.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27In all, they'll be travelling some 2,000km in a little under
0:01:27 > 0:01:28two weeks.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32It's a landscape of extreme contrast,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34where autumn turns rapidly to winter.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Outdoor enthusiasts Helen and Steve relish the challenge.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44It's like a postcard. It's absolutely stunning.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49At the northernmost tip of mainland Japan is Aomori,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51renowned for its apple orchards,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54fresh fish and having some of the heaviest snowfall on the planet.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Wildlife expert Steve is hoping to begin their adventure
0:02:00 > 0:02:03by showing Helen some of the animals special to this region.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05So this is us for the night.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09- It's so pretty.- They've come to meet professional wildlife photographer
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Takayuki Isoyama and his wife Ryoko,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16whose family have been welcoming guests to their hostel
0:02:16 > 0:02:17for more than 50 years.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Mr Isoyama has been helping visitors track the local wildlife
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and capturing rare sightings on camera for 30 years.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Are they all your photos?
0:02:45 > 0:02:47- My pictures.- Ah, snow monkey.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Snow monkey.
0:02:49 > 0:02:50Look at that baby.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Isn't that beautiful?
0:02:52 > 0:02:54About one, one month.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56One month?
0:02:56 > 0:02:58That is so cute.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00This is what we're here to see.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11So is it native to Japan or this part of Japan?
0:03:11 > 0:03:14This is a very, very Japanese animal.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15Is it a goat?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17No, no, it's not.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19From a zoological perspective, it's a difficult one.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22It's officially a goat antelope.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25They are a really, really unusual animal.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28So this would be a real first for me, I've never seen a serow before.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31And they are really unique to this part of the world.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34It's such an incredible looking animal.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36So if we manage to get that, that would be...
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- That would be amazing!- That would be nice, that would be great.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43It's November and the first snow has come early.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Is it a bad sign that my fingers are already cold?
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Er, yeah!
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Just the last place you'd expect to go looking for a monkey, isn't it?
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- I know.- It just doesn't fit.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Steve's expert eye soon spots the traces of their first animal.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- Oh!- What?
0:04:07 > 0:04:08Look at this.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- Those...- I can tell you it's poo.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It is poo. Yeah.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13That's serow.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17So that is...
0:04:17 > 0:04:20the goat antelope that occurs here and nowhere else.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21And you see how fresh that is?
0:04:23 > 0:04:24I'll take your word for it!
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Fresh tracks mean the serow can't be far away.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33There's a serow.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36What a stroke of luck!
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Amazing. My first ever serow.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Wow! It's so beautiful.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44It's just staring at us.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46It's got such a shaggy...
0:04:46 > 0:04:48It looks quite soft, doesn't it?
0:04:48 > 0:04:49Yeah.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I expected it to look a bit more like a goat but it doesn't look
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- at all like a goat. - This is such a special animal.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56So...
0:04:56 > 0:04:59This is the only place in the world that you find this Japanese serow.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Only on these islands. They are endemic to here.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- And its your first one! - It's my first one, I know.
0:05:05 > 0:05:06Absolutely amazing.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Well, that is a fantastic bonus.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11Very, very odd-looking animal.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14It is, it has kind of got stumpy legs.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- It's not at all what I thought it would look like.- Yeah.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Very strange, long face.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Very shaggy fur, particularly this time of year.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The Japanese serow was previously hunted near to extinction.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32But with no natural predators, it's now thriving.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- That was cool.- Really nice.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Also roaming far and wide in the extensive forests here
0:05:41 > 0:05:43are the elusive snow monkeys.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47But winter shrinks their feeding grounds, making them easier to spot.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Ah, there they are.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- Wow!- Just below us, look at that.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Oh, my God.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05- OK.- OK.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08We are so, so lucky.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09This is brilliant.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12That is amazing.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- How about that?- Out of nowhere.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21This is exactly what I was saying.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23They are feeding in the top of the pine trees.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28You can see this one here actually has a pine cone in its hands.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32It's just nibbling away to get at the seeds that are inside it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37And they're all just perched precariously over the top
0:06:37 > 0:06:39of the water, aren't they? It's fabulous.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42In fact, once you get your eye in, there's dozens of them.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44- There's quite a few. - There are, yeah.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47You can see how the actual waves are almost crashing below them,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- clear water.- Yeah. - And a monkey sat above it.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I know. It's such a bizarre sight.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58I've filmed primates all over the world but there's nowhere
0:06:58 > 0:07:02that it's like this. There's nowhere where they're living in a place
0:07:02 > 0:07:06where it's so cold, so challenging.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11The monkeys here are the most northern-dwelling primates in the world.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14You are so jammy with wildlife!
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- I know!- It does have to be said, I kind of think that I should be
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- taking you with me on all my filming trips.- That sounds good!
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Back after their hike,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Helen and Steve are staying on the edge of this remote peninsula
0:07:26 > 0:07:27with their hosts.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33But as it's a youth hostel,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36they're going to have to make their own beds.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- Shall we have a race? - No, this is not a good idea.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45See, you thought I was going to be bringing you to a flashy five-star hotel.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49I did not think that, Steve! I definitely didn't think that!
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Here you are, in a youth hostel, making your own bed.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03The next day, Steve and Helen are both eager to explore
0:08:03 > 0:08:06the marine life on this coastline that regularly provides
0:08:06 > 0:08:09some of Japan's most sought-after catch.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12But this morning seems like downtime in the village.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16This is definitely not peak fishing season.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18I wouldn't much fancy being out there right now.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It kind of looks like most of the village has shut up shop, doesn't it?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It's quite quiet.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- It's beautiful, though.- Yeah. - It's really pretty.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29When the harsh northern winter hits a fishing village like this,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32there's still plenty of work going behind closed doors.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37Ooh, wow! It's a wall of fish.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- Smells amazing. - It hits you in the face.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Konnichiwa.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Ah, can I try? Thank you.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52I have my tool.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56The women of the village are preparing sardines for the barbecue,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00a traditional winter delicacy to be sold in the city markets.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03So it's the same...? You go for the ones that are all the same kind of size?
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I'm being laughed at over here, Steve!
0:09:10 > 0:09:11OK?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17It's not good when you're laughed at when you put on your first fish.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18No!
0:09:18 > 0:09:21I'm not sure if I'm helping or hindering.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24I'm sure you're helping. Every single one that I've put on
0:09:24 > 0:09:27to the stick, this lady here has assessed and checked.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Ah!
0:09:29 > 0:09:31You have to keep the front in line, Steve.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33They don't want a jagged edge.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34- Oh, OK.- Yeah.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41I guess we kind of think of Japan as being like a super-modern nation.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43And all of a sudden finding something like this where you're
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- just thrown back in time. Amazing, isn't it?- Do you know what, though,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50it's so lovely that you can meet people and just get stuck in like this.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Well, there's my sardine lollipop.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- I'm really proud of mine. - Yours is way better than mine.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I know.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01I have a feeling that as soon as we're finished they're just going to
0:10:01 > 0:10:04take all my fish off the stick and put it on again.
0:10:04 > 0:10:05Yeah, start again.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Can you ask them who's better?
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- We're the same.- Oh, what!
0:10:21 > 0:10:23I thought she said I won.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24Arigatou gozaimasu.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31They now drive 200km to the marshy coastal wetlands of Lake Jusanko.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36In early December, the temperature here plummets below freezing...
0:10:38 > 0:10:41..as the icy winds begin to blast in from Siberia,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43heralding the arrival of winter.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Let's go away, he said.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Let's have a nice relaxing holiday.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52Yeah.
0:10:52 > 0:10:58But it does feel like the extreme wild north that you promised me.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59It does.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04This place used to be known as the end of the road.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Right now it kind of feels like the end of the world.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11But it has got a savage beauty about it, hasn't it?
0:11:12 > 0:11:13But in a weird way,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17I actually love weather like this cos you just have to get involved,
0:11:17 > 0:11:22- don't you? You've got no choice but to embrace it otherwise you'll never step outside.- Yeah, it's true.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25There's a lot of life out here, though. You know, there's loads
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and loads of ducks and other wildfowl on the water.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33- There's actually quite a lot of birds out here when you get your eye in.- Yeah.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35These are whooper swans and they spend a lot of the year up in the
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Arctic tundra. So this is probably like a winter holiday to them.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I think also being out here on the rice paddies, as well,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44they've got lots to feed on.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47The swans don't seem bothered about the cold at all.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I wish I was a swan right now.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- They look really cosy.- Yeah.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Following the swans' example, Steve and Helen are heading south.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02They find shelter aboard the most northerly train line
0:12:02 > 0:12:04on Japan's main island.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Special winter trains have run across the Tsugaru Plains
0:12:09 > 0:12:12since the line was built more than 80 years ago.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Smoke billows out of chimneys in the roof from the coal-fired stoves
0:12:16 > 0:12:17that warm the carriage.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Definitely not what I pictured if someone said you were taking a train journey in Japan.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26- Yeah.- But they do call this the cosy train.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28- Do you know that?- The cosy train?
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Yeah. The stove train or the cosy train.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31- It's proper cosy.- I know.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35And the stove has another particular use.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43So this is the squid then?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49So we take some of this and we put it on the stove.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Are we about to cook squid on a train?
0:12:55 > 0:12:59- Yes, we are.- That's a sentence I never thought I would say.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Can you imagine that happening on a train back home?
0:13:02 > 0:13:03It smells so good, though.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06It does smell good.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Oh, wow, that was quick.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Wow. I think we put it on here, Steve.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12OK. Yep.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Right, let's give it a try.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19Oh, my days.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25You need quite strong teeth.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29But it's really tasty. The more you chew, the better it gets.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Your face tells me you're not so keen.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34I'm not so keen.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38I think I can polish this off.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40I'm really into it. Squid's my new thing.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46There's people on here who are definitely here for the experience,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- aren't they? They're here for the nostalgia like we are.- Yeah.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51And some people... It's their daily commute
0:13:51 > 0:13:53and it's totally normal for them.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58There is something so nostalgic about being on a train like this
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and just trundling along, seeing the scenery roll past you.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Especially somewhere like Japan where, you think of trains,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07you think of bullet trains going at 300mph across the country.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11It is. And especially when it's so cold outside,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14to be sat here with the stove warming you.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- Yeah.- I feel the heat on the side of my face from the stove.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- I know, it's great, isn't it?- A nice way to take a long journey, though.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Leaving Aomori behind,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Helen and Steve continue on their 2,000km journey by road,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41south into Iwate...
0:14:43 > 0:14:47..whose mountainous spine makes this the most sparsely-populated
0:14:47 > 0:14:49province of Japan's crowded mainland.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Deep in the Tono Valley,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56notable for its rustic folk traditions and architecture...
0:14:58 > 0:15:00..they have chosen a farm stay for the night...
0:15:01 > 0:15:04..where they're greeted with traditional Japanese warmth
0:15:04 > 0:15:06by owners Mr and Mrs Yomada.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Konnichiwa.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18They spent eight years restoring their 200-year-old home
0:15:18 > 0:15:19to all its glory.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31- It's beautiful.- Yeah, beautiful.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Yeah. It's perfect.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Isn't it?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Oh, yeah. Like a thatched roof.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Yes, I noticed.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57This might well be the most traditional place I've ever stayed.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59- Really?- Yeah, I think so.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Steve and Helen are welcomed as the last guests before Mr and Mrs Yomada
0:16:03 > 0:16:04close up for winter.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Oh!
0:16:13 > 0:16:15That is very Zen, isn't it?
0:16:15 > 0:16:19The whole place - just so perfect.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Everything is exactly in its place.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24And it's simple.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28It's cut back. This is one of the things that is really typical
0:16:28 > 0:16:31about Japanese culture, is just attention to detail.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35It's all about the finest little minutiae.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38And this place is perfect.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41This is where we're sleeping?
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Yeah, yeah, it is.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- Oh, wow.- This is our bedroom.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48Where are the beds?
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Oh, wow.
0:16:54 > 0:16:55The house adjoins the old stable,
0:16:55 > 0:17:00originally to share warmth from the stove with their horses.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Now their hosts accommodate travellers for dinner, bed and breakfast,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08with tasty local specialities made with home-grown vegetables.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- I thought we were just getting soup. - Oh, wow. The most beautiful plate...
0:17:12 > 0:17:13of food I've ever seen.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16Arigato.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20This is like a work of art.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Yeah. It is.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Kind of feels like the kind of place that could have sinister spirits
0:17:28 > 0:17:30hanging around outside the doors.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32With its paper walls and sliding screens,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35there's still no central heating under the thatched roof.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41So I guess later we can wrap ourselves under about 100 layers
0:17:41 > 0:17:44of blankets and go and tell spooky stories.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Sounds good.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53The following day, Helen and Steve cross the mountains into Akita province,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56where the temperature continues to plummet.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00We're in a winter wonderland.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03I know, it's beautiful.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Tohoku is home to 18 active volcanoes,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10and Akita in particular is dotted with volcanic hot springs
0:18:10 > 0:18:11and mineral pools.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15In winter, many of the roads here are closed.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Still open is Goshogake Onsen,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22home to a volcanic hot spring and Japan's largest mud volcano...
0:18:25 > 0:18:29..only accessible at this time of year on skis or snowshoes.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34So how are you finding it, Hels?
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Not too bad. I'm finding it quite easy.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38I'm absolutely loving it.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41I should think so, too. Pretty much our first date was on snowshoes.
0:18:42 > 0:18:48Very surreal that in amongst all the glittering ice and snow is steam.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Every so often I get a waft of heat.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54A waft of heat and a smell of stinking, rotten eggs.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00I think this is kind of what I pictured when I thought about
0:19:00 > 0:19:02how wild it could be.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03And how perfect.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Yeah. Particularly now when it's fresh snow and no signs, no tracks.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13We're the first people to come this way.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Whoa!
0:19:15 > 0:19:17That is so dramatic.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Oh, wow.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Feel that steam in your face.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26This is a cracking view from here, though, isn't it?
0:19:26 > 0:19:28It is so, so beautiful.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32And we're only two hours' walk away from the active volcano.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- Yeah.- Which is on 24-hour watch.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36So we're in the zone.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38I think we're going to be OK, though.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40It looks so inviting, doesn't it?
0:19:40 > 0:19:45But actually the water is like 90 degrees-plus so I think if we
0:19:45 > 0:19:47dived in there, it would really hurt.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52Yeah, you can't imagine it being that warm when you're stood in this cold.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54I know.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56That's one of the things that's most intriguing about Japan,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00is that massive duality between fire and ice.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03You've got these mountains that through so much of the year
0:20:03 > 0:20:08are covered in deep, deep snow, but because we are on the Ring of Fire,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11the volcanic activity here is second to none, you know.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Well over 100 active volcanoes in Japan,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and they just keep popping off all the time.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20And you get to places like this where you've got the vents
0:20:20 > 0:20:22with steam and hot mud.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It really is somewhere that feels elemental.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28It feels like you're almost close to the birth of the world.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35Volcanic magma runs so close to the surface here that it heats the water,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and the local guide wants to show them just how hot it is.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47- OK.- A thermometer?
0:20:47 > 0:20:48Good idea.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54My guess is around 80 degrees.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Oh, that's big.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00I think this is a little bit further away from the main pool so I'm going...
0:21:01 > 0:21:03..60.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05There you go. It's zooming up.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Oh, wow.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- That's 70.- Don't burn yourself.
0:21:09 > 0:21:1170 degrees and counting.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14The hottest ones are 93, 94 degrees.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16- Wow.- Which is full-on.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19- Nana-ju go.- Nana-ju go.
0:21:19 > 0:21:2075.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24OK, that's more like it.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Wow.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Yeah. You do get them at least 80 around here.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33So you have to be very careful where you walk.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Tohoku's volcanic region has blessed it with an extraordinarily
0:21:39 > 0:21:41beautiful landscape.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46But the elemental forces that shape Japan also provide
0:21:46 > 0:21:48its civilising pleasures.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Nestling in the beech forest on the other side of the volcano
0:21:54 > 0:21:56is Tsurunoyu Onsen.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00It's a hot spring dating from the 17th-century Samurai period.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Once only for aristocrats, now open to all,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09with healing properties that Helen and Steve have come to experience
0:22:09 > 0:22:11after their strenuous mountain hike.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14So nice.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17This is such a nice way to start the day.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21- Yeah.- A little bit different from your normal start to the day.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Yeah. Probably I would have done a couple of laps of the lake.
0:22:25 > 0:22:26This is the exact opposite.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Yeah.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Tsurunoyu Onsen takes its name from the legend that a local hunter
0:22:32 > 0:22:36saw a badly injured crane, tsuru in Japanese,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38healing its wounds in the mineral water here.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42How are your aches and pains feeling?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Pretty good. Pretty good.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49There's no doubt that a soak in a hot bath
0:22:49 > 0:22:52really sorts out your aches, doesn't it?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54But it's supposedly more than that, the minerals.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55Hence the colour of the water.
0:22:55 > 0:23:02- Yeah.- I think this particular onsen is where people go for aches and pains.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05And have done for over 300 years.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06Yeah. It's amazing.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11- And you can go and bath in the same place as ancient samurais.- Yeah.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14The whole idea of the onsen hot spring.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18And having an island that is so dominated by volcanic activity,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20it's not surprising, really.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23And I love the fact that aside from people using it as health benefits,
0:23:23 > 0:23:28I think definitely these people seem very holistically health-conscious.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30But it's also quite a nice social thing.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33You know, you see people coming with their friends and their brothers or
0:23:33 > 0:23:38- sisters.- It's such a massive part of Japanese culture.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41We're in the middle of this beautiful beech forest and you've
0:23:41 > 0:23:46got this steaming natural hot tub in amongst the snow.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Everything here just kind of looks like a silkscreen painting.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Now 1,000km into their journey through Tohoku,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Helen and Steve pause for sushi
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and a moment to reflect on their progress.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05So what's your favourite bit been so far?
0:24:05 > 0:24:09One of the nicest things has been, people really are warm.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13And they want you into their hearts and their homes, they want to teach you and tell you,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15even if they don't have a sit-down conversation.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19I just got this sense of what it's really like to live this far north,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21this far away from cities.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- What have you enjoyed?- I've not been to this part of Japan before,
0:24:24 > 0:24:29and it has a very different, rustic flavour to it.
0:24:29 > 0:24:30- Does it?- That I really like.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Yeah. I think you get a sense of what rural Japan is like
0:24:34 > 0:24:36for real people here.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37- Has it surprised you?- Yeah.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Yeah, for sure. But the thing about Japan is,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42every day surprises me anyway,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45no matter how often I come here, no matter how much time I spend here,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48there are always new things to find out every single day.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Yeah.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52And there are more discoveries to be made.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Helen and Steve still have another three provinces to explore
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and about 1,000km left to travel.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Despite the fact that we are in just one region of Japan,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07there's still an immense amount for us to cover.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11You know, we have still only scratched the surface of Tohoku.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13We still have lots and lots to see.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16I think what I'm looking forward to seeing in this half of our trip
0:25:16 > 0:25:19is that picture-postcard Japan.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21You know when you think about the buildings that people live in,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24but also the temples and that really spiritual side.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32So to do just that, they're heading to a spiritual part of Yamagata.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Yamagata is home to the three holy mountains of Dewa Sanzan,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43a pilgrimage site for 14 centuries.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51It's the centre of worship for the Shugendo sect,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54who believes that pain and endurance can lead to enlightenment.
0:25:58 > 0:26:04Helen and Steve are meeting Shugendo devotee, Mr Kazuro Hayasaka.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08He's one of the mountain-climbing ascetic monks called yamabushi,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11or "men who lie down on the mountain".
0:26:11 > 0:26:13HORN BLOWS
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Here we go. This is exciting.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25Like all pilgrims, they're dressed in traditional yamabushi outfits,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28with hakama trousers and a suzukake robe,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31unchanged for 1,000 years.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37To get a sense of the pain and endurance the yamabushi go through
0:26:37 > 0:26:41to reach enlightenment, they're taking on the steps of Mount Haguro.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51I'm going to count every one of them.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54But, as always, a big journey begins with a single pace.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07HORN BLOWS
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Well, I make this 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22- Wow.- This bridge is absolutely stunning.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Look at that waterfall.
0:27:32 > 0:27:38So usually the initiates will come here for yamabushi and they will get
0:27:38 > 0:27:42into the water, underneath the waterfall, and they will meditate.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I guess what he's saying is that, yes, it's very cold,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48but you would try and separate your mental and your physical.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53So your physical body may be going through extremes of cold but if you
0:27:53 > 0:27:57can meditate and take yourself away from that, then you don't feel it.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01I love this, because there's a lot of similarity in that and rowing.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05Because I honestly think the best rowers are the ones that can
0:28:05 > 0:28:08separate that mental... That voice inside you that says,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10"Stop, you're in too much pain."
0:28:10 > 0:28:12If you can separate yourself mentally,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16then you can push yourself far harder than other people can.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20He said you're already a yamabushi!
0:28:20 > 0:28:22- Already!- You are.- Yes!
0:28:22 > 0:28:24I don't need to get in the waterfall.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29They may have escaped the cold waters,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31but they still have the mountain to climb.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Do you reckon we're nearly there yet?
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Think we've got about 2,400 to go.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45It's this arduous ascent that's said to bring enlightenment.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48At least for some.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Wow. It just turned from meditation into mountaineering.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55This is more my kind of walking.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Everything's about training for you, isn't it?
0:29:00 > 0:29:03I know. I think it's just the mentality I'm in.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07Even when we're just walking, have a bit of silence, and I was thinking,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10"I can really feel my glutes working."
0:29:10 > 0:29:12"Yeah, that's 500 calories."
0:29:12 > 0:29:15But, no, I'll try and be more in touch with nature and Zen.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22As they climb, they pass a 1,000-year-old cedar
0:29:22 > 0:29:24called the Grandfather Tree,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28which provides a moment to stop and reflect for those on pilgrimage.
0:29:32 > 0:29:33That is extraordinary.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Just imagine what was happening when this was a sapling.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45Back home in the UK, people were living in the Dark Ages.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49And 1,000 years of history here in Japan, that's seen -
0:29:49 > 0:29:51it's a bewildering thought.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55If you come here and you meditate or you pray,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57especially if you are local,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00and you know that your ancestors have done the same...
0:30:00 > 0:30:04I mean, this tree would have seen so many generations
0:30:04 > 0:30:06and different people.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10A lot of Shugendo is about contemplating your place in nature,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14and when you stand here as a human being with a lifespan of maybe
0:30:14 > 0:30:1780 years, in front of a tree that's been here for 1,000,
0:30:17 > 0:30:23it gives you perspective. I think it enables you to perceive yourself
0:30:23 > 0:30:26as part of a natural environment that's bigger than you,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28that somehow makes you feel very small.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35On their journey towards enlightenment, Helen and Steve
0:30:35 > 0:30:37reach another significant landmark of the pilgrimage.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57First of all, it's 600 years old.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00And then the things that are unique about it are that it doesn't have
0:31:00 > 0:31:03any nails, so it's built by stacking all of the wood on top of each other.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06And it's quite unique in that the rooms are the same height.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11Normally when you see a pagoda like this, they start getting smaller and smaller as they get towards the top.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12It's a bit of an optical illusion, isn't it?
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Because it does actually look like the roof on the top is smaller
0:31:15 > 0:31:17but they're actually the same size.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21So this is the one we were reading about,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25where a lot of Japan's modern buildings have features
0:31:25 > 0:31:30based on this building, built 600 years ago.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34So one of the features is there's a pendulum inside which gives it balance,
0:31:34 > 0:31:36especially if there's an earthquake,
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- it kind of prevents the building from falling over.- Shifts...
0:31:39 > 0:31:42And the other thing is that, because of its structure,
0:31:42 > 0:31:44and because there aren't any nails, it actually in the earthquake
0:31:44 > 0:31:46does shift a little bit so it has movement,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48it's not totally rigid.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52And modern-day skyscrapers in Japan...
0:31:52 > 0:31:54- Are built to do the same thing. - ..are built to do the same thing,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58based off the workings of a 600-year-old building
0:31:58 > 0:31:59with no nails in.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05In winter, when it's quieter here,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07it's easy to slip into a moment of reflection.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13THEY SPEAK JAPANESE
0:32:15 > 0:32:17That means, "you must be tired."
0:32:17 > 0:32:20And having climbed for a couple of hours,
0:32:20 > 0:32:22they finally reach the summit.
0:32:29 > 0:32:30They say goodbye to their guide...
0:32:34 > 0:32:37..and join the Shinto shrine's regular ceremony.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44People come from all over the world to pray at this holy site,
0:32:44 > 0:32:46where the Shinto priest helps pass messages
0:32:46 > 0:32:48from the pilgrims to the gods.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59So are you feeling cleansed?
0:32:59 > 0:33:05This is amazing. The effort that must have been put in to building this,
0:33:05 > 0:33:10building these huge bells and thick thatching hundreds of years ago.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15The people put that much effort into that sort of sense of spirituality
0:33:15 > 0:33:19and the importance of us keeping in touch with nature.
0:33:20 > 0:33:21It's really special.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25I kind of feel like I've had more of a connection to the philosophical
0:33:25 > 0:33:29side of Japan in this one day than I have done in all the years
0:33:29 > 0:33:31that I've spent here in the past.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41For the people of northern Japan,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44spirituality has a deep connection with nature,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47something that Steve is keen to explore further.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52So to see more, they're heading to Miyagi, the fifth province of the trip.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Miyagi means Palace Castle.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00It's a buffer between the wilds of the north and the more developed south.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07Helen and Steve are heading into better weather,
0:34:07 > 0:34:12and to Kinkasan Island - home to an 8th-century Shinto shrine,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14and some sacred animals.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17So do you think we're going to see much wildlife here?
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Oh, yeah, for sure. Kinkasan's very well-known for its wildlife.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24And actually, most of it, we're not going to have to work that hard to find.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40The entire island is a Shinto shrine.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Most Japanese people observe both Buddhism and Shinto.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51While Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual
0:34:51 > 0:34:56development, Shinto is an animistic ancient folk religion,
0:34:56 > 0:35:01which worships spirits that dwell in nature, in mountains, rocks,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04rivers and, of course, animals.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14So the deer weren't particularly hard to find, were they?
0:35:14 > 0:35:17- No.- He's so friendly.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21Well, it is very much like this at Shinto shrines all over Japan.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24They're often absolutely filled with deer,
0:35:24 > 0:35:26and they're hand-fed all the time.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28So they're totally habituated to human contact.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30- Shall we head on up?- Yeah.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37When you visit a Shinto shrine,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40it's important to first take part in a ritual purification.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48This trip's turning into good training.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51It is. It's just one long flight of stairs, isn't it?
0:35:53 > 0:35:58This particular shrine is said to be for the gods of wealth
0:35:58 > 0:36:04and prosperity, and I'm wondering if staying makes us even more prosperous.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08Even more prosperous? You must be joking! You haven't seen my bank account.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11I should probably have told you about this before we got married.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18If you visit once a year for three consecutive years,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21legend has it you will have no financial difficulties
0:36:21 > 0:36:23for the rest of your life.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36So there are a set ritual of things that you do when you're coming up
0:36:36 > 0:36:38to a shrine like this.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43So you clap your hands to frighten away any bad spirits.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Bow to show deference.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48And then here, at this particular shrine,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52people tie usually a five-yen coin.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Here you are speculating to accumulate.
0:36:55 > 0:36:56Keeping the wealth theme.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00Yeah. So you're hoping that the gods are going to show you favour
0:37:00 > 0:37:03and you're going to receive financial benefit.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05I think the most extraordinary thing about this place, though,
0:37:05 > 0:37:09is just seeing how long this building's lasted for.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13- Yeah.- The first buildings here were sort of 700AD.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Some of these are going to be nearly 1,000 years old.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19It is amazing, cos this island is the closest landmass to the
0:37:19 > 0:37:23epicentre of the earthquake which caused the tsunami in 2011.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27- And it's still here. It's mind-blowing.- Yeah.
0:37:27 > 0:37:33It survived through centuries of volcanism, earthquakes, tsunamis.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37They just don't build them like they used to.
0:37:41 > 0:37:42Hello.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46The shrine's upkeep is partly reliant on offerings,
0:37:46 > 0:37:49so Helen and Steve want to purchase a copper tile for the roof.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54Copper is seen as a precious metal to the gods of wealth.
0:37:54 > 0:37:55Konnichiwa.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58And by putting their name and address on the roof tile,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01the gods will know where to find them.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15So we just put our name and our address on the tile.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17So these copper tiles are going to end up...
0:38:19 > 0:38:20..roofing the shrine,
0:38:20 > 0:38:24and keeping up those continual bits and bobs that always need
0:38:24 > 0:38:25to be repaired.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29Are you doing it in Japanese?
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Yeah, I'm going to try it.
0:38:36 > 0:38:37Sutibu.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39Your name's actually pretty easy, cos you've got...
0:38:39 > 0:38:41He...
0:38:43 > 0:38:45..re...
0:38:45 > 0:38:46n.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48- Wow.- Heren. Heren.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50- Heren and Steve.- That's cool.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Isn't it? Do you know what's even cooler, though?
0:38:53 > 0:38:58Is that Backshall can be written in Japanese characters
0:38:58 > 0:39:01to mean an explosion of laughter.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03- That's what Backshall means. - That is so you.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Well, now, it's so us.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08- There you go.- That's so cheesy.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21I think I say this every day, but this is my new favourite place in Japan.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25- Have I said that to everywhere we've been so far? - Pretty much.- But I think this is it.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55Kinkasan is really special. Having a place like this is where the entire
0:39:55 > 0:39:58island is a shrine is very unusual.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Every single foot of ground here is sacred.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04And I can kind of understand it. You know, it seems very natural.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07Certainly when you're standing here and you're looking at a view like that.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09I think you wouldn't be human if you didn't feel something
0:40:09 > 0:40:11stirring inside you.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16This shrine is still a pilgrimage site today,
0:40:16 > 0:40:18as people come here for a Shinto blessing.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25And the spiritual aspect of Japanese life is starting to rub off on Helen
0:40:25 > 0:40:27and Steve.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31As soon as we walked through those gates that signify a holy place,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34I wouldn't say I'm massively spiritual person,
0:40:34 > 0:40:36but I think because of the connection with nature,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38I'm really finding myself going, "Oh, yeah."
0:40:38 > 0:40:41They're not the same words I would use, that's not the same way I would
0:40:41 > 0:40:45always look at it, but it is the same thing, that appreciation of what surrounds you.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48And here it does feel more spiritual.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Having got in touch with their spiritual side on Kinkasan Island,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Steve and Helen each want to challenge their body.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09So they're heading to Sendai, the capital of Miyagi,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11a homeland for many martial arts.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Steve first came to Japan to study judo and karate.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22And he can't resist entering another dojo, or training hall,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26to practise a 400-year-old fighting style he's never tried.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35This is so different from any martial art that I've ever studied before.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40All of the modern martial arts have come out of old fighting forms like this,
0:41:40 > 0:41:42particularly jujitsu and judo.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49This is a completely ancient Samurai fighting form.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53You can see in what they're wearing that it hasn't changed in centuries.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55No. No, exactly.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59This style is known as yagyu shingan-ryu, a form of jujitsu.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06All martial arts have a name.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Judo is "the gentle way" and karate is "the way of the empty hand".
0:42:10 > 0:42:14This is "the way of mind's eye",
0:42:14 > 0:42:17so the whole idea of it is that you are perceiving what your opponent is
0:42:17 > 0:42:19going to do before they do it,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21you're getting into your opponent's head.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26But will it be easy for Steve to get into his opponent's mind?
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Martial arts schools are common across the region and popular with
0:42:35 > 0:42:36visitors and locals alike.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Steve has obviously impressed the masters and,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58with a few new moves to add to his repertoire,
0:42:58 > 0:43:02it's time to explore the last province on their trip, Fukushima.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08Now recovering from the earthquake and tsunami of 2011,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11Fukushima is a place of hiking, mountain springs and skiing.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17But there is one place to shelter from the cold - underground.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21And Steve is hoping to surprise Helen with some wildlife hidden
0:43:21 > 0:43:23in these caves.
0:43:23 > 0:43:24Tight squeeze.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27- Breathe in, Steve! - What are you saying?
0:43:31 > 0:43:33I'm just not built for this!
0:43:35 > 0:43:38This is the Irimizu limestone cave system.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41There is nearly 1km of trails open throughout the year and it's filled
0:43:41 > 0:43:46with snowmelt that filters down from the mountains above.
0:43:46 > 0:43:47It's quite a lot of water.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49It is.
0:43:49 > 0:43:50And it's cold too.
0:43:53 > 0:43:54- Ow!- Are you OK?
0:43:54 > 0:43:56I just smacked my head again.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01The tight tunnels and sharp bends quickly block out the wind from outside,
0:44:01 > 0:44:05making it a good place for various Vesper bat species to spend the winter.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08- Isn't that amazing?- Wow.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10This is hibernating.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13I've never been this close to a bat that's hanging.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19You can see its toes and it just looks like it's got no effort in holding on.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22You'd think to hold its own body weight up upside down...
0:44:22 > 0:44:25That's exactly right, and that's one of the most unique things about bats.
0:44:25 > 0:44:30When we relax, our hands fall open, but when bats relax,
0:44:30 > 0:44:31they close up and clench.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33So it's actually perfectly relaxed right now.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37No energy whatsoever to hang there in that position and it will be here
0:44:37 > 0:44:39for the entirety of the winter.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42You can feel it is slightly warmer inside the cave so it's a great
0:44:42 > 0:44:44environment for them to hibernate.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58Leaving the bats in the warmth of the cave,
0:44:58 > 0:45:01it's time for Helen's physical challenge and she has an opportunity
0:45:01 > 0:45:03to do something close to her heart.
0:45:08 > 0:45:09Konnichiwa.
0:45:11 > 0:45:16The Tohoku University rowing club was devastated in the 2011 tsunami
0:45:16 > 0:45:20and Helen wants to see how they are getting on at their new training camp.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Amazing. So do you row together as a team?
0:45:23 > 0:45:28- Yes.- So can I join your team today? - Yes.- Amazing!
0:45:28 > 0:45:32Many of these athletes are hopefuls for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,
0:45:32 > 0:45:36so rowing with a double Olympic gold medallist is a great inspiration.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42And for Helen, she will take any chance to get back in a boat...
0:45:44 > 0:45:45..whatever the weather.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10It is amazing being back on the water.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14And you girls are doing an awesome job.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17I feel like I'm fitting in to the team all right.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36After a tough training session, they come in to refuel.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39It's a chance for Helen to speak to the university's rowing coach,
0:46:39 > 0:46:40Matuzawa Gaku,
0:46:40 > 0:46:44about how they bounced back in the years after the tsunami devastated
0:46:44 > 0:46:46the area and the club.
0:46:47 > 0:46:53As a sport and as a community, did any of the rowing boats survive?
0:46:53 > 0:46:55- Almost nothing.- Wow.
0:46:55 > 0:47:00It must have been very difficult to see.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Thanks to donations from their alumni,
0:47:02 > 0:47:06the university boat club has been completely rebuilt.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08How do you feel the club is improving?
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Do you see it getting better?
0:47:10 > 0:47:11- After the disaster?- Yeah.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Getting improving because we...
0:47:17 > 0:47:19That crew was
0:47:19 > 0:47:22number one crew in national rowing championships.
0:47:23 > 0:47:28It hasn't actually been that long and yet five years later,
0:47:28 > 0:47:34you have a thriving boat club, the community has sport to hold on to,
0:47:34 > 0:47:37and you know it was the right thing.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40For me, that's just...
0:47:40 > 0:47:41That's so amazing to hear.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47Sport has been a big part of my life and I know what it can do to people
0:47:47 > 0:47:51and for their lives, but I've never seen it
0:47:51 > 0:47:54so close to something that's been so important.
0:47:54 > 0:48:00Even in these really hard times, to say that sport is still important,
0:48:00 > 0:48:05I think that's amazing. So thank you for doing that and for our sport
0:48:05 > 0:48:09to play a part in holding the community together.
0:48:09 > 0:48:10Thank you. I agree with you.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16It's a fitting end to their emotional trip.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21It really is somewhere that feels elemental,
0:48:21 > 0:48:25it feels like you're almost close to the birth of the world.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29After travelling nearly 2,000km, they have visited all six
0:48:29 > 0:48:31provinces in northern Japan.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Everything here just kind of looks like a silkscreen painting.
0:48:40 > 0:48:41This is the end of our journey.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44You've had your first taste of Japan.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47- What do you make of it? - I love it, I really love it.
0:48:47 > 0:48:52I don't think I've seen anything that has felt as much genuine Japan
0:48:52 > 0:48:55as here, kind of rustic, real, authentic Japan.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57Everywhere we've gone has had something about it,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00whether it's the people or the buildings or the wildlife.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04You just don't know what you're going to see when you turn up at the next place.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Yeah, every single time you think you've got it
0:49:06 > 0:49:08and every time you think you understand the place,
0:49:08 > 0:49:13you unpeel another layer and find something new and something deeper.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16And that is what is going to keep bringing me back to Japan
0:49:16 > 0:49:17for the rest of my life.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19With you, of course!
0:49:39 > 0:49:44For more on Steve and Helen's journey, visit bbc.co.uk/earth.