Shizuoka: Energy of the Forest - CYCLE AROUND JAPAN Highlights

The best way to discover little-known sites and make even familiar places feel brand new is to go exploring by bicycle. Shizuoka has many famous sites, the most famous being, of course, Mount Fuji. This time, however, we're taking the back roads to explore the lesser-known parts of Shizuoka. This is good land, deeply appreciated by the people who farm it. Deep in the mountains, depopulated hamlets are attracting new residents. Come with us now on a 400-kilometer summer ride through Shizuoka. Our trip starts from Shizuoka City. It's just a one-hour train ride from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Hi, everyone. I'm James. Welcome to a perfect summer's day in Shizuoka. James Hobbs has been living in Japan since 1991. An avid racer, James worked for many years at a university in northeastern Japan. In 2024, he took up a new position at a university near Tokyo. So, Shizuoka. Right, Shizuoka. I've been to Shizuoka City for work before, but never with a bicycle. I've never had a chance to go exploring around the rest of the prefecture, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what makes Shizuoka special. Okay, ready to explore Shizuoka. Let's go! James has now left the city and is riding north of the Abe River. Oh, look at that. Look at the view up there. The river and the mountains. Beautiful. A lovely breeze. I tell you, best place to be on a summer's day. On a bike, out in nature. I don't know if you can hear the river. It's a lovely sound as well. Sounds and sights of summer. And the smells. Right, the road is really starting to go up now, so I'm going to ease off. Take it easy. Don't push too hard. The road has now taken us well into the mountains. Look at all these nets down here. Ah, let's have a look down here. All right, can you see all these black nets down here? They're covering some kind of crop, obviously. Not sure what. Anyway, let's keep going. Uto-Ogi is a small village, home to just 140 people. Look at more of those black nets here, all the way down the river. Ah, some people working in there. Konnichiwa! Shall we see if we can go over and have a word with them? Wasabi! I didn't expect that at all. Wasabi is native to Japan. It's said it was first cultivated here in Uto-Ogi, over 400 years ago. Mochizuki Yuma and his sister Yuka come from a family that's farmed wasabi here for 11 generations. Here we go, first time to harvest wasabi. OK, there we go, wasabi. So I think you may know if you've ever had sushi or sashimi, you've got to have some good wasabi with it. They've made James a Shizuoka specialty, wasabi rice. I often pair it with cheese. The richness of the cheese and the freshness of the wasabi go really well together. I've also made wasabi-flavoured raw chocolate before. Wasabi-flavoured chocolate! It was really good. Yuma and Yuka began helping out on the family wasabi farm when they were still little kids. Among the many varieties of wasabi, there are some that are quite cold. The water is cold, too. When that happens, it takes a long time for the wasabi to grow. I'm really grateful that we were born in an environment where we can grow wasabi. It's a crop that's getting a lot of attention from all over the world, so I want to take good care of it. Can you describe the land you live in in one word? It's a land where God exists. Really? It's a land where God has won. The wasabi grows naturally, so I'm really grateful for the wasabi. It's like God. It's a land where God exists. The insects are in full voice. James is now riding north, following the Tenryu River upstream through the centre of Shizuoka. A windy cycle track. Historically, lumber from the forests of Tenryu was shipped out by boat along this river. Here we go, Futamata Station. That's where I want to go. Let's have a look. Good morning. Are you Mr. Watanabe? Yes, I am. I'm James, the man you promised to meet. It's a pleasure to meet you. Waiting for James is Watanabe Tsuyoshi. He runs a local company that transports timber and other forest materials. A keen cyclist, Watanabe posts cycle trails he discovers around Tenryu on social media to promote the area. He'll show James some of his favourite routes. What's the highlight of today's ride? Tenryu is a mountainous area, so when you enter the mountains, there are a lot of forests that are used for work. Among them, there's a gravel road that hasn't been built yet. I hope you'll enjoy the road and the atmosphere along the way. Watanabe's gravel bike has fat, puncture-resistant tires. James has brought a similar bike. And they're off to explore hidden trails in the forests around Tenryu. What kind of town is Tenryu? It's a residential area. There are a lot of people living in the forest. There are a lot of hotels, shops and banks. It's a strange place to be in such a small area. I see. Watanabe's route first takes them over some of the Tenryu River's bridges. High and narrow, this one is quite a thrill on a bicycle. The gravel road is about to start. It's my first time, so please be gentle. If you could take the same road as the one we just passed. I'll go from behind. James has never ridden on rocky gravel like this before. The unstable surface takes some getting used to. It's quite a different road. Very different from road biking. You've really got to stay focused. Just look at the line, see where your wheels are going. It's tough. I'm carrying a tree. Hello, Aisa. Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm James. I'm Aisa. Nice to meet you. Aisa's company manages this forest. And Watanabe often works with him. Today, they're felling some 70-year-old cypress trees for timber to construct houses. Can you feel the vibration? Yes, I can feel the vibration. It's straight. Yes, it is. That's amazing. The ancient Tenryu people took great care of the trees. They planted them one by one, so that they would grow straight. This is the result. Watanabe believes cycling is the perfect way to appreciate the beauty of these forests. The result of centuries of careful management. I'm crossing the bridge. This is Akihadamu. They've arrived at their goal for the day. It's a campsite. This campsite's cafe is one of Watanabe's favorite spots. I've been living here for a long time. Everything here is natural to me. I feel like I'm at home. It's a simple activity. But I want to spread the charm of my hometown. That's what I want to do the most. Cycling really is the best way to enjoy a forest. Today, James plans to stay in a unique guest house. Located deep in the mountains beyond Tenryu. His lodging is in an area with no shops nearby. And the owner has asked James to bring some rice for dinner. Even the smallest bag in the shop will make a heavy load. I'm going to cycle. Really? What kind of road is that? It's a very steep road. I'll have to do my best. Do your best. I'll do my best. Be careful. Okay. All right, here we go. On a heavy bike. With all my stuff. And two kilos of rice. In 35 degree heat. And there we go, there's the sign. Otsumura. 4.3 kilometers. Still got a fair way to go. And it's going to be up. This is quite the road, isn't it? Got some funny looks. When I said I was coming up there by bicycle. I can see why. I tell you, I can feel the extra weight with that rice. After 20 minutes climbing. Wow, check out the view over there. Come all the way up there. People have been living in the tiny hamlet of Osawa for 500 years. Today it has just five residents. There we go, made it. Everybody here. Fujitani Sachio is the owner of the guest house. Originally a farmhouse, the building is 170 years old. Fujitani renovated it, together with all the traditional fittings. He limits stays to one set of guests at a time. Offering a rare chance to experience country life as it was back then. Fujitani was born to an old Osawa family. After a lifetime away working for a motorcycle manufacturer. He came back here to retire. Visitors are expected to cook for themselves. And James sets to work on the rice he brought. James has never used an old style Kamado cooking range before. Nice to meet you. I'm James. I'm Tezuka. Nice to meet you. Tezuka Megumi and her husband moved here from Tokyo three years ago and live next door. He's away for work today, so Fujitani has invited her to dine with them. Three years ago, we couldn't get any signal here. We couldn't use our cell phones or the internet. That was a good thing, so we moved here. But other than that, we don't have any problems. Mr. Sachi always tells us what to do. I'm very grateful. Tezuka works in a town at the foot of the mountain. Fujitani helped them settle in, assisting with the paperwork and house renovations. The rice has been cooking for 30 minutes. Have a look. Oh, it's pretty good. Kanpai. Welcome. Thank you. It's good. The population of Osawa had been declining for about 40 years. And by the time Fujitani returned, there was almost no one left. He opened this guest house in the hope that once visitors saw the area, they'd want to move here. Helping each other, eight families managed to keep this tiny community going for centuries. Fujitani tries to convey that spirit to the new arrivals. Mr. Sachi taught us how to live. If the tap broke or the water stopped, he'd help us. Mr. Sachi can't use his phone. He can't connect to his computer. So he's a bit different from the old Yui, but I think he's a modern Yui. There's nothing here, but the scenery and the air. I think that's the best part of being human. James' final goal is a shrine at the top of Mount Akiha, where the view is said to be spectacular. Made it. That was absolutely relentless. That road just went up and up and up. But I made it. And I'm here. And that's the end of the road, in every sense of the word. Okay, here we go. Here's the main shrine. This shrine has a history going back over 1,300 years. It was fun trying a new bike and trying some different kinds of roads. But of course, these trips are made by the places you go and the people you meet. I've met people who live a simple life deep in the mountains, supporting and helping each other, just like generations past did. And if there's one thing that ties them all together, I think, well, they're quietly proud of their culture, probably even more so than they realize, but more than anything, they just love the place they live, they feel that's where they belong, and they're living the life they want to live. And I think at the end of the day, isn't that what we all want from life? These Shizuoka country folk may not have much, but they're deeply grateful for what this land has given them. And more than willing to share it with others.