Kumamoto: Blessings of Ancestry and Nature – CYCLE AROUND JAPAN
Plentiful spring water enriching the fields. This is Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture. There’s a shrine here where cyclists pray for a safe ride. [Music] [Music] More I’ve got my bike purified and my lucky charm for safe travels. I think we’re ready to go. The best way to discover little known sites and make even familiar places feel brand new is to go exploring by bicycle. [Music] This time we travel through the verdant natural landscape of Kumamoto. It’s home to scenery created by a volcano 100,000 years ago and culture from the Samodai era. I didn’t realize it was this big. Our cyclist is Zach Reynolds from Australia. He loves riding along ancient roads. On this trip, we’ll encounter unusual farming methods. [Music] and meet people proudly passing down local history to the next generation. [Music] [Music] A 300 kometer journey featuring diverse lifestyles woven together by nature. Let’s get going. [Music] We’ll be traveling through the north of Kumamoto, starting at Ukishima Shrine. We’ll pass through the castle city of Kumamoto and then Tamina, which overlooks the Ayak Sea. Then we’ll take the old roads to the grasslands of Asel, climbing mountains on the way to our final destination, an observatory with a panoramic view of the landscape. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] It’s a little bit overcast today, but the weather forecast looks better for tomorrow. And uh kind of warming up for spring, but not too hot yet. Perfect temperature to be riding. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Hey, look. The carp streamers are out for our children’s day in a couple of weeks. Carb streamers are displayed every year from April to May. They represent a wish for children’s health and future success. [Music] We’ve reached the Kumamoto city center. Quite a mix of newer apartment buildings and traditional architecture here. Oh, can see part of the castle up there. Kumamoto Castle was first built 400 years ago. It suffered major damage in a 2016 earthquake and still bears the scars from that day. lot of it’s still undercover from repairs I think. Wow, look at that. The It’s like the whole corner is basically all collapsed and yeah, some under that building there as well. [Music] The stone walls were hit especially hard. They collapsed in 50 places with over 70,000 stones needing to be restored. The full renovation is expected to take over 20 years. Oh, here it is, the castle proper. I didn’t realize it was this big. You can imagine it would have been like a quite a bustling town in here. [Music] The castle is a symbol of prosperity. During the samurai era, a rich culture flourished here. Nearby is an artisan upholding Kumamoto traditions. Okay. [Music] It was Higol Zorggon was developed by goldsmiths and blacksmiths that gathered here when Kumamoto Castle was being built. Samurai are said to have loved the solemn elegance of gold decorations on a black background. [Music] Sumi Yuji is the owner of this 150year-old workshop. He demonstrates how the gold designs are created. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal grooves are hammered into an iron plate. They have an incredible density of around 16 lines per square millm. [Music] Gold leaf is laid on top of the grooves, then hammered in. There are five artisans here, all with different specializations. [Music] The workshop has a coating with a secret recipe. It’s applied to metal which is heated for around 30 seconds to develop a red rust. [Music] This is transformed into black rust using the tannin in tea. The result is iron with a deep black color. The rust protects against oxidation. So the designs are said to remain lustrous for 100 years. Objects featuring Higo Zorgan became popular souvenirs in the 1960s as the economic boom sparked domestic tourism. [Music] However, when the tourism boom was over, sales began to decline. Olsumi began developing new products to preserve the inlane techniques. Osumi was supported by the workshop’s other artisans. She got the sing. [Music] Most of the artisans are not far from retirement. Finding young artisans to take over is a major challenge. [Music] 22-year-old Miyak Yume recently joined as the first new recruit in 15 years. Fore! [Music] Foreign! Foreign! [Music] Higos evolves with the times, but the technique remains rust-free. [Music] Nice view back over to the city there. Zach leaves the city, climbing a 12 km mountain road. Oh, look the whole hillside up here. All these terraces. Ah, finally we can see the inland sea. [Music] Yeah. Still uh lots of um citrus groves on the hillside here, but just this rice growing area down the bottom. Looks like they’ve used every available space. The sprawling fields are on land reclaimed from the sea. Zach decides to head to the coast. Oh, we come out of the sea. The Ayak Sea is home to Japan’s largest area of tidal mud flats. Some kids down there. Wonder what they’re catching. [Applause] Shakuri shakuri shakuri shakur. [Music] [Music] This type of shrimp is called majaku in Kumamoto. The traditional fishing method is to insert brushes into a burrow and pull them out when a shrimp grabs on. [Music] The difference between high and low tide on the Ayak Sea can reach 6 m. It’s a rich habitat with many local species. Around 400 years ago, an ambitious plan was put in motion to create more farmland by building a huge embankment to hold back the sea. This one’s made of stone. Definitely looks like this would have been at the edge of the sea. [Music] The over 5 km embankment is still standing. Much of it was built by farmers by hand. [Music] During construction, typhoons hit the site from time to time, claiming the lives of many farmers. The construction was completed in 1960, meaning the whole process lasted 360 years. Let’s meet a group that commemorates the region’s history of land reclamation. [Music] This is the Yokoshima Gatayina Bushi. [Music] It’s a song and dance depicting farmers carrying out land reclamation work. It was created to mark the completion of the near 4 century project. [Music] are This is the danc’s preservation society. It has 15 members. [Music] Kimura Fusako is the group’s leader. Zach gives the dance a try. Oh. [Laughter] [Music] Kimura was born and raised in Yokoshima, but it was only after she joined the preservation society that she learned how punishing the land reclamation work was. understand. [Music] Do you Kimura’s group teaches the story to children at local schools. This inspires some of the students to join the society. [Music] [Music] The group has fun while honoring the ancestors that brought prosperity to the town. [Music] to [Music] Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. [Laughter] [Music] Today we’re leaving the coast and riding inland to the north. Beautiful [Music] [Music] rural scenery around here. We’re heading towards one of the old highways they used to use in the Edeto period. The Boozen Highway is a former main road connecting Kumamoto to the north. [Music] There’s a steep slope cutting through the plateau. It’s one of the most difficult parts of the route. See how far we can get. Well, it’s getting a bit steep. Starting to get a bit slippery. Sort of losing traction here on the leaves and the moss. I don’t want to slip over, so I think I can walk the rest. Doesn’t look like there’s far to go. [Music] 30 km later we reach another urban environment. The Shidakawa River originates near Mount Asso. It’s an important waterway that enriches the region. [Music] [Music] [Music] Come on. [Music] Oh, there’s a water wheel over here. So, it’s probably some kind of channel for either irrigation or industry taking advantage of the water that comes down from the mountains. Oh, it’s like a traditional sweet shop. Let’s drop in here. [Music] Hm. A really simple kind of sweet, kind of soft. It’s a nice balance. It’s Yeah, it’s not too sweet, not too strong. [Music] 400 years ago, canals were built here in the town of Ozu to carry water from the Shiraakawa River to the fields. This led to a culture of rice and barley milling using water wheels. Mil rice flour was used to make doento, a suite that’s unique to this town. [Music] Furu Satco makes do sento by herself every day. Hi. All right. foreign. Let’s go. [Music] The flour mixture has become nice and fluffy. It’s packed into a special mold and filled with sweet bean paste. [Music] [Music] Doento have been a muchloved suite for 170 years. [Music] There were once around 20 shops selling them, but as time passed, western suites became more popular and most of them closed. [Music] Even this shop closed once. Satoko’s mother-in-law, Beo, reopened it. But she says business was tough. [Music] At the time, Satoko was an office worker, but she offered to take over. Stoko was determined to save the shop. She noticed that while dosento keep well, they become hard and less tasty in that state. She realized they were much tastier when soft. [Music] [Music] Satko began calling out to passing customers, inviting them to try her fresh soft doento. [Music] [Music] [Music] She also worked with Reiko to develop a new type using kumquats. [Music] This attracted younger customers. [Music] So this [Music] Hi. Hi. Hi. [Music] [Music] Today we head for Oso, famous for its spectacular scenery. Zach rides along the mountains surrounding the Oso Caldera. [Music] [Music] Oh, look at that. Coming out into the grasslands of Asso. The Asso region has 22,000 hectares of grassland. [Music] Woo! Look at that view. Took me over towards the volcano of Assau there. So I can see clouds in front. Wow, that’s beautiful. The vast caldera was created 100,000 years ago by volcanic activity which caused the land to collapse and hollow out. [Music] We’re crossing the surrounding mountains and heading into the caldera. [Music] [Music] and there’s the active volcano straight up ahead of us. [Music] [Music] After crossing the caldera, we returned to the surrounding mountains. [Music] Wow, what a beautiful road. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] After a 15 km ride, we arrive at Ubuyama, a village in northern Asso. It’s like a hell station over here. [Applause] Hi.chech. E Mazanobu has been breeding and raising cattle here for 40 years. He currently has around 100 cows. Japanese brown cattle have been raised here for years. [Music] Masanobu feeds his cattle nutritious hay harvested in early spring, plus a special blend of locally grown soybeans, barley, and wheat. [Music] [Music] Mothers know There’s a pasture a short walk from the cow shed. The cows are allowed to walk there freely, which helps to reduce their stress levels. [Music] [Music] Every year between February and April, controlled fires are lit in the grasslands of Aso to remove dead grass. and inhibit the growth of shrubbery. [Music] Grass grows from May and is eaten by the cows. In winter, the grass withers and is burned once again. [Music] It’s a cycle that has maintained the grasslands for over a thousand years. [Laughter] story. [Music] Masanobu grew up with his father who ran a livestock farm. He has loved animals since childhood and he began raising cattle right after graduating from university. Fore! Foreign! Foreign! [Music] [Music] [Music] Nochech. [Music] Masanobu proudly treats Zach to Japanese brown cattle beef. [Music] The more you chew it, the the more flavor you get out of it. It’s just got the right amount of fat. This is good. [Music] [Music] Zach takes another climb on the northern rim of the Aso Caldera and heads to an observatory that marks the end of our journey. [Music] the mountain biker over here. [Music] [Music] Oh, the morning cloud has cleared up. It’s beautiful day. Just look at the views over the valley here. Over the volcano. [Music] He’s reach reach the observatory and the end of our ride. [Applause] Look at this view looking down over all the farmland and the valley and the grasslands for the livestock and the volcano in the background. Ah, this is just gorgeous. As usual, we’ve had some great riding uh from the coastal plains and the uh the hinterlands with the old highways to the the great views of the caldera here. You can still see the respect that the current generation have for their ancestors and the leaders of you know hundreds of years ago for the benefits they brought to the local population and by extension to the current generation and you know the respect they have for the history and uh nature here while also bringing in new ideas to keep that lifestyle going that their ancestors worked so hard to you know to improve. It’s been a really great trip. In Kumamoto, people are still supported by the blessings of a vast natural landscape and the hard work of their ancestors. [Music]
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Come on over to Kumamoto, where communities pay tribute to their ancestors, artisans pass on traditional techniques, and calm brown cows roam wide-open pastures.
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