Japan Hour: Road Trip On Watarase Valley Railway (Part 2)

(Local lines) There is still a lot to see in Japan. A spontaneous trip on a local line across Japan. Let's walk freely and aimlessly. We will surely find beautiful scenery and heart-warming encounters. From the first station to the last, we'll look for places that cannot be found in any guidebook. The locals always know the best places.

So all aboard on this trip of enquiry and discovery! This time, the journey takes place on the Watarase Valley (Keikoku) Railway, connecting Gunma Prefecture and Tochigi Prefecture. Once the train goes through a tunnel of bright greenery, the clear stream of Watarase River appears. Ashio Copper Mine, which supported Japan's modernisation, is also located along the railway line. (Ashio Copper Mine) Let's get off at a station that we've never been to before and rediscover great spots in Japan. Is there anything you want people to see in this town? Well, I...

By enquiring people, our travellers find... It's inside here? -A restaurant inside a train! -Amazing! It's not completely finished. They also find a mysterious Jizo statue. -This is incredible! -What is this? They then get excited about a luxurious accommodation! What a treat! However... -Great! -Great! -I'll go tell everyone. -You don't need to do that.

-Bring my camera too. -No need to do that. There's no way we'll make it! What? -They're not blooming at all. -Look at that. -Is it on this side? -On the left side. Left, okay. It turns out to be a hectic journey filled with unexpected events! A spontaneous two-day overnight journey without any solid plans! You'll also find information on autumn leaves, which will be in season soon.

(Autumn leaves will be in season soon) Let's get started! Our spontaneous local line journey of enquiry and discovery! Dinner will be served in Mr Motoki's room. -Wow, incredible. -Hi. -It's amazing. -Look at that! Very luxurious.

A wide variety of brightly coloured dishes made with the finest ingredients. Along with the food, they also have an all-you-can-drink beer server. Okay. This one might be good. Neither of them looks good. Let's bring them anyways.

It's Erena's first time using a beer server. Which one? This one, of course. Sorry it's not perfect. -Nice work today. -Nice work. -Thank you for it. -Let's do our best tomorrow.

-It's good. -It's chilled. -It's chilled. Very nice. -Beer servers are great. What's going on here? Can we start cooking the food? Let's do it. Shabu-shabu with kelp broth and pheasant broth.

They'll first try pheasant meat which is a luxurious ingredient. Pheasant dishes have been the inn's speciality since its opening. -Go ahead. -Thank you. It's good.

-Is it good? -It's... It's got a firm texture to it, but it also is crunchy and easy to chew. -It's light. -Yes. This is also pheasant meat. -This too? -Yes. It's mixed with green onions and yam, and that's why it appears white.

Great wood ear mushrooms! Were they also harvested locally? -Is it good? -Yes. It's completely different from meatballs made with chicken or pork. This one is very light, so I can eat a lot of them. This is sashimi of fresh rockfish. (Sashimi of rockfish) Thank you for it.

Rockfish is rarely served as sashimi. We usually grill them. -It's rare. Very good. -Sashimi of river fish is rare. It's my first konnyaku in Gunma. (Konnyaku served with sweet miso paste) It's very chewy.

(Entry 5) The fifth entry in the guidebook, Nashigikan, a luxurious hot spring inn with their speciality pheasant dishes. (Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture) On the first day of the journey on the Watarase Valley Railway, our duo advanced to the seventh station, Motojuku, and found five entries. Let's keep up the good work tomorrow! (The second day) -Good morning. -Good morning.

Did you sleep well? -Very well. -Very well? Yes. -You're not tired anymore? -No. Impressive. It's so luxurious that I can't believe this is breakfast.

It sure is. Incredible. -Well... -Let's eat.

Yes, let's eat. -Is this porridge? -With pheasant? -It looks great. -It does. Porridge with pheasant meat is served for breakfast. The flavour of the broth is also very good.

(Daisuke Motoki) It's delicious. (Erena) -I like it. -It has a great flavour. What is that? It has a lot of mushrooms and meat! Locally grown mushrooms steamed with pork. They only use butter to season the dish.

It's good. The time limit of this journey is set at 5 pm. -Thank you for having us so suddenly. -Thank you for the amazing room. -The food was also very good. -Thank you. -It was amazing. -Everything was perfect. -Thank you very much, miss. -Thank you for having us.

Thank you for having us. -Thank you very much. -You helped us a lot. -Let's take a ride back to the station. -Good morning.

Good morning. The inn's van will drop them off at the station. I'm glad the weather is nice again. Me too. We've been blessed with good weather.

-Thank you very much. -Yes. -Thank you very much. -Sure. -Thank you very much. -Thank you.

I was so worried when we came up these stairs yesterday. The lights are turned on. I see an attendant. Were we supposed to get in from that end? Our duo takes the train without deciding where to go.

-Hi there. -Hello. (9:28 am) The second day of the spontaneous journey begins now! (Watarase Valley Railway) The Watarase Valley Railway connects Gunma and Tochigi prefectures. There are 17 stations in total, with a total distance of 44.1 kilometres. Their goal is to get recommendations from local residents and create an original travel guide with 10 entries. The only things they can use are a timetable and a map.

-Pay attention. -Okay. -Be ready to get off at any time. -We'll only have a short time. They'll decide on a station to get off based on what's around the station. You're watching carefully. -Is there anything? -Any great places to visit? We're in an opening. It's pretty. The train travels quickly and easily through the trees.

In this area, a spectacular view can be seen from the train windows. (Best time to visit: Mid-November) The leaves will soon start changing colour. The valley looks breathtaking up close. We're almost there.

The train arrives at Mizunuma Station, the neighbouring station. It's really pretty. We're arriving soon. What do we do? (Mizunuma Station) Shall we get off here? It's a relatively large station.

Please decide quickly! -We're not getting off. -Not getting off? -No. Not getting off. -You scared me. You took too long to decide. -In that case... -Yes?

Let's look at Hanawa, the next station, and decide -based on what we'll see. -Sure. I would like to get off at Hanawa. Hanawa means flowers. I wonder if there will be a lot of flowers in Hanawa? We're deep in the mountains now. This isn't good. The worst case is, if people recommend us places to eat, we can go and eat about five meals today.

It'll all be about food. We're arriving at a big town. I have a feeling there will be some people here.

They're arriving at Hanawa Station soon. What will they do? It's a nice station. Let's get off here. -We'll get off here. Thank you. -Let's get off. Thank you. It scared me. (9:41 am) (Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture) Based on Mr Motoki's intuition, they decide to get off at Hanawa Station.

(Kiryu, Honjuku, Hanawa, Mato) The next trains comes at 10:52 am so we have an hour and 10 minutes. (Kiryu, Hanawa, Mato) I feel like there will be many places to see around here. Let's ask at the store. Why not? Good morning. -Good morning. -Can we ask you some questions?

If you know a historical place or good food, please recommend it to us. There is the old building of Hanawa Primary School. It was built in 1928. -In 1928? -Either in 1928 or 1931. It was built around that time. City workers take turns and come in on Saturdays and Sundays.

It's a museum open to the public. You should visit. -It's a weekday today so is it closed? -Yeah, I wonder. It is a weekday today. I'll call the person who manages the building. Would you do that for us? -That's so kind of you. -Thank you.

-Thank you very much. -We'd love to see the museum. Everyone knows each other, and they can accommodate sudden requests too. Everyone is very kind. He picks up the phone and explains about the show.

We're filming a TV show. We were wondering if we could visit the museum. They agreed to open the museum. The kind lady shows our duo the way. This is the school. Wow, it looks impressive.

There's a community centre next to it. This is where they meet the person in charge. Thank you for coming with us.

Hello. We called earlier. -Sorry for visiting so suddenly. -Sorry. -Thank you very much. -I'll get going now. Please stay.

I have plans to go out. -Really? Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. Sorry.

-Bye. -You helped us a lot. Sorry. This is a nice school. This is the headmaster's office. Come on in. -Thank you. -Thank you.

(Hanawa Primary School) (Old Hanawa Primary School Museum) It says that it is a registered tangible cultural property. Yes, that's right. (Registered tangible cultural property) (The school opened in 1873 and closed in 2001) Hanawa Primary School opened in 1873. The current wooden school building was built in 1931. In 2001, after almost 130 years of history, the school was closed.

(Sixth grade) Every year, we have children's festival, where we have a cleaning race. -I see it. It says so. -Here? -Long hallways like this are rare now. -That's right. It's about 50 metres long.

Everyone wears supporters, and dashes on this hallway. -It's slippery. -Yes. We have a lot of fun. We also host different types of events. In the old times, I'm sure the students of the school cleaned the hallway.

Yes, I'm sure. Yes. It's sad that there are no more students now.

Yes, it is. (Cleaning race) Aside from the cleaning race, the building is also used for one-day enrolment experience and other events. (Primary school enrolment experience) Very nice. When you study, you can look at mountains outside the windows. (Photo by Erena) Nice scenery.

Lastly, let's take a photo. I remember sitting next to a student I had a crush on. -My heart would start beating fast. -That's nice. (Entry 6) The sixth entry in the guidebook, Old Hanawa Primary School with their old-fashioned school building.

Thank you very much. Sorry for the suddenness. -Thank you. -I feel happy. Thank you. The mountains look incredible.

-We're surrounded by mountains. -The weather is very nice. -We're here. -Yes. It's the perfect timing. We still have time so we can relax. That's right. We met again. Again, our duo takes the train without deciding where to go next.

(10:52 am) There are not many stations left now. Where will our spontaneous travellers get off next? Some stations have both the arrival time and the departure time next to it. -Those are large stations. -Yes, that's right. (Godo) We'll be arriving at Godo, the next station, at 11:02 am.

That's right. As it has both the arrival time and the departure time written in the timetable, they decided to go to Godo Station, assuming that it's a big station. Soon you will see a waterfall with a drop of 70 metres. -On this side? -It'll be on your left. -It'll be on our left. -Left side? We're moving around busily.

-It'll pass quickly so don't blink. -It'll be very quick? This? I need a photo. -Hurry. -This waterfall has a drop of 70 metres and is called Jizo Waterfall. This is a waterfall that can only be seen by taking the train. The waterfall is also known as the "train waterfall."

Incredible. Impressive. The train passed right by the waterfall. -Impressive. -It's a drop of 70 metres!

After the "train waterfall", Watarase River is seen from the train windows. The scenery is incredible. It's very pretty. There are also great spots to see autumn leaves between Hanawa and Godo stations. With the changing landscape, we feel the autumn approaching. It's a very special feeling.

The train arrives at Godo Station, where the two decided to get off. (Godo Station) -I see a train so there must be something. -A train. -Thank you. -Thank you. -They're selling lunchboxes. -I'm sure we'll find great spots here. (Kiryu, Godo, Mato) With excitement, they leave the station building. There is nobody.

What do we do? Let's first find people to enquire. So cool! Yeah, it's a long straight line. I see someone. Where? Over there. Hello. Can we ask you some questions? We're looking for great spots to visit around here.

There is a train restaurant. -A train restaurant? -Yes. -Yes. -What do you mean? -It's... -Do they sell lunchboxes?

I wonder if they make lunchboxes. I'm not sure if you can eat there. Why don't we go there? -It's a good time to have lunch. -Yes. -Yeah, it'll be noon soon. -That's right. -Do you know how to go to the station? -Yes. -It's on the other side of the station. -Really?

-Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. Take care. What is a train restaurant? Yeah, what is it? Our duo comes back to the station. It says a train restaurant there. -Where? -Here.

I see something there. It's a nice restaurant. I see. It was on the opposite side of the platform so they didn't notice it. It looks like a station.

Yeah. It must be inside the station. It's almost noon. What will they say? I'm glad.

They said okay. -Thank you for having us. -Let's go in. What is that? -Is that where we eat? -Yes. Inside here? (Watarase Valley Railway) On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Watarase Valley Railway... (Godo Station) our duo gets off at Godo Station and go to a recommended restaurant. That's right.

(49 minutes to the 12:29 pm train) -Let's go in. -Thank you having us. What? -Do we get to eat here? -Yes. -Inside here? -It's a train.

-Great. -This is amazing. It's a train named Kegon which was used on the Nikko Kidogawa Line. -They kept it as is? -Yes. Restaurant Seiryu is built inside of a train named Kegon which used to run between Asakusa and Nikko. (Tobu's 1720 series train named Kegon) The restaurant has two train cars and a kitchen attached to it. What do you recommend? I recommend the maitake mushroom set meal! -That sounds good. -That sounds good.

Today, we also have Yamato Pork lunchbox. -Let's get one each. -Sure. We'll get one each, please. Their speciality maitake mushroom set meal comes with lots of locally grown maitake mushrooms in their seasoned rice and tempura.

This is Yamato Pork lunchbox, which is cooked to order. The best part is the sweet special sauce! Amazing. It's very spacious. I've never seen anything like this before. It looks great. -I'm impressed. -Me too.

It's full of maitake mushrooms! Thank you for it. It's sweet and salty. It's seasoned well but the flavour of maitake is still there. -It's still there? -Yes. Right? -It's unique. -Very good. I'll try the tempura.

It's so crunchy. -It must be good. -The maitake is very flavourful. -I'll try the pork. -Okay. The special sauce is made with grated apple. The meat is great but I especially like the sauce. While it's nice to eat a lunchbox bought at the station, it's also nice to be able to eat a hot meal inside of a train.

(Entry 7) The seventh entry in the guidebook, Seiryu, a train restaurant. -Thank you for the food. -Thank you for the food. -Thank you very much. It was great. -It was great. We can take this train, right? -Yes, I'm sure. -There are two train cars. There are two train cars this time, which is rare. By the way, they haven't decided on their destination yet again.

(12:29 pm) I see some autumn leaves. Oh, yeah! -They're very pretty. -Yes, they are. The train runs through Watarase Valley, which is beginning to change colour.

By mid-November, this place will look like this. (The best time to visit spots between Godo and Sori Stations: Early to mid-November) The train will soon come to Bando Curve, the sharpest curve on the line. -The sharpest curve on the line? -This curve is...

You can see the upstream and downstream sides of the valley at the same time. Is that true? Amazing. The water is much clearer upstream. -It's pretty. -It really is.

Once train passes Sori Station, next to Godo station, it leaves Gunma Prefecture and enters Tochigi Prefecture. That's Nikko! It says, "Welcome to Nikko City." Nikko is in Tochigi Prefecture. I thought so. It means we're crossing the prefectural border.

Is it okay for us to leave Gunma? We already left Gunma. There are four stations left. Other than the last station, there are only two stations they can get off before the time limit. Shall we get off at Haramuko? Or shall we get off both at Tsudo and Ashio? In the meantime, the train arrives at Haramuko Station. Is this the station? Are we already here? (Haramuko Station) It looks nothing like a station.

What? What do we do? We should stay aboard. Are you sure? Let's go to Tsudo. They decide to pass Haramuko Station and get off at Tsudo, the next station. (Kiryu, Haramuko, Tsudo, Mato) Soon you will see an old building on your left. -It was used for copper production. -It's that building. It is where an ore dressing plant used to be, which closed in 1973.

(Tsudo ore dressing plant) It doesn't look like Japan. This is where the ore mined at Ashio Copper Mine was sorted. Were they mining ore over there? Impressive. Five minutes after passing Haramuko Station, the train arrives at Tsudo Station. (Tsudo Station) Thank you very much. We've arrived at Tsudo! Is this what we saw earlier? What? We saw earlier.

Oh, yeah. Ashio Copper Mine is very famous and we all have heard of that. (Kiryu, Tsudo, Mato) Where are we? Tsudo. -When's the next train? -2:38 pm.

2:38 pm. All right. -Hello. -Hello. So cute.

They start to enquire people by the station. -You're cute. -Hello. Hello. Near Tsudo Station, are there any spots that you'd recommend? We'd like to get recommendations from the local residents.

You can visit the copper mine. It'll be an unique experience. -Should we go towards the copper mine? -Yes. -How do we get to the copper mine? -You can go this way, or that way. It gets dark towards the back.

We'll go check it out. Thank you. The copper mine was recommended. -Other than the copper mine... -They're doing bike rentals.

-Why don't we ride a bike? -That would be nice. -Hello. -Can we ride a bike to the mine? Can we rent bikes here? We'd like to rent two bikes. They were able to rent bikes.

We will be back, sir. The man they met earlier came to check on our travellers. Let's go.

Yes. We'll be back. Bye. Electric bikes are great. After riding for one minute...

It's so close! What? We're already here. It's a very impressive place. They park their bikes and go inside. Hello. Hello.

It'll be 1,640 yen. -Ask them if we can film. -Oh yeah, excuse me. -I forgot to mention. -What is it? We're filming a TV show right now. Is it okay if we film this place? -Sure. -Really?

-Thank you very much. -Thank you. Sorry for the sudden request. -Okay. -Are we taking this?

-Yes. -It goes along the river. A tram will take them to the mine. All right. It goes slowly. I'm glad. Erena is not a fan of scary rides.

The tram finally reaches the mine site. Now it feels more like a theme park ride. Will we be okay? (Watarase Valley Railway) On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Watarase Valley Railway, our duo gets off at Tsudo Station and visits Ashio Copper Mine. The tram finally reaches the mine site. Now it feels more like a theme park ride. Will we be okay? Is it going faster now? This tunnel was dug more than 100 years ago.

It's freezing here. What? Is this how it actually was? For about 360 years, Ashio Copper Mine continued to produce copper. The total distance of tunnels is more than 1,200 kilometres. Part of the mine is open to the public now, and it shows how the work was done back in the day. -I'll press the button now. -It's moving.

Will it move if you press the button? They kept the part of the mine that was dug back in those days, right? That's right. Impressive. They used this to carry copper. Yeah, here is some copper. That's a lot of work.

What is this person doing? Is he digging upward? Don't you feel like it's going to collapse... -as they dig? -Yes. It must've been scary. I didn't expect it to be this long. -Me either. -What a surprise. -They made products like these. -They made copper products.

Copper pots are still a luxury item. -They're expensive. -People still use them. I've used this. -What is that? -I used it as a kid. -What's that? -When you get a rash, you take some of this and rub it in.

It treats rashes. -Is it made of copper? -See? It says so. It's Chinese medicine.

I've used this before. Copper can be medicine? Many things can be made with copper. I can see that. (Entry 8) The eighth entry in the guidebook, an Ashio Copper Mine tour.

They have to find two more entries to accomplish their goal. It says, "Thank you and come again." I was going to say that.

Yeah. -All right. -A souvenir shop. They're selling copper products. -Go ahead. -Go ahead. Go ahead. I'll buy this.

-These make flowers last longer in a vase. -That's right. -Or in shoes to remove odour. -They also remove odour. -Copper has many benefits. -That's right. It's 200 yen. If you get 3 of them, you'll save 100 yen. You're a good business person. We want to visit places only the locals know about that cannot be found in the guidebook.

-Do you know anything? -At Ashio Station... There's that old building... It's a guest house. I wonder if it's open today. -Is it a short walk from Ashio Station? -Yes.

I see. It's called Kakemizu Club. Kakemizu Club. Wait, I think I saw it somewhere. She's going to check something.

Where did Mr Motoki go? Mr Motoki is buying souvenirs. Kakemizu Club? Is this it? Yes, this is it. Is it a national registered tangible cultural property? Yes, it is. I see. There's also a history museum there.

-Nearby? -Yes, there is a history museum nearby. What kind of a history museum? There's a display of all the different things they used in the old times. For example, a kind of saw like this that my father used at where the cableway was. Or a saw that cuts wood. Small saws and large saws. There are other historical things on display, too.

-It's on a hill. -There will be a sign, right? -Okay. Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. -Mr Motoki? -Thank you very much. Mr Motoki. -Yes? -That lady -gave me some recommendations. -Of what? -First of all, here... -Is there anything here?

Right outside of this place, there is a history museum where they display various things from the time when they produced copper. Also, near Ashio, the next station, there is a guest house called Kakemizu Club right by the station. -Can we go there? -Let's go outside first. -Why don't we go there? -Let's go to the history museum. Thank you very much.

Really? The next train is leaving in less than 20 minutes. Please hurry, Mr Motoki. Where is it? Excuse me. Where is the history museum?

-We go up? -Up there? Thank you very much. -All right. -Hurry! Will we make it in time? Only 16 minutes left until the next train. -What is this? -This is so hard! The two really want to find an entry, and manage to get to the museum. (Ashio History Museum) -It's open. -Is it open?

It's open. Okay. -We need permission. -Excuse me. Hello. We're filming a TV show right now. Is it okay if we come in? -Sure. -Okay. They said okay.

Let's take a look. Thank you. -Sorry, we don't really have time. -We don't have time.

Sorry that we have to rush, but is it okay for us to look around? I'll take the change. -We'll take a look. -We saw it earlier. This place is different from Ashio Copper Mine, and it's a photo-based museum.

Ashio History Museum was built by local volunteers. Here, visitors can learn about the life and history of the people of Ashio who have lived with the copper mine. Visitors can also ride in a gasoline engine car, which was used to transport people and goods. I was told that you had a display of saws and things like that. -The lady at the souvenir shop told me. -I see.

Here are the saws. -Wow, impressive. It's huge. -It's very big. This must've been used for cutting big trees. Actually, there were more miners who cut wood than miners who dug. It takes four tonnes of charcoal to make one ton of copper.

Wood makes metal. I see. They didn't have oil and coal like we do now. Trees were the only energy. The vast quantities of wood used for fuel and other purposes, as well as the labour of the people who worked on it, contributed to the modernisation of Japan. -Would you like to hold one? -You should try it.

Amazing. It still looks huge even if it's Mr Motoki holding it. -It's heavy. They cut things with it? -Yes. -Let me. -It's heavy so be careful. Please be careful. Don't drop it on your feet. All I can do is to hold it.

(Entry 9) The ninth entry in the guidebook, a history museum where visitors can learn about the history of Ashio. One more entry to accomplish their goal. -Nine minutes left. Thank you. -We only have nine minutes left. -You want my autograph? Sure. -Sorry for the commotion.

Sorry. -You look better in person than TV. -That's not true. -Please sign. We'll treasure it. -Sure, no problem. -Thank you very much. Bye. -Thank you very much.

-Come on, Erena. -There's no way we'll make it. On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Watarase Valley Railway, our travellers found two entries at Tsudo Station, and are one entry away from accomplishing their goal. -All right. Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. The train is leaving in six minutes! This is no longer an electric bike.

-Yeah, it no longer works. -That's right. We should park them here. Shall we tell them that we're back? Thank you very much. The keys are on the bikes. Sorry for rushing! -We need to catch our train! -Bye! -Thank you very much. -Take care. Will we make it? Mr Motoki, you're slow. What? This is hard.

We made it! Good for you! We made it. The last one. Let's go to Ashio Station, the station before the last station. At Ashio Station, the next station, there is Kakemizu Club, which is a guest house recommended by the lady at the souvenir shop.

(2:38 pm) One more entry left? Yes, we found nine entries so far. They're very close to reaching their goal, and their journey is ending soon. Let's keep up the good work. We're here.

They arrive at Ashio Station in no time. Is that it? (Ashio Station) (2:40 pm) Okay. All right.

We're at Ashio Station. We've arrived at Ashio Station. We have quite a bit of time here. Kakemizu Club. I see it.

It's 200 metres away. I see the sign. -It's not open. -Why? It's open on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

It's not open today. (Open on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) Too bad! Let's look for people to enquire. Hello. How are you? What are you doing? We're on our way back from school. Really? -What grade are you? -Sixth grade.

-Really? You're tall. -Yeah, you're tall. Do you know any good place to eat? Croquettes from Masuya. -What is that? Where can we get them? -What is that? -Is it nearby? -It's near Tsudo Station.

Tsudo Station? Tsudo station is where they were just a few minutes ago. Okay. Have fun. -Thank you. -Thank you.

Croquettes sound nice. The two would like to find an entry near Ashio Station. They continue to enquire people.

Do you know anything? -Croquettes. -Those croquettes are so famous. Where can we get them? It's in front of Tsudo Station. -In front of Tsudo Station. -I knew it! Is it too far to walk from here? -It's about one kilometre. -One kilometre? Yeah.

-One kilometre? -One kilometre. -Their croquettes are very famous. -Yes, they are. -Someone else mentioned it. -Now I want to go there. -Turn left there and keep going straight. -It's straight all the way? At Tsudo Station, turn left and you'll see it right away.

Okay. -Let's go. -Thank you very much. -We'll check it out. -Thank you. Let's go eat croquettes. You're suddenly full of energy.

Okay, follow me! After those recommendations, now they really want to try the croquettes. They will walk back to Tsudo Station. I smell croquettes! With great expectations, they walk for 15 minutes. That's the station already. The scenery looks familiar.

After running so desperately and being out of breath, we came back walking. Shall we ask? Excuse me. Do you know where the croquette shop is? -There? Thank you very much. -There? -I found it. -Good job.

-That was quick. -Nice. Wait, we were here earlier! It's déjà vu. What? -Hello. -Hello. -Let's ask for permission. -Sure.

-To film. -Hello. Excuse me. Some children recommended croquettes from this place. -That's right. -So we came back walking. From Ashio Station.

If it's okay with you, can we film this place? Is it okay if we have a camera? Well... (Tsudo Station) Our duo walked back from Ashio Station to Tsudo Station. They're asking for permission to film a recommended croquette shop. -Would you like to ask, Mr Motoki? -Sure. -For permission to film. -Hello. Some children recommended croquettes from this place.

-That's right. -So we came back walking. From Ashio Station. If it's okay with you, can we film this place? Is it okay if we have a camera? I'll go ask. -Is it okay? -Sure. Thank you very much. I'm glad. Sorry if we're asking too much.

I was worried that they would say no. We managed to get permission. Can we try your croquettes then? Sure.

Masuya was founded 100 years ago. It's the local residents' favourite butcher's shop. (Founded 100 years ago) That's a lot. They are making a lot of croquettes.

She looks very busy. Her left hand and her right hand are doing different things. -It's craftmanship. -Right? With craftmanship, she makes artisanal croquettes. Up to 500 pieces are made in a day! Everyone in Ashio grows up eating their croquettes.

Thank you for it. (Croquette, 100 yen) It's burning hot. It's hot. It's delicious. It's very sweet. -I'll try it too. -Sure.

It's hot. It's crunchy on the outside and also fluffy. It's really good. It's good because it's homemade.

Yes. (Entry 10) It was worth the walk! The tenth entry in the guidebook, croquettes from Masuya. They've accomplished their goal. -Thank you very much. It was delicious. -Thank you very much. We've successfully found 10 entries. I'm glad. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Now all they need to do is to reach Mato Station, the terminal station. Here it comes. It's our last train.

Yeah, it's our last train. Our duo's last train on this journey comes into the station platform. We'll ride it for two stations. That's right. -Since we walked back. -Yeah.

The last ride. Hi. They take the train at Tsudo Station once again, and head to Mato Station, the terminal. (Kiryu, Tsudo, Ashio, Mato) (4:09 pm) It's our last train ride. Now we can relax and enjoy the scenery. We need to say goodbye to the mountains.

Let's take in the view outside the train windows! I see a river! We have to say goodbye to the river too. They crossed Watarase River many times, and also took the single-car train many times. As if to say goodbye to the end of the journey, the train slowly approaches Mato Station, the terminal. We're already here. (Mato Station, the terminal) -We're at the terminal station. -We did it! -Thank you very much. -Thank you very much.

We can see a serow at this station. I want to see that. (Station with a serow) -Okay, Mr Motoki. -Yes? We're at Mato Station.

We've reached our goal! Yes! We successfully found 10 entries. I'm so glad. I wasn't too sure when I first saw the single-car train.

-But it was fun. -Really? You weren't sure? For a moment, I got worried about the single-car train. When you decided to get off at a station because it looked pretty, I got anxious. But that station turned out to be great. -That's true. -Yes.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Finding new places through new meetings. With those many meetings, making warm memories. To everyone who helped us on this heart-warming journey, thank you very much! The travel guide that they created includes Aioi's pine tree, the town's symbol, Shinto deity of Omama, a popular curry udon, Kaku Jizo with a mysterious story, a luxurious hot spring inn, a great treat on the journey, a nostalgic wooden school building, a train restaurant, which is fun and delicious, a tour in Ashio Copper Mine, a little-known history museum, and incredible speciality croquettes.

(Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture) On the journey on the Watarase Valley Railway connecting Gunma and Tochigi Prefectures, our duo found 10 wonderful places through enquiring the locals residents. Subtitles: Iyuno-SDI Group

2022-02-19 13:51

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