Japan Hour: Road Trip On Chichibu Railway (Part 2)
Local lines. Trains travelling through beautiful places of Japan make us feel nostalgic. Season by season, we enquire locals to find breathtaking scenery, delicious cuisine, and wonderful accommodations. It's a journey to uncover gems only the locals know about. All aboard to find the home in our hearts.
(Home in our hearts) (Chichibu Railway) This time, the journey takes place in the northern part of Saitama Prefecture on the Chichibu Railway. The clear streams of Arakawa River are seen from the train windows. This feels nice! Enjoy a river cruise in Nagatoro for an incredible view. This is impressive. Our travellers are moved by a precious statue displayed only once a year.
In addition to that... It's fluffy. They enjoy a variety of Chichibu's unique gastronomy, and even soak in a wonderful, open-air hot spring. This feels so nice.
However... -Well... -Oh, watch out! It looks dangerous. Mother! She's calling for her mother.
A number of exciting and fascinating experiences await our travellers. It's an unpredictable, two-day journey. Wait for me! Wait! So let's get started, all aboard our journey of enquiry and discovery! Did you go to that place? -Where? -Ko... That shaved ice place. Yes, shaved ice. We want to eat it, -but we're a large group. -Oh, yeah.
-They can't make a lot at the same time. -I see. You four should still go. -Yes, it's good. -Yes, today, we can go. -It was incredible. -Yes, it was very good. Did you eat there? -Yes, we did. -Yesterday. -Yesterday? -That's right.
-We got here yesterday. -Yes. We've been travelling since yesterday. Did you go to the limestone cave? Limestone cave? -Where is that? -Where? -In Chichibu. -Chichibu. Near which station? Urayamaguchi. Urayamaguchi. -It's a Chichibu Railway station. -I see.
What's the cave called? -Hashidate. -Hashidate. -Hashidate? -Hashidate Limestone Cave. I see. It's towards Chichibu, right? Did you go there? -We're going there now. -Really?
-You have never been there? -None of you? -I've been there a long time ago. -Really? What was it like? I forgot what it was like. Okay. We're getting close. It's pretty. We can see the river.
I like that bridge. It looks cool. -Isn't it? -It's picturesque.
After 10 minutes on the bus, they arrive at the cruise's starting point. Here I go. -It feels nice. -It does. This will be a great experience. Here we go. Great.
-Take a jacket. -Okay. Thank you. -We're leaving now. -Let's go. We'll be back. See you later.
-See you later. -See you later. It looks pretty. It really is.
First of all, what we see in front of us is the Chichibu Railroad bridge. (Arakawa Bridge) -Steam locomotives pass on the weekends. -Take photos! There's a freight train passing. Even a freight train looks great on that bridge. They carry cement materials. -Limestone. -Limestone?
-Nice. -It's quite long. Now, we are going into a fast stream. Raise the plastic cover behind you. Make sure to keep an eye on what's in front of you. -You'll get a lot today. -Be careful.
-Here we go. -I'm nervous. Keep the plastic cover up. This is fun. This feels nice! Look at the rock in front of us. It has a shape that looks like a turtle.
-We call it Kamenokoiwa. -Kamenokoiwa. The water is quite deep there, so we often see people diving in the summer. This calms me down.
Me too. It looks incredible. For those of you seated in the front, keep the plastic cover up. Is he okay? The rock you see on your left is the famous Iwadatami.
From this point onward, it's 600 metres long and it's monolithic. This? This is the famous Iwadatami. This is a monolithic rock? -Yes, it is. -Really? Amazing. Impressive.
Iwadatami is designated as a national natural monument. It is a raised monolith that stretches for 600 metres. It is one of the most famous scenic spots in Nagatoro. On the other side of the river is a 100-metre high cliff called Chichibu Sekiheki. It's a spot with a magnificent view of the beautiful valley. Right now, we're going down on a calm stream.
These calm spots have names too. Calm spots like this are called Toro, which means a quiet stream. -I see. -It goes for about one kilometre.
It goes for a long distance, and that's why we call it Nagatoro. The sixth entry in the guidebook is the Nagatoro river cruise with the great views of the beautiful valley. -Thank you. -Thank you. -Thank you very much. -Thank you. Great. -It was incredible. -It really was.
-Let's go to the station. -To the station. (26 minutes until the 10:52 am train) They go to Nagatoro Station where they got off yesterday. -This looks nice. -It does. Sweetfish rice. -I see, there are different things. -Yes. Towards this side.
-That's true. -I see. It's too early to eat, though. Yes, we just had breakfast. That looks fancy. Galette... It does.
-It looks fancy. Miso pork... -Look at that. -Galette dog. -I see. Are they open at night too? I'm not sure if they are. It's here. There's the timetable.
-What to do? -What to do? -Shall we go to Chichibu? -We can do that. It'd be great if we could find two entries there. Yes, let's go. (Saitama Prefecture) Aiming to find two entries at one station, they head to Chichibu, which is a famous station. -Here... -This is...
-Well... -It's a big city. -Let's visit a place rather than have food. -Yes, we should ask people. That's right. -Where are you going? -May we talk to you? I'm going home. -You're going home? -Where did you go? Chichibu. There's a shrine here.
-Shrine? -Shrine? -Chichibu Shrine. -Is it famous? Yes, it is. Oh, really? You'll see monkeys that are seeing, hearing, speaking. -Monkeys? -I see. -Thank you very much. -Thank you. Bye.
-Safe travels. -Take care. I see a lot of people. -Hello. -Hello. Where did you just go? Chichibu Shrine.
-Chichibu Shrine? Was it good? -You too? Mizumikuji was interesting. -Mizumikuji? -Yes. It's a blank piece of paper, and letters appear when soaked in water.
-Letters appear? -You can get that? Yes, you can. The carvings are very beautiful as well. Is that so? Water... They walk for three minutes from the station. It looks quite impressive.
The shrine looks very nice. It's huge. It's impressive. We need to ask if we can film. -We need to ask. -Yes. Will they get permission to film? It's for a TV show.
It's okay. Chichibu Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in the Kanto region. (Chichibu Shrine) The Chichibu Night Festival, which is held in December every year, is designated as an important national folk cultural property. (December 2-3, 2019) Let's go in.
It looks beautiful. It is. Here we go. It looks different depending on the place.
That's right. -Here are the three monkeys. -Three monkeys. Monkeys.
I see the monkeys. There they are. It says, "See well, hear well, speak well." -That's nice. -It is. -I like that. -Me too. -"See well, hear well, speak well." -Yes.
I'll tell my kids that. -Sure. -I will. I'm usually the one who says, "See not, hear not, speak not."
It's case by case. Sometimes you should see, hear, speak well. -Sure. -Sometimes you shouldn't see, hear, speak. See well, hear well, speak well.
-I see. -Three great monkeys. Let's ask about the fortune slips? Sure. We heard they have fortune slips that you soak in water. -Excuse me. -Excuse me. May I ask you a question? We heard that you have fortune slips that you soak in water. Walk diagonally and it'll be right there.
-I see it. -That's it. -Thank you. -Thank you. Thank you very much. -It's here. -It's here. -Do I just pick one? -Yes. These are fortune slips? These pink slips have heart patterns.
These ones just have letters. Great, thank you. Which one should I pick? -Which one? Green? -I'll pick this green one.
-If that's okay. -No problem. I'll take this. The red one. Nice. -Hello. -Hello. -Did you soak it in water? -Did you? -Did letters appear? -Yes.
-They did. -May we see it? -I see. -So that's how the letters appear. I see. -You have uncertain luck. -Right. You'll be fine. -Things will get better. -Thank you.
-Thank you very much. Okay. -This. -Nothing is written on here now. -That's right. -Here is my fortune slip. -Yes. (Great fortune) Yes! How did it go? -How was it? -Look. It says "great fortune." Good for you! I'm very happy.
-I've got five stars. -Amazing! This is incredible. I'm jealous. I'm so happy. Good for you.
Thank you. -We'll have a good trip. -That's right. -I'll go try, then. -Sure. Letters appear right away. There's my fortune.
"Average fortune." That's not too bad. -Ta-da. -Okay. Average fortune.
-That's not bad. -Not bad. -It's quite good, right? -Yes. It says I'll have luck if I visit the nature. What does this mean?
-It's good for our trip. -Yes. -I'll take this home. -You should. -I got great fortune. -But... The letters disappear when the slip dries up.
-So... -Keep it in water. I see. I'll show it when it's dry without the letters. So each time, I can show everyone that I have great fortune. -It'll be perfect for that. -I see.
The seventh entry in the guidebook is Chichibu Shrine, one of the oldest shrines in the Kanto region. -Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. -Thank you for everything. -Thank you. I hope good things will happen to us. What should we do now? -Shall we ask her? -Sure. -Hello. -Excuse me. Hello.
-May we talk to you? -May we ask a few questions? -Do you know any good places? -Have you heard of anything? -In Chichibu. -Food or a store. I'm going to a buckwheat noodle shop called Omura now. -Omura. -Buckwheat noodle shop. What kind of noodles are they? What kind of noodles? Regular noodles, but they have rice bowls too. -Okay. -With cutlet. -I want that. -Waraji cutlet.
-Waraji cutlet? -It's famous. Is that a speciality in Chichibu? That's right. I think you'll enjoy it. That sounds good. Shall we go with them? Yes, let's do that. -May we go with you? -Sure. -Are you sure? -Great, thank you.
Thank you. Sorry for the trouble. Great. It's right there after we make a turn.
Did you try the miso potato? Miso potato? What's that? I'd like to know. Miso potato is similar to a local food we have here. It's food from Chichibu? They deep-fry potatoes, -and pour miso on them. -Nice. Would the noodle shop have those potatoes? -Let's eat that. -They'd have it? -They do? Great. -Really? -That sounds amazing. -Let's try it.
We're lucky. -I see it written there. -Yes. -"Miso potato." -That's Omura. -It's here. -Omura. -We're here. -We need to ask first. -That's right. -Yes.
Please go ahead and go in. -Yes, please. -We'll go ask. We need their permission.
(Omura) -Bye. -Thank you. Bye. It looks good. Can they have lunch without any issues? -There are many customers now. -The store is crowded. It's okay.
Excuse me. Let's go in. This way. -We can use this table. -This is fine.
That's awesome. Let's sit here. About this Waraji rice bowl... -It's a local speciality? -That's right. -What is it like? -Why is it called Waraji? Let's see.
Waraji means straw sandals. We put two thin pieces of cutlet like they are sandals. -I see. -Interesting.
Is miso potato also food from this region? -Yes, it's traditional food. -Really? We ate that as a snack when we were kids. -Let's try that. -Sure. Okay. -We'll get miso potato. -Yes, miso potato. -And mini Waraji rice bowl with noodles. -Yes.
I'll get the set meal with Waraji rice bowl and chilled noodles. Sobadokoro Omura is a long-established store that opened in 1897. They make their speciality miso potato by steaming and deep-frying potatoes.
They then pour a lot of sweet miso sauce on them. It's a local speciality food from Chichibu. -Here's miso potato. -Miso potato! They're freshly fried so they're very hot. (Miso potato, 400 yen) Wow, look at this.
-Thank you for it. -It's still hot. -It's our first time trying it. -It is. -Can I try first? -It's really hot. It's hot, isn't it? You ate it in one bite.
-It's good. -Is it? It's crispy, but the inside is soft and fluffy. -It's hot. -Yes, it's hot. The miso is very good.
What makes the miso so tasty? It's amazing. I can't stop eating it. Chichibu's other speciality is the Waraji rice bowl. It's made with large pieces of Japanese pork cutlet which are dipped in a secret sauce made with their homemade noodle soup. The cutlet is then placed over rice. It's called Waraji because the cutlet looks like a pair of straw sandals.
-Thank you for waiting. -It's here. -Waraji rice bowl with chilled noodles. -Great. Thank you very much. That's a lot of food.
That is a lot of food. It's huge. It even comes with a dessert. Waraji. This is Waraji.
Wow, you have a wonderful smile on. What do you think? It's incredible. You're right. -It tastes like pork cutlet sauce. -They used a lot of sauce. It's very good.
It's good. I'll try the chilled noodles now. This set meal is just perfect. Nice sound. -Very good. -Isn't it? This set meal is perfect for greedy people like us.
This makes me happy. The eighth entry in the guidebook is Sobadokoro Omura, which offers a variety of local specialities. -Thank you for having us. -Thank you. Bye. -Thank you very much. -Thank you very much.
-Let's go. -The food was great. -The food was delicious. -Yes, it was. We came from that way, right? -That way. -Right.
-Thank you, Omura. -Thank you. It was incredible. We got lucky. There were two local specialities -that we got to try. -Yes.
I'm glad. We tried miso potato. -Waraji cutlet too. -That's right. We're very lucky. Right now...
What time is it now? Let's see. It's 12:52 pm. -12:52 pm? Already? -Yes. -Okay. -When's the train? 12:58 pm. In six minutes? Will we make it? Let's hurry a bit.
-Shall we take the train? -It'd be good. They will try to take the train that leaves at 12:58 pm. It's 12:55 pm. Really? That's not good. -It's 12:55 pm now. -We might not make it.
Will they catch the train? We won't make it. -How did the time pass so quickly? -Run. Run, run. Run, run.
I see the station. Will we make it to the train at 12:58 pm? It's 120 yen. Ohanabatake. It's 120 yen.
-Two tickets, please. -Two tickets. Is this the one? -It's the one in the platform. -This? Wait for me! Wait! We made it. (Saitama Prefecture) Their next stop is Ohanabatake Station, a station they've been curious about. What is this? The mountain looks pretty.
I was curious about this mountain. That's right. It's the mountain that we saw in Chichibu. -Why is it... -Hello? Excuse me.
Hello. Excuse me, may we ask you a few questions? -Ohana... -Are you from this area? -Yes, we are. -Yes. Why does the mountain look so bare? Probably because it's limestone. Limestone? -It's limestone? -That makes sense.
-We saw trains carrying limestone. -That's right. They're quarrying stone. The mountain's original height was much higher.
But it shrunk because they kept quarrying the stone inside. -Is that so? -That's so interesting. It looks strange, doesn't it? Mount Buko is 1,304 metres high. It used to be 1,336 metres high. But from the Meiji era to the Showa era, limestone was mined on a large scale and the mountain shrunk in height.
-At this station... -We want to take a train around 1:50 pm. -Any personal recommendations? -Places that you like? -Matsuri no Yu. -Sorry? -Matsuri no Yu is right there. -Right there. There is a station called Matsuri no Yu. -It's a quick walk. -What's there? They sell speciality products of Chichibu inside.
You can look at various products at once. What are the specialities of Chichibu? -Ichiro's Malt is famous in Chichibu. -It's an alcohol. -Whisky? -They sell sweets made with the liqueur.
That sounds good. I just recently heard about it. -Is that so? -Thank you for telling us about it. -Take care. -Thank you very much. -She said she recently heard about it. -That's right. They walk in the direction as they were told for five minutes.
It's limestone. I had no idea. -It's quite large. -Impressive. -It looks incredible. -Look. Where do we enter? We need permission. -Permission. -It's such a pain to get permission!
Who should we speak to? They said okay. Matsuri no Yu in front of Seibu Chichibu Station opened two years ago. They have open-air baths with a breathtaking view of Mount Buko, as well as other various kinds of baths including bedrock baths. They also sell speciality products and products only sold in Chichibu and various types of souvenirs.
It is a hot spring complex. They are hoping to find some whisky. Excuse me. -Thank you for having us. -Thank you.
Over here. It looks proper. Impressive. Legendary...
Thank you. -Thank you. Hello. -Thank you. -Sorry. -May we talk to you? -We heard about a famous whisky. -Yes.
Yes, it's a whisky called Ichiro's Malt. -I knew it. -I see. Do you sell it here? -It's actually sold out today. -Is that so?
But you can drink it here. -Really? -We can try it? -I see, you're out of bottles. -That's right. It's currently sold out and is a bit difficult to get. -It's valuable. -It is. -But here... -It's very popular. -We can try it, right? -Yes, you can.
-Here it is. -I understand. I recommend drinking it on the rocks. -On the rocks? -Yes. I'll have the S one on the rocks. -Single. -Sure.
That's great. What makes Chichibu's whisky good? Is it related to the famous Ichiro? Ichiro is the name of the person who produces the whisky. -That's why it's called Ichiro's Malt. -It's his name? I see. Ichiro's Malt is made with the pure water of Chichibu. It received the highest award at a whisky fair in England, the home of whisky.
It's Japanese whisky that is being recognized all over the world now. (Ichiro's Malt Single on the rocks, 700 yen) Here is the single. Thank you.
I want to eat that. -Go ahead. -Can you pay? That's right. You go ahead and drink. Okay.
Excuse me. Chichibu has their own cream puffs? You can only buy them in Chichibu. Can I have one of these? What is it like? The custard inside is maple syrup-flavoured. I should get this one, right? Yes, that's the most popular. I'll get the maple syrup cream puff, please.
Thank you very much. Did you drink it? -Not yet. -Sorry. Thank you. I'll try the whisky now. -How does it smell? -It smells great. You're right.
-It smells refreshing. -Yes, it's Japanese whisky. I like the smell. It's great. Do you like it? All right, I will try this maple syrup-flavoured cream puff. It's crunchy. I like it.
It's a Chichibu speciality? Yes, Chichibu maple syrup cream puff. It's good. You look cool like that. You look cool. It's good.
It makes you look like a mature man. Why do you do that each time? The ninth entry in the guidebook is Matsuri no Yu by Seibu Chichibu Station where they sell all the Chichibu specialities. -I'm thankful for that couple. -Me too. -I'm thankful too. -They told us a great place. -With Matsuri no Yu that we visited, -Yes. we actually already found nine entries on this trip.
Really? Nine entries. -It's still 1:00. -Yup. -We've got one more to find for our goal. -Yes. But we have time. The trip is going quite smoothly.
Yes, which means that we can go wherever we want. Yes, well... -We could have 11 entries, for example. -I see. (3 hours 7 minutes until the time limit) They are ready to find more entries.
Where will they head to next? All right. Okay. Okay, let's decide where we will get off next. -We have a lot of time. -Yes. We have this much left. That's right. We need to reach this station at the end.
From here to there. -This is the one in Nagatoro. -Limestone cave. It was recommended to us.
I'm not sure how far it is from the station. -Shall we go? -She said about 20 minutes. We might be able to visit it.
-So, Urayamaguchi? -Sure. -Let's go there. -Let's go there. (Saitama Prefecture) Now, they will head to Urayamaguchi Station, where there is a limestone cave that was recommended. (Saitama Prefecture) All right.
There are a lot of people. -Everyone's getting off. -To take the Seibu Line. (1:59 pm) I wanted a photo of the mountain. Oh, yeah. It was a mystery.
-A mystery. -We found the answers, though. -The mountain that shrunk. -Can I take photos now? Maybe I can't any more. Or maybe I can. (Photo: Reiko Kato) (Urayamaguchi Station) In nine minutes, the train arrives at Urayamaguchi Station.
Will they be able to accomplish their goal at this station? They said 20 minutes. -Really? -Watch your step. I wonder. (Hanyu, Urayamaguchi, Mitsumineguchi) Hashidate Limestone Cave. -It's 2:00 pm right now. -It's 2:10 pm. No trains before three.
-There are a lot less trains now. -Yes. -We should take the 3:13 pm train. -Sure. -Thank you very much. -Is this the only exit? -Yes. -Okay, thank you.
It says "limestone cave." It says that the limestone cave is that way. To visit the limestone cave, -it might actually take time. -That's true.
-We might need to give up then. -Yes. -I hope they have routes in the cave. -Yes. Going to the farthest part of the cave and turning around could take one hour.
-Some caves are like that. -Then we'd miss the 3:13 pm train. That's true. We'll have to learn more about it and decide. Yes, we do.
Of all the places that we've visited... -We're closest to the mountain now. -Yes. -Is this the right way? -It's a good walk. This is quite a mountain. I don't think we can get there in 12 minutes. I wonder.
My back hurts. This is quite hard. My back hurts. -Look at this path. -Seriously. -You can't walk in the dark here. -True. -So scary. -So scary.
Exhausted, they continue to walk the mountain path for 15 minutes. Is this the correct way? I think this is it. -Here? -Here. The arrow points that way. You're right.
-There's another hill. -It's a relief. -I see something. -I see. Nice. I'll do my best.
-All right. -We can only go up to here. -Oh, yeah. -Thank you. -Okay. -That's right. Let's ask for permission to film.
If they say no, all the walking will be for nothing. Let's ask how long it takes to look. We'll try our best not to disturb you, -so may we please film this place? -When will that be? -Right now. -Now? On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Chichibu Railway, our duo asks for permission to film at a recommended limestone cave.
If they say no, all the effort they put into walking all this way will be for nothing. -Well... -Yes? -Although we came all the way here... -Yes. They said okay. This place is called Sekiryuzan Hashidatedo, and is one of the 34 sacred sites scattered throughout the Chichibu region. Here, they have the only limestone cave for sightseeing in Saitama Prefecture.
-Sorry. -Sorry for the trouble. Thank you for having us. -Thank you. -Here's 400 yen. -We'll be back. -See you later. -Sorry. -Hello.
All right. -That's the entrance. -This looks great. I like it. This feels like a spiritual site.
-The cliff here looks impressive. -It does. It must be a spiritual site. They kept its natural appearance -in the nature. -This looks impressive. -It might be wet, so be careful. -Yes, let's be careful. -It's cool. -Yes, it feels cool inside. Impressive.
This is quite... It's something we don't see often. Is that a bat? Yes, there is a bat. Do you see it? It's really low. Thank you for having us. Hashidate Limestone Cave is a vertical cave, which is rare in Japan.
It is approximately 140 metres in length. The height difference between the entrance and the exit is 33 metres. You can feel like you're on an adventure here. -The ceiling is getting lower and lower. -It's quite low. Amazing.
All right. Here I go. -What? -What does it say? These are called stalagmites. They look like melted rocks.
-I see. -It's this part. If we go further, maybe we will see a Godzilla logo. I'm sure kids love this. It's like an adventure. It really feels like an adventure. -Suddenly, I see steps. -Yes.
They're quite steep too. I feel like the Goonies. -Oh, yeah, the Goonies. -Right? This is called the "Back of a Rising Dragon." Really? I'll be right there. Someone came up with this name.
-Surprisingly... -This is not it. -Surprisingly... -Look. That looks impressive. -Oh, yeah. -It looks like a hand.
-Can we go out that way? -Swoosh! It's an adventure limestone cave. -This is hard. -Yes. This is rare for a limestone cave. We're almost done. -There's the exit. -Really? It says so?
-I see some trees. -It's brighter. -Really? -Totally. Great. This doesn't feel like an exit. Yes! We're out.
Incredible. Are limestone caves usually like this? This one is more like an adventure. That was a surprise. Yes, it overturned the conventional idea of what a limestone cave is.
The 10th entry in the guidebook is Hashidate Limestone Cave. They accomplished their goal. -It was a fun experience. -It was. -Thank you very much. -Thank you. Sorry for the commotion. Go ahead.
We've found 10 entries now. -We did it. -Yes, that's true. -We accomplished our goal. -Yes. -That's good. -At the last station, -we might find something. -An extra thing.
-I hope so. -I hope we'll find our 11th entry. With the goal accomplished, they happily walk back to the station. -Here we are. -Here we are. Now... -Let's go to Mitsumineguchi. -Yes, the last station.
-Let's do that. -To the station. -Let's go there and find other things. -Yes, one or two. (Saitama Prefecture) Now, they head to the last station of our journey, Mitsumineguchi Station. This is nothing compared to the limestone cave. -Yes. -This way?
-That way? -That way. (3:13 pm) -Did you get mosquito bites? -Yes, two of them. I can see that. You got bites. They must've smelled the alcohol on you.
-Oh, yeah, that might be it. -I thought so. (Mitsumineguchi Station) In 13 minutes, they finally arrive at Mitsumineguchi Station, the terminal. -We're here. -We're here. (3:26 pm) What do you think? (Hanyu to Mitsumineguchi, 37 stations) What will it be like? They have 1.5 hours left.
How many more entries will they be able to find? -We've arrived. -Yes. We've arrived at our last station. This feels nice. I wonder what's here. We need to ask people. I don't see anyone.
I see one or two stores. Oh, yeah. -We still have 1.5 hours left. -That's right. Let's go ask. -May we talk to you? -Sure. Sorry to bother you.
Mitsumineguchi. Are there any places you recommend? Suspension bridge. -Suspension bridge? -Yes. Does it have a great view? Yes, it does, but... -Can we walk there? -It's scary. -It's scary? -The bridge is right over there.
It'll be on your right. Suspension bridge. That's right. On the way back, -you can swing on a rope. -What? -Nice. -Yes, you can do that.
-Really? -Yes. I think that sounds nice. -Let's go check it out. -Shall we? You can see it from the other bridge. -That's true. -Is it right over there?
-Let's see. -We go straight? If you follow this road, it will curve towards the right. You'll see it there. It's right there. -You'll see Shirakawa Bridge. -Shirakawa. -It'll be on your right. -We'll see it.
-Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. -Take care. -Thank you. We just heard about a great spot. We want Mr Murakami to do it. -No. -Please, Mr Murakami. I don't think I'm allowed to do that.
Why? I don't think I'm allowed. I wish I were wearing pants. -Hello. -Hello. Where did you go? -We went to Gravity Park. -Sorry? Gravity Park. -Gravity Park? -Sorry? You can do bungee jumps.
-Bungee jumps. -Or ziplining. -Earlier... -That's at the bridge? -That's it. -All right.
Where are you from? -Where are you guys from? -We're from Tokyo. -Nice work. -Thank you. -They're having fun. -They are. I'm jealous. Despite what he says, Mr Murakami is walking with somewhat heavy steps. In any case, they continue to walk from the station for about five minutes.
This is it. He said that there will be a breathtaking view on our right. This is already a very nice view. -Right? -This place.
Perfect location. It's fitting for the final station, -this view. -Seriously. -It has a lot of character. -Yes. -Oh! -What? -What? -Let's go to the centre. -More. -Impressive.
-Incredible. -This is incredible. Incredible. This is scary.
This is impressive. We're very high. Yes, we're quite high. It's scary to look down. I want a photo, but I don't want to drop my camera. Shirakawa Bridge is a 70-metre high bridge that goes over the upper streams of the Arakawa River.
The panoramic view of the Chichibu Mountains and the valley from there is a real highlight. The 11th entry in the guidebook is Shirakawa Bridge, a spot with a spectacular view of the Arakawa Valley. This is a spectacular view. Incredible. That's it! -It swings. -There's no way I can do it.
-Why don't you try it? -No way. Sorry. I really don't think I can do it. We can't finish without it. In that case, let's spend the night here. -I can't do it. -Are you serious? I am serious.
They're driving me into a corner for the show. I'm not sure about that. (1 hour 10 minutes until the time limit) Please don't do that. -This is it. -Here. It's here.
All right. Will they be granted permission to film? They looked perfectly ready for us. They said no to the filming. No, they willingly accepted it.
They encouraged us to join them. We could've just told them no, so we don't need to go in. They said it was okay. They said okay. The people here are very cheerful. -That's right. -They're foreigners.
All the staff members... -Tomorrow, they start... -A trapeze experience. -They have lots to do. -To prep for it. They asked me if we wanted to try the trapeze. Sorry for the trouble. -Thank you for having us. -Thank you.
-Come with me. -Okay. He looks cool. He's a mountain man.
Chichibu Geo Gravity Park just opened this year. (Chichibu Geo Gravity Park Hours: 10 am - 4 pm) They offer canyon walks, where people walk on a suspension bridge with a harness, and the canyon fly, where people slide down the canyon on a cable pulley. It's the new attraction in Okuchichibu. Which one do you want? We don't have those special cameras.
We weren't expecting it. So if we did this, -you'll just see me moving farther away. -I see. Shall we do the walk then? We can rent a GoPro.
-What is it? -They offer rentals. I can't do rentals. Don't be ridiculous. What's going on? I can do scary experiences, but I can't do rentals.
Why is that? Without a camera, all you'll see is just me moving farther away. -Wouldn't the suspension bridge be better? -I see. Will you be willing to do that? -Yes, I will. Let's do it. -Really? -Okay. -Please.
Before we gear you up, could you check these questions regarding your health? Let me know if any of these apply to you. Healthy, healthy, not pregnant. We're fine. -It says "drinking on the day of." -What?
-I had a drink earlier. -Just a bit. Did you? -It was just a sample. -Yes. Really. -We say no to anyone who had drinks. -Even a little? I see. -It could affect your safety. -Okay. It was a tiny bit, though.
-You still can't. -Why do you look so happy? You look happy. Wait a minute, about this, I said I didn't want to do it, but actually... -I knew that I needed to do it. -You were resisting it a lot. -Did you see his smile? -I wanted you to do it. It's complicated.
-Seriously? -No. I am relieved that I don't need to do it, but at the same time, I did want to give it a try. -You do have great fortune. -But I can't. I mean it. But this suspension bridge, -I'm sure our viewers want to see it. -That's true. -One of the crew members should do it. -Yes, since I'm wearing a skirt.
Sorry about that. -Could one of you do it? -Could you? So... Be safe.
It's swinging. Walking on a swinging bridge? That's scary. The harness looks like a superhero's gear. Incredible. -I feel nervous watching it. -My heart is pounding fast. I'm nervous.
They're in the air. They really are. This makes my heart pound fast.
Other than that... (Canyon swing, 11,000 yen) Mother! They also offer thrilling canyon swings. But since Mr Murakami couldn't experience them himself, this will not be considered an entry.
-What a way to finish the trip. -Yes, really. We ended up having crew members do it. -The crew members of our show, -That's right. -as well as the employees of the place. -Yes.
-So it goes. -It had to be this way. -We couldn't do anything about it. -But we did get to enjoy -magnificent views. -Yes, we've captured that on camera.
-I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. -I'm sure. I wasn't expecting this ending, but that's just how it developed. It couldn't be helped.
-They could've told me beforehand. -That's true. -I wouldn't have had a drink. -You have great fortune. Through new meetings, we discovered new places. Each meeting became a warm memory.
To everyone who helped us on this heart-warming journey, thank you very much! Subtitles: SDI Media Group
2021-04-14 11:04
