Episode 1 Japan's Northern Wilderness


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Adventurer and naturalist Steve Backshall has circumnavigated the globe.

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We are so, so lucky.

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But there's one country that draws him back, again and again - Japan.

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Japan is so unique. It's an incredibly diverse place.

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Somewhere where people are immensely proud of their heritage and culture.

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With him is his wife, Helen Glover.

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She's a champion athlete,

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world record holder and two-time Olympic gold-medal-winning rower.

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It is amazing being back on the water.

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I really think that to be immersed in the culture in Japan is really

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unique and really special.

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Steve wants Helen to experience Japan by going somewhere he's never been before.

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They are going off the beaten track to the lesser-known highlands

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of Japan's northern wilderness.

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The rugged north of Japan's main island is one of the country's

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wildest territories,

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with active volcanoes, ancient mountain shrines

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and abundant wildlife.

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Helen and Steve will zigzag down the six provinces of this region

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of outstanding natural beauty known as Tohoku.

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In all, they'll be travelling some 2,000km in a little under

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two weeks.

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It's a landscape of extreme contrast,

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where autumn turns rapidly to winter.

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Outdoor enthusiasts Helen and Steve relish the challenge.

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It's like a postcard. It's absolutely stunning.

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At the northernmost tip of mainland Japan is Aomori,

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renowned for its apple orchards,

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fresh fish and having some of the heaviest snowfall on the planet.

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Wildlife expert Steve is hoping to begin their adventure

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by showing Helen some of the animals special to this region.

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So this is us for the night.

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-It's so pretty.

-They've come to meet professional wildlife photographer

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Takayuki Isoyama and his wife Ryoko,

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whose family have been welcoming guests to their hostel

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for more than 50 years.

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Mr Isoyama has been helping visitors track the local wildlife

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and capturing rare sightings on camera for 30 years.

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Are they all your photos?

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-My pictures.

-Ah, snow monkey.

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Snow monkey.

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Look at that baby.

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Isn't that beautiful?

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About one, one month.

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One month?

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That is so cute.

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This is what we're here to see.

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So is it native to Japan or this part of Japan?

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This is a very, very Japanese animal.

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Is it a goat?

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No, no, it's not.

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From a zoological perspective, it's a difficult one.

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It's officially a goat antelope.

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They are a really, really unusual animal.

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So this would be a real first for me, I've never seen a serow before.

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And they are really unique to this part of the world.

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It's such an incredible looking animal.

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So if we manage to get that, that would be...

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-That would be amazing!

-That would be nice, that would be great.

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It's November and the first snow has come early.

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Is it a bad sign that my fingers are already cold?

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Er, yeah!

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Just the last place you'd expect to go looking for a monkey, isn't it?

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-I know.

-It just doesn't fit.

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Steve's expert eye soon spots the traces of their first animal.

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-Oh!

-What?

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Look at this.

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-Those...

-I can tell you it's poo.

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It is poo. Yeah.

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That's serow.

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So that is...

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the goat antelope that occurs here and nowhere else.

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And you see how fresh that is?

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I'll take your word for it!

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Fresh tracks mean the serow can't be far away.

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There's a serow.

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What a stroke of luck!

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Amazing. My first ever serow.

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Wow! It's so beautiful.

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It's just staring at us.

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It's got such a shaggy...

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It looks quite soft, doesn't it?

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Yeah.

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I expected it to look a bit more like a goat but it doesn't look

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-at all like a goat.

-This is such a special animal.

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So...

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This is the only place in the world that you find this Japanese serow.

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Only on these islands. They are endemic to here.

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-And its your first one!

-It's my first one, I know.

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Absolutely amazing.

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Well, that is a fantastic bonus.

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Very, very odd-looking animal.

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It is, it has kind of got stumpy legs.

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-It's not at all what I thought it would look like.

-Yeah.

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Very strange, long face.

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Very shaggy fur, particularly this time of year.

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The Japanese serow was previously hunted near to extinction.

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But with no natural predators, it's now thriving.

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-That was cool.

-Really nice.

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Also roaming far and wide in the extensive forests here

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are the elusive snow monkeys.

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But winter shrinks their feeding grounds, making them easier to spot.

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Ah, there they are.

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-Wow!

-Just below us, look at that.

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Oh, my God.

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-OK.

-OK.

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We are so, so lucky.

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This is brilliant.

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That is amazing.

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-How about that?

-Out of nowhere.

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This is exactly what I was saying.

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They are feeding in the top of the pine trees.

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You can see this one here actually has a pine cone in its hands.

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It's just nibbling away to get at the seeds that are inside it.

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And they're all just perched precariously over the top

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of the water, aren't they? It's fabulous.

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In fact, once you get your eye in, there's dozens of them.

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-There's quite a few.

-There are, yeah.

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You can see how the actual waves are almost crashing below them,

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-clear water.

-Yeah.

-And a monkey sat above it.

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I know. It's such a bizarre sight.

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I've filmed primates all over the world but there's nowhere

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that it's like this. There's nowhere where they're living in a place

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where it's so cold, so challenging.

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The monkeys here are the most northern-dwelling primates in the world.

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You are so jammy with wildlife!

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-I know!

-It does have to be said, I kind of think that I should be

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-taking you with me on all my filming trips.

-That sounds good!

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Back after their hike,

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Helen and Steve are staying on the edge of this remote peninsula

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with their hosts.

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But as it's a youth hostel,

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they're going to have to make their own beds.

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-Shall we have a race?

-No, this is not a good idea.

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See, you thought I was going to be bringing you to a flashy five-star hotel.

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I did not think that, Steve! I definitely didn't think that!

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Here you are, in a youth hostel, making your own bed.

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The next day, Steve and Helen are both eager to explore

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the marine life on this coastline that regularly provides

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some of Japan's most sought-after catch.

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But this morning seems like downtime in the village.

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This is definitely not peak fishing season.

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I wouldn't much fancy being out there right now.

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It kind of looks like most of the village has shut up shop, doesn't it?

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It's quite quiet.

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-It's beautiful, though.

-Yeah.

-It's really pretty.

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When the harsh northern winter hits a fishing village like this,

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there's still plenty of work going behind closed doors.

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Ooh, wow! It's a wall of fish.

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-Smells amazing.

-It hits you in the face.

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Konnichiwa.

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Ah, can I try? Thank you.

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I have my tool.

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The women of the village are preparing sardines for the barbecue,

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a traditional winter delicacy to be sold in the city markets.

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So it's the same...? You go for the ones that are all the same kind of size?

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I'm being laughed at over here, Steve!

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OK?

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It's not good when you're laughed at when you put on your first fish.

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No!

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I'm not sure if I'm helping or hindering.

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I'm sure you're helping. Every single one that I've put on

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to the stick, this lady here has assessed and checked.

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Ah!

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You have to keep the front in line, Steve.

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They don't want a jagged edge.

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-Oh, OK.

-Yeah.

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I guess we kind of think of Japan as being like a super-modern nation.

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And all of a sudden finding something like this where you're

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-just thrown back in time. Amazing, isn't it?

-Do you know what, though,

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it's so lovely that you can meet people and just get stuck in like this.

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Well, there's my sardine lollipop.

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-I'm really proud of mine.

-Yours is way better than mine.

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I know.

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I have a feeling that as soon as we're finished they're just going to

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take all my fish off the stick and put it on again.

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Yeah, start again.

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Can you ask them who's better?

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-We're the same.

-Oh, what!

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I thought she said I won.

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Arigatou gozaimasu.

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They now drive 200km to the marshy coastal wetlands of Lake Jusanko.

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In early December, the temperature here plummets below freezing...

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..as the icy winds begin to blast in from Siberia,

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heralding the arrival of winter.

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Let's go away, he said.

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Let's have a nice relaxing holiday.

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Yeah.

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But it does feel like the extreme wild north that you promised me.

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It does.

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This place used to be known as the end of the road.

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Right now it kind of feels like the end of the world.

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But it has got a savage beauty about it, hasn't it?

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But in a weird way,

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I actually love weather like this cos you just have to get involved,

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-don't you? You've got no choice but to embrace it otherwise you'll never step outside.

-Yeah, it's true.

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There's a lot of life out here, though. You know, there's loads

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and loads of ducks and other wildfowl on the water.

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-There's actually quite a lot of birds out here when you get your eye in.

-Yeah.

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These are whooper swans and they spend a lot of the year up in the

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Arctic tundra. So this is probably like a winter holiday to them.

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I think also being out here on the rice paddies, as well,

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they've got lots to feed on.

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The swans don't seem bothered about the cold at all.

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I wish I was a swan right now.

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-They look really cosy.

-Yeah.

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Following the swans' example, Steve and Helen are heading south.

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They find shelter aboard the most northerly train line

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on Japan's main island.

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Special winter trains have run across the Tsugaru Plains

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since the line was built more than 80 years ago.

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Smoke billows out of chimneys in the roof from the coal-fired stoves

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that warm the carriage.

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Definitely not what I pictured if someone said you were taking a train journey in Japan.

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-Yeah.

-But they do call this the cosy train.

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-Do you know that?

-The cosy train?

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Yeah. The stove train or the cosy train.

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-It's proper cosy.

-I know.

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And the stove has another particular use.

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So this is the squid then?

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So we take some of this and we put it on the stove.

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Are we about to cook squid on a train?

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-Yes, we are.

-That's a sentence I never thought I would say.

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Can you imagine that happening on a train back home?

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It smells so good, though.

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It does smell good.

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Oh, wow, that was quick.

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Wow. I think we put it on here, Steve.

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OK. Yep.

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Right, let's give it a try.

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Oh, my days.

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You need quite strong teeth.

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But it's really tasty. The more you chew, the better it gets.

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Your face tells me you're not so keen.

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I'm not so keen.

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I think I can polish this off.

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I'm really into it. Squid's my new thing.

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There's people on here who are definitely here for the experience,

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-aren't they? They're here for the nostalgia like we are.

-Yeah.

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And some people... It's their daily commute

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and it's totally normal for them.

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There is something so nostalgic about being on a train like this

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and just trundling along, seeing the scenery roll past you.

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Especially somewhere like Japan where, you think of trains,

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you think of bullet trains going at 300mph across the country.

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It is. And especially when it's so cold outside,

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to be sat here with the stove warming you.

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-Yeah.

-I feel the heat on the side of my face from the stove.

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-I know, it's great, isn't it?

-A nice way to take a long journey, though.

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Leaving Aomori behind,

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Helen and Steve continue on their 2,000km journey by road,

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south into Iwate...

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..whose mountainous spine makes this the most sparsely-populated

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province of Japan's crowded mainland.

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Deep in the Tono Valley,

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notable for its rustic folk traditions and architecture...

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..they have chosen a farm stay for the night...

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..where they're greeted with traditional Japanese warmth

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by owners Mr and Mrs Yomada.

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Konnichiwa.

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They spent eight years restoring their 200-year-old home

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to all its glory.

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-It's beautiful.

-Yeah, beautiful.

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Yeah. It's perfect.

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Isn't it?

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Oh, yeah. Like a thatched roof.

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Yes, I noticed.

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This might well be the most traditional place I've ever stayed.

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-Really?

-Yeah, I think so.

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Steve and Helen are welcomed as the last guests before Mr and Mrs Yomada

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close up for winter.

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Oh!

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That is very Zen, isn't it?

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The whole place - just so perfect.

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Everything is exactly in its place.

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And it's simple.

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It's cut back. This is one of the things that is really typical

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about Japanese culture, is just attention to detail.

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It's all about the finest little minutiae.

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And this place is perfect.

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This is where we're sleeping?

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Yeah, yeah, it is.

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-Oh, wow.

-This is our bedroom.

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Where are the beds?

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Oh, wow.

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The house adjoins the old stable,

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originally to share warmth from the stove with their horses.

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Now their hosts accommodate travellers for dinner, bed and breakfast,

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with tasty local specialities made with home-grown vegetables.

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-I thought we were just getting soup.

-Oh, wow. The most beautiful plate...

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of food I've ever seen.

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Arigato.

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This is like a work of art.

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Yeah. It is.

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Kind of feels like the kind of place that could have sinister spirits

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hanging around outside the doors.

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With its paper walls and sliding screens,

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there's still no central heating under the thatched roof.

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So I guess later we can wrap ourselves under about 100 layers

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of blankets and go and tell spooky stories.

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Sounds good.

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The following day, Helen and Steve cross the mountains into Akita province,

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where the temperature continues to plummet.

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We're in a winter wonderland.

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I know, it's beautiful.

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Tohoku is home to 18 active volcanoes,

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and Akita in particular is dotted with volcanic hot springs

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and mineral pools.

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In winter, many of the roads here are closed.

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Still open is Goshogake Onsen,

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home to a volcanic hot spring and Japan's largest mud volcano...

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..only accessible at this time of year on skis or snowshoes.

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So how are you finding it, Hels?

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Not too bad. I'm finding it quite easy.

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I'm absolutely loving it.

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I should think so, too. Pretty much our first date was on snowshoes.

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Very surreal that in amongst all the glittering ice and snow is steam.

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Every so often I get a waft of heat.

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A waft of heat and a smell of stinking, rotten eggs.

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I think this is kind of what I pictured when I thought about

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how wild it could be.

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And how perfect.

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Yeah. Particularly now when it's fresh snow and no signs, no tracks.

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We're the first people to come this way.

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Whoa!

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That is so dramatic.

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Oh, wow.

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Feel that steam in your face.

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This is a cracking view from here, though, isn't it?

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It is so, so beautiful.

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And we're only two hours' walk away from the active volcano.

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-Yeah.

-Which is on 24-hour watch.

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So we're in the zone.

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I think we're going to be OK, though.

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It looks so inviting, doesn't it?

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But actually the water is like 90 degrees-plus so I think if we

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dived in there, it would really hurt.

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Yeah, you can't imagine it being that warm when you're stood in this cold.

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I know.

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That's one of the things that's most intriguing about Japan,

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is that massive duality between fire and ice.

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You've got these mountains that through so much of the year

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are covered in deep, deep snow, but because we are on the Ring of Fire,

0:20:030:20:08

the volcanic activity here is second to none, you know.

0:20:080:20:11

Well over 100 active volcanoes in Japan,

0:20:110:20:15

and they just keep popping off all the time.

0:20:150:20:17

And you get to places like this where you've got the vents

0:20:170:20:20

with steam and hot mud.

0:20:200:20:22

It really is somewhere that feels elemental.

0:20:220:20:25

It feels like you're almost close to the birth of the world.

0:20:250:20:28

Volcanic magma runs so close to the surface here that it heats the water,

0:20:300:20:35

and the local guide wants to show them just how hot it is.

0:20:350:20:38

-OK.

-A thermometer?

0:20:450:20:47

Good idea.

0:20:470:20:48

My guess is around 80 degrees.

0:20:490:20:54

Oh, that's big.

0:20:540:20:56

I think this is a little bit further away from the main pool so I'm going...

0:20:560:21:00

..60.

0:21:010:21:03

There you go. It's zooming up.

0:21:030:21:05

Oh, wow.

0:21:050:21:07

-That's 70.

-Don't burn yourself.

0:21:070:21:09

70 degrees and counting.

0:21:090:21:11

The hottest ones are 93, 94 degrees.

0:21:110:21:14

-Wow.

-Which is full-on.

0:21:140:21:16

-Nana-ju go.

-Nana-ju go.

0:21:170:21:19

75.

0:21:190:21:20

OK, that's more like it.

0:21:220:21:24

Wow.

0:21:240:21:25

Yeah. You do get them at least 80 around here.

0:21:270:21:31

So you have to be very careful where you walk.

0:21:310:21:33

Tohoku's volcanic region has blessed it with an extraordinarily

0:21:350:21:39

beautiful landscape.

0:21:390:21:41

But the elemental forces that shape Japan also provide

0:21:420:21:46

its civilising pleasures.

0:21:460:21:48

Nestling in the beech forest on the other side of the volcano

0:21:500:21:54

is Tsurunoyu Onsen.

0:21:540:21:56

It's a hot spring dating from the 17th-century Samurai period.

0:21:560:22:00

Once only for aristocrats, now open to all,

0:22:020:22:06

with healing properties that Helen and Steve have come to experience

0:22:060:22:09

after their strenuous mountain hike.

0:22:090:22:11

So nice.

0:22:130:22:14

This is such a nice way to start the day.

0:22:160:22:17

-Yeah.

-A little bit different from your normal start to the day.

0:22:170:22:21

Yeah. Probably I would have done a couple of laps of the lake.

0:22:210:22:25

This is the exact opposite.

0:22:250:22:26

Yeah.

0:22:260:22:28

Tsurunoyu Onsen takes its name from the legend that a local hunter

0:22:280:22:32

saw a badly injured crane, tsuru in Japanese,

0:22:320:22:36

healing its wounds in the mineral water here.

0:22:360:22:38

How are your aches and pains feeling?

0:22:400:22:42

Pretty good. Pretty good.

0:22:420:22:45

There's no doubt that a soak in a hot bath

0:22:450:22:49

really sorts out your aches, doesn't it?

0:22:490:22:52

But it's supposedly more than that, the minerals.

0:22:520:22:54

Hence the colour of the water.

0:22:540:22:55

-Yeah.

-I think this particular onsen is where people go for aches and pains.

0:22:550:23:02

And have done for over 300 years.

0:23:020:23:05

Yeah. It's amazing.

0:23:050:23:06

-And you can go and bath in the same place as ancient samurais.

-Yeah.

0:23:060:23:11

The whole idea of the onsen hot spring.

0:23:110:23:14

And having an island that is so dominated by volcanic activity,

0:23:140:23:18

it's not surprising, really.

0:23:180:23:20

And I love the fact that aside from people using it as health benefits,

0:23:200:23:23

I think definitely these people seem very holistically health-conscious.

0:23:230:23:28

But it's also quite a nice social thing.

0:23:280:23:30

You know, you see people coming with their friends and their brothers or

0:23:300:23:33

-sisters.

-It's such a massive part of Japanese culture.

0:23:330:23:38

We're in the middle of this beautiful beech forest and you've

0:23:380:23:41

got this steaming natural hot tub in amongst the snow.

0:23:410:23:46

Everything here just kind of looks like a silkscreen painting.

0:23:460:23:50

Now 1,000km into their journey through Tohoku,

0:23:540:23:58

Helen and Steve pause for sushi

0:23:580:24:00

and a moment to reflect on their progress.

0:24:000:24:03

So what's your favourite bit been so far?

0:24:030:24:05

One of the nicest things has been, people really are warm.

0:24:050:24:09

And they want you into their hearts and their homes, they want to teach you and tell you,

0:24:090:24:13

even if they don't have a sit-down conversation.

0:24:130:24:15

I just got this sense of what it's really like to live this far north,

0:24:150:24:19

this far away from cities.

0:24:190:24:21

-What have you enjoyed?

-I've not been to this part of Japan before,

0:24:210:24:24

and it has a very different, rustic flavour to it.

0:24:240:24:29

-Does it?

-That I really like.

0:24:290:24:30

Yeah. I think you get a sense of what rural Japan is like

0:24:300:24:34

for real people here.

0:24:340:24:36

-Has it surprised you?

-Yeah.

0:24:360:24:37

Yeah, for sure. But the thing about Japan is,

0:24:370:24:40

every day surprises me anyway,

0:24:400:24:42

no matter how often I come here, no matter how much time I spend here,

0:24:420:24:45

there are always new things to find out every single day.

0:24:450:24:48

Yeah.

0:24:480:24:50

And there are more discoveries to be made.

0:24:500:24:52

Helen and Steve still have another three provinces to explore

0:24:540:24:58

and about 1,000km left to travel.

0:24:580:25:01

Despite the fact that we are in just one region of Japan,

0:25:010:25:05

there's still an immense amount for us to cover.

0:25:050:25:07

You know, we have still only scratched the surface of Tohoku.

0:25:070:25:11

We still have lots and lots to see.

0:25:110:25:13

I think what I'm looking forward to seeing in this half of our trip

0:25:130:25:16

is that picture-postcard Japan.

0:25:160:25:19

You know when you think about the buildings that people live in,

0:25:190:25:21

but also the temples and that really spiritual side.

0:25:210:25:24

So to do just that, they're heading to a spiritual part of Yamagata.

0:25:280:25:32

Yamagata is home to the three holy mountains of Dewa Sanzan,

0:25:360:25:40

a pilgrimage site for 14 centuries.

0:25:400:25:43

It's the centre of worship for the Shugendo sect,

0:25:480:25:51

who believes that pain and endurance can lead to enlightenment.

0:25:510:25:54

Helen and Steve are meeting Shugendo devotee, Mr Kazuro Hayasaka.

0:25:580:26:04

He's one of the mountain-climbing ascetic monks called yamabushi,

0:26:040:26:08

or "men who lie down on the mountain".

0:26:080:26:11

HORN BLOWS

0:26:110:26:13

Here we go. This is exciting.

0:26:170:26:20

Like all pilgrims, they're dressed in traditional yamabushi outfits,

0:26:200:26:25

with hakama trousers and a suzukake robe,

0:26:250:26:28

unchanged for 1,000 years.

0:26:280:26:31

To get a sense of the pain and endurance the yamabushi go through

0:26:330:26:37

to reach enlightenment, they're taking on the steps of Mount Haguro.

0:26:370:26:41

I'm going to count every one of them.

0:26:500:26:51

But, as always, a big journey begins with a single pace.

0:26:510:26:54

HORN BLOWS

0:27:040:27:07

Well, I make this 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.

0:27:090:27:13

-Wow.

-This bridge is absolutely stunning.

0:27:180:27:22

Look at that waterfall.

0:27:220:27:24

So usually the initiates will come here for yamabushi and they will get

0:27:320:27:38

into the water, underneath the waterfall, and they will meditate.

0:27:380:27:42

I guess what he's saying is that, yes, it's very cold,

0:27:420:27:45

but you would try and separate your mental and your physical.

0:27:450:27:48

So your physical body may be going through extremes of cold but if you

0:27:480:27:53

can meditate and take yourself away from that, then you don't feel it.

0:27:530:27:57

I love this, because there's a lot of similarity in that and rowing.

0:27:570:28:01

Because I honestly think the best rowers are the ones that can

0:28:010:28:05

separate that mental... That voice inside you that says,

0:28:050:28:08

"Stop, you're in too much pain."

0:28:080:28:10

If you can separate yourself mentally,

0:28:100:28:12

then you can push yourself far harder than other people can.

0:28:120:28:16

He said you're already a yamabushi!

0:28:180:28:20

-Already!

-You are.

-Yes!

0:28:200:28:22

I don't need to get in the waterfall.

0:28:220:28:24

They may have escaped the cold waters,

0:28:260:28:29

but they still have the mountain to climb.

0:28:290:28:31

Do you reckon we're nearly there yet?

0:28:330:28:35

Think we've got about 2,400 to go.

0:28:370:28:40

It's this arduous ascent that's said to bring enlightenment.

0:28:410:28:45

At least for some.

0:28:460:28:48

Wow. It just turned from meditation into mountaineering.

0:28:480:28:51

This is more my kind of walking.

0:28:520:28:55

Everything's about training for you, isn't it?

0:28:570:29:00

I know. I think it's just the mentality I'm in.

0:29:000:29:03

Even when we're just walking, have a bit of silence, and I was thinking,

0:29:030:29:07

"I can really feel my glutes working."

0:29:070:29:10

"Yeah, that's 500 calories."

0:29:100:29:12

But, no, I'll try and be more in touch with nature and Zen.

0:29:120:29:15

As they climb, they pass a 1,000-year-old cedar

0:29:180:29:22

called the Grandfather Tree,

0:29:220:29:24

which provides a moment to stop and reflect for those on pilgrimage.

0:29:240:29:28

That is extraordinary.

0:29:320:29:33

Just imagine what was happening when this was a sapling.

0:29:380:29:41

Back home in the UK, people were living in the Dark Ages.

0:29:410:29:45

And 1,000 years of history here in Japan, that's seen -

0:29:450:29:49

it's a bewildering thought.

0:29:490:29:51

If you come here and you meditate or you pray,

0:29:510:29:55

especially if you are local,

0:29:550:29:57

and you know that your ancestors have done the same...

0:29:570:30:00

I mean, this tree would have seen so many generations

0:30:000:30:04

and different people.

0:30:040:30:06

A lot of Shugendo is about contemplating your place in nature,

0:30:060:30:10

and when you stand here as a human being with a lifespan of maybe

0:30:100:30:14

80 years, in front of a tree that's been here for 1,000,

0:30:140:30:17

it gives you perspective. I think it enables you to perceive yourself

0:30:170:30:23

as part of a natural environment that's bigger than you,

0:30:230:30:26

that somehow makes you feel very small.

0:30:260:30:28

On their journey towards enlightenment, Helen and Steve

0:30:310:30:35

reach another significant landmark of the pilgrimage.

0:30:350:30:37

First of all, it's 600 years old.

0:30:540:30:57

And then the things that are unique about it are that it doesn't have

0:30:570:31:00

any nails, so it's built by stacking all of the wood on top of each other.

0:31:000:31:03

And it's quite unique in that the rooms are the same height.

0:31:030:31:06

Normally when you see a pagoda like this, they start getting smaller and smaller as they get towards the top.

0:31:060:31:11

It's a bit of an optical illusion, isn't it?

0:31:110:31:12

Because it does actually look like the roof on the top is smaller

0:31:120:31:15

but they're actually the same size.

0:31:150:31:17

So this is the one we were reading about,

0:31:180:31:21

where a lot of Japan's modern buildings have features

0:31:210:31:25

based on this building, built 600 years ago.

0:31:250:31:30

So one of the features is there's a pendulum inside which gives it balance,

0:31:300:31:34

especially if there's an earthquake,

0:31:340:31:36

-it kind of prevents the building from falling over.

-Shifts...

0:31:360:31:39

And the other thing is that, because of its structure,

0:31:390:31:42

and because there aren't any nails, it actually in the earthquake

0:31:420:31:44

does shift a little bit so it has movement,

0:31:440:31:46

it's not totally rigid.

0:31:460:31:48

And modern-day skyscrapers in Japan...

0:31:480:31:52

-Are built to do the same thing.

-..are built to do the same thing,

0:31:520:31:54

based off the workings of a 600-year-old building

0:31:540:31:58

with no nails in.

0:31:580:31:59

In winter, when it's quieter here,

0:32:020:32:05

it's easy to slip into a moment of reflection.

0:32:050:32:07

THEY SPEAK JAPANESE

0:32:110:32:13

That means, "you must be tired."

0:32:150:32:17

And having climbed for a couple of hours,

0:32:170:32:20

they finally reach the summit.

0:32:200:32:22

They say goodbye to their guide...

0:32:290:32:30

..and join the Shinto shrine's regular ceremony.

0:32:340:32:37

People come from all over the world to pray at this holy site,

0:32:390:32:44

where the Shinto priest helps pass messages

0:32:440:32:46

from the pilgrims to the gods.

0:32:460:32:48

So are you feeling cleansed?

0:32:560:32:59

This is amazing. The effort that must have been put in to building this,

0:32:590:33:05

building these huge bells and thick thatching hundreds of years ago.

0:33:050:33:10

The people put that much effort into that sort of sense of spirituality

0:33:100:33:15

and the importance of us keeping in touch with nature.

0:33:150:33:19

It's really special.

0:33:200:33:21

I kind of feel like I've had more of a connection to the philosophical

0:33:210:33:25

side of Japan in this one day than I have done in all the years

0:33:250:33:29

that I've spent here in the past.

0:33:290:33:31

For the people of northern Japan,

0:33:390:33:41

spirituality has a deep connection with nature,

0:33:410:33:44

something that Steve is keen to explore further.

0:33:440:33:47

So to see more, they're heading to Miyagi, the fifth province of the trip.

0:33:470:33:52

Miyagi means Palace Castle.

0:33:530:33:55

It's a buffer between the wilds of the north and the more developed south.

0:33:560:34:00

Helen and Steve are heading into better weather,

0:34:050:34:07

and to Kinkasan Island - home to an 8th-century Shinto shrine,

0:34:070:34:12

and some sacred animals.

0:34:120:34:14

So do you think we're going to see much wildlife here?

0:34:140:34:17

Oh, yeah, for sure. Kinkasan's very well-known for its wildlife.

0:34:170:34:21

And actually, most of it, we're not going to have to work that hard to find.

0:34:210:34:24

The entire island is a Shinto shrine.

0:34:380:34:40

Most Japanese people observe both Buddhism and Shinto.

0:34:420:34:46

While Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual

0:34:480:34:51

development, Shinto is an animistic ancient folk religion,

0:34:510:34:56

which worships spirits that dwell in nature, in mountains, rocks,

0:34:560:35:01

rivers and, of course, animals.

0:35:010:35:04

So the deer weren't particularly hard to find, were they?

0:35:110:35:14

-No.

-He's so friendly.

0:35:140:35:17

Well, it is very much like this at Shinto shrines all over Japan.

0:35:170:35:21

They're often absolutely filled with deer,

0:35:210:35:24

and they're hand-fed all the time.

0:35:240:35:26

So they're totally habituated to human contact.

0:35:260:35:28

-Shall we head on up?

-Yeah.

0:35:280:35:30

When you visit a Shinto shrine,

0:35:350:35:37

it's important to first take part in a ritual purification.

0:35:370:35:40

This trip's turning into good training.

0:35:460:35:48

It is. It's just one long flight of stairs, isn't it?

0:35:480:35:51

This particular shrine is said to be for the gods of wealth

0:35:530:35:58

and prosperity, and I'm wondering if staying makes us even more prosperous.

0:35:580:36:04

Even more prosperous? You must be joking! You haven't seen my bank account.

0:36:040:36:08

I should probably have told you about this before we got married.

0:36:080:36:11

If you visit once a year for three consecutive years,

0:36:140:36:18

legend has it you will have no financial difficulties

0:36:180:36:21

for the rest of your life.

0:36:210:36:23

So there are a set ritual of things that you do when you're coming up

0:36:330:36:36

to a shrine like this.

0:36:360:36:38

So you clap your hands to frighten away any bad spirits.

0:36:380:36:43

Bow to show deference.

0:36:430:36:45

And then here, at this particular shrine,

0:36:460:36:48

people tie usually a five-yen coin.

0:36:480:36:52

Here you are speculating to accumulate.

0:36:520:36:55

Keeping the wealth theme.

0:36:550:36:56

Yeah. So you're hoping that the gods are going to show you favour

0:36:560:37:00

and you're going to receive financial benefit.

0:37:000:37:03

I think the most extraordinary thing about this place, though,

0:37:030:37:05

is just seeing how long this building's lasted for.

0:37:050:37:09

-Yeah.

-The first buildings here were sort of 700AD.

0:37:090:37:13

Some of these are going to be nearly 1,000 years old.

0:37:130:37:15

It is amazing, cos this island is the closest landmass to the

0:37:150:37:19

epicentre of the earthquake which caused the tsunami in 2011.

0:37:190:37:23

-And it's still here. It's mind-blowing.

-Yeah.

0:37:230:37:27

It survived through centuries of volcanism, earthquakes, tsunamis.

0:37:270:37:33

They just don't build them like they used to.

0:37:340:37:37

Hello.

0:37:410:37:42

The shrine's upkeep is partly reliant on offerings,

0:37:430:37:46

so Helen and Steve want to purchase a copper tile for the roof.

0:37:460:37:49

Copper is seen as a precious metal to the gods of wealth.

0:37:500:37:54

Konnichiwa.

0:37:540:37:55

And by putting their name and address on the roof tile,

0:37:550:37:58

the gods will know where to find them.

0:37:580:38:01

So we just put our name and our address on the tile.

0:38:120:38:15

So these copper tiles are going to end up...

0:38:150:38:17

..roofing the shrine,

0:38:190:38:20

and keeping up those continual bits and bobs that always need

0:38:200:38:24

to be repaired.

0:38:240:38:25

Are you doing it in Japanese?

0:38:270:38:29

Yeah, I'm going to try it.

0:38:290:38:31

Sutibu.

0:38:360:38:37

Your name's actually pretty easy, cos you've got...

0:38:370:38:39

He...

0:38:390:38:41

..re...

0:38:430:38:45

n.

0:38:450:38:46

-Wow.

-Heren. Heren.

0:38:460:38:48

-Heren and Steve.

-That's cool.

0:38:480:38:50

Isn't it? Do you know what's even cooler, though?

0:38:500:38:53

Is that Backshall can be written in Japanese characters

0:38:530:38:58

to mean an explosion of laughter.

0:38:580:39:01

-That's what Backshall means.

-That is so you.

0:39:010:39:03

Well, now, it's so us.

0:39:030:39:06

-There you go.

-That's so cheesy.

0:39:060:39:08

I think I say this every day, but this is my new favourite place in Japan.

0:39:180:39:21

-Have I said that to everywhere we've been so far?

-Pretty much.

-But I think this is it.

0:39:210:39:25

Kinkasan is really special. Having a place like this is where the entire

0:39:500:39:55

island is a shrine is very unusual.

0:39:550:39:58

Every single foot of ground here is sacred.

0:39:580:40:01

And I can kind of understand it. You know, it seems very natural.

0:40:010:40:04

Certainly when you're standing here and you're looking at a view like that.

0:40:040:40:07

I think you wouldn't be human if you didn't feel something

0:40:070:40:09

stirring inside you.

0:40:090:40:11

This shrine is still a pilgrimage site today,

0:40:140:40:16

as people come here for a Shinto blessing.

0:40:160:40:18

And the spiritual aspect of Japanese life is starting to rub off on Helen

0:40:210:40:25

and Steve.

0:40:250:40:27

As soon as we walked through those gates that signify a holy place,

0:40:270:40:31

I wouldn't say I'm massively spiritual person,

0:40:310:40:34

but I think because of the connection with nature,

0:40:340:40:36

I'm really finding myself going, "Oh, yeah."

0:40:360:40:38

They're not the same words I would use, that's not the same way I would

0:40:380:40:41

always look at it, but it is the same thing, that appreciation of what surrounds you.

0:40:410:40:45

And here it does feel more spiritual.

0:40:450:40:48

Having got in touch with their spiritual side on Kinkasan Island,

0:40:590:41:03

Steve and Helen each want to challenge their body.

0:41:030:41:06

So they're heading to Sendai, the capital of Miyagi,

0:41:060:41:09

a homeland for many martial arts.

0:41:090:41:11

Steve first came to Japan to study judo and karate.

0:41:130:41:16

And he can't resist entering another dojo, or training hall,

0:41:190:41:22

to practise a 400-year-old fighting style he's never tried.

0:41:220:41:26

This is so different from any martial art that I've ever studied before.

0:41:300:41:35

All of the modern martial arts have come out of old fighting forms like this,

0:41:360:41:40

particularly jujitsu and judo.

0:41:400:41:42

This is a completely ancient Samurai fighting form.

0:41:450:41:49

You can see in what they're wearing that it hasn't changed in centuries.

0:41:490:41:53

No. No, exactly.

0:41:530:41:55

This style is known as yagyu shingan-ryu, a form of jujitsu.

0:41:550:41:59

All martial arts have a name.

0:42:020:42:06

Judo is "the gentle way" and karate is "the way of the empty hand".

0:42:060:42:10

This is "the way of mind's eye",

0:42:100:42:14

so the whole idea of it is that you are perceiving what your opponent is

0:42:140:42:17

going to do before they do it,

0:42:170:42:19

you're getting into your opponent's head.

0:42:190:42:21

But will it be easy for Steve to get into his opponent's mind?

0:42:220:42:26

Martial arts schools are common across the region and popular with

0:42:320:42:35

visitors and locals alike.

0:42:350:42:36

Steve has obviously impressed the masters and,

0:42:530:42:56

with a few new moves to add to his repertoire,

0:42:560:42:58

it's time to explore the last province on their trip, Fukushima.

0:42:580:43:02

Now recovering from the earthquake and tsunami of 2011,

0:43:040:43:08

Fukushima is a place of hiking, mountain springs and skiing.

0:43:080:43:11

But there is one place to shelter from the cold - underground.

0:43:130:43:17

And Steve is hoping to surprise Helen with some wildlife hidden

0:43:170:43:21

in these caves.

0:43:210:43:23

Tight squeeze.

0:43:230:43:24

-Breathe in, Steve!

-What are you saying?

0:43:240:43:27

I'm just not built for this!

0:43:310:43:33

This is the Irimizu limestone cave system.

0:43:350:43:38

There is nearly 1km of trails open throughout the year and it's filled

0:43:380:43:41

with snowmelt that filters down from the mountains above.

0:43:410:43:46

It's quite a lot of water.

0:43:460:43:47

It is.

0:43:470:43:49

And it's cold too.

0:43:490:43:50

-Ow!

-Are you OK?

0:43:530:43:54

I just smacked my head again.

0:43:540:43:56

The tight tunnels and sharp bends quickly block out the wind from outside,

0:43:570:44:01

making it a good place for various Vesper bat species to spend the winter.

0:44:010:44:05

-Isn't that amazing?

-Wow.

0:44:060:44:08

This is hibernating.

0:44:080:44:10

I've never been this close to a bat that's hanging.

0:44:110:44:13

You can see its toes and it just looks like it's got no effort in holding on.

0:44:150:44:19

You'd think to hold its own body weight up upside down...

0:44:190:44:22

That's exactly right, and that's one of the most unique things about bats.

0:44:220:44:25

When we relax, our hands fall open, but when bats relax,

0:44:250:44:30

they close up and clench.

0:44:300:44:31

So it's actually perfectly relaxed right now.

0:44:310:44:33

No energy whatsoever to hang there in that position and it will be here

0:44:330:44:37

for the entirety of the winter.

0:44:370:44:39

You can feel it is slightly warmer inside the cave so it's a great

0:44:390:44:42

environment for them to hibernate.

0:44:420:44:44

Leaving the bats in the warmth of the cave,

0:44:550:44:58

it's time for Helen's physical challenge and she has an opportunity

0:44:580:45:01

to do something close to her heart.

0:45:010:45:03

Konnichiwa.

0:45:080:45:09

The Tohoku University rowing club was devastated in the 2011 tsunami

0:45:110:45:16

and Helen wants to see how they are getting on at their new training camp.

0:45:160:45:20

Amazing. So do you row together as a team?

0:45:200:45:23

-Yes.

-So can I join your team today?

-Yes.

-Amazing!

0:45:230:45:28

Many of these athletes are hopefuls for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,

0:45:280:45:32

so rowing with a double Olympic gold medallist is a great inspiration.

0:45:320:45:36

And for Helen, she will take any chance to get back in a boat...

0:45:390:45:42

..whatever the weather.

0:45:440:45:45

It is amazing being back on the water.

0:46:070:46:10

And you girls are doing an awesome job.

0:46:120:46:14

I feel like I'm fitting in to the team all right.

0:46:140:46:17

After a tough training session, they come in to refuel.

0:46:320:46:36

It's a chance for Helen to speak to the university's rowing coach,

0:46:360:46:39

Matuzawa Gaku,

0:46:390:46:40

about how they bounced back in the years after the tsunami devastated

0:46:400:46:44

the area and the club.

0:46:440:46:46

As a sport and as a community, did any of the rowing boats survive?

0:46:470:46:53

-Almost nothing.

-Wow.

0:46:530:46:55

It must have been very difficult to see.

0:46:550:47:00

Thanks to donations from their alumni,

0:47:000:47:02

the university boat club has been completely rebuilt.

0:47:020:47:06

How do you feel the club is improving?

0:47:060:47:08

Do you see it getting better?

0:47:080:47:10

-After the disaster?

-Yeah.

0:47:100:47:11

Getting improving because we...

0:47:110:47:15

That crew was

0:47:170:47:19

number one crew in national rowing championships.

0:47:190:47:22

It hasn't actually been that long and yet five years later,

0:47:230:47:28

you have a thriving boat club, the community has sport to hold on to,

0:47:280:47:34

and you know it was the right thing.

0:47:340:47:37

For me, that's just...

0:47:370:47:40

That's so amazing to hear.

0:47:400:47:41

Sport has been a big part of my life and I know what it can do to people

0:47:430:47:47

and for their lives, but I've never seen it

0:47:470:47:51

so close to something that's been so important.

0:47:510:47:54

Even in these really hard times, to say that sport is still important,

0:47:540:48:00

I think that's amazing. So thank you for doing that and for our sport

0:48:000:48:05

to play a part in holding the community together.

0:48:050:48:09

Thank you. I agree with you.

0:48:090:48:10

It's a fitting end to their emotional trip.

0:48:140:48:16

It really is somewhere that feels elemental,

0:48:180:48:21

it feels like you're almost close to the birth of the world.

0:48:210:48:25

After travelling nearly 2,000km, they have visited all six

0:48:250:48:29

provinces in northern Japan.

0:48:290:48:31

Everything here just kind of looks like a silkscreen painting.

0:48:330:48:36

This is the end of our journey.

0:48:400:48:41

You've had your first taste of Japan.

0:48:410:48:44

-What do you make of it?

-I love it, I really love it.

0:48:440:48:47

I don't think I've seen anything that has felt as much genuine Japan

0:48:470:48:52

as here, kind of rustic, real, authentic Japan.

0:48:520:48:55

Everywhere we've gone has had something about it,

0:48:550:48:57

whether it's the people or the buildings or the wildlife.

0:48:570:49:00

You just don't know what you're going to see when you turn up at the next place.

0:49:000:49:04

Yeah, every single time you think you've got it

0:49:040:49:06

and every time you think you understand the place,

0:49:060:49:08

you unpeel another layer and find something new and something deeper.

0:49:080:49:13

And that is what is going to keep bringing me back to Japan

0:49:130:49:16

for the rest of my life.

0:49:160:49:17

With you, of course!

0:49:170:49:19

For more on Steve and Helen's journey, visit bbc.co.uk/earth.

0:49:390:49:44

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