URBAN River Tracing Challenge in Fukuoka, Japan
Japan’s covered in mountains, which means it’s also covered in rivers. Following those rivers as they twist through a city on foot is one of the best ways to understand a place and to discover the natural beauty that exists within urban environments. Today, we’re setting out in Fukuoka, Japan on a long, tough walk with crashes in the mountains and even a murder hornet attack. First, we trace the Aberyama River from the sea all the way up to its source in the mountains. Then we cut across the ridge to find the source of the He River and followed it back down to the ocean. After some less than careful route planning, we headed out to see what we could find in these rivers and ended up discovering a lot of cool stuff along the way. [Music] Wow. Okay. [Music] [Music] Buddy, [Music] tea time. Cool thing on the river. A real cool thing. Wow. Okay. Yeah. He’s going to do burst. It’s terrible. And things are looking up for us. Our lucky river murder horn attack. Terrifying moment there. Still have not found food. Fell down twice just like those cool guys. It’s a dangerous day. Just got trapped in a subdivision. Sliced open my hand. Really looking forward to getting this thing done. Complete. Finished. I am pumped up. Rachel’s mood has improved. Mine has deteriorated greatly. We’ve found the key. River. That’s the thing about rivers. We are off. First step is actually finding the Aberyama River. This is technically the Kanakuza River which starts at the ocean. I think I can see the Aberyama branch off just ahead here. Rachie’s not particularly thrilled about this walk today, but I think I’m going to convince her it’s a walk worth doing. I don’t know. And just behind me is a very exciting moment. That’s the branch where the Abrayama River actually starts. So, we’ve already run into a bit of a snag in that we can’t get to the start of it. We might have to try to get through this school, but I believe it’s closed. The gate through the school was very much closed. We could have easily jumped it, but it’s highly unacceptable to do that in Japan. And there was a baseball team watching us. We’re backtracking a kilometer or so. Once again, get to the start of the Aboryama River. We’re back. We found it back on the Aboryama River. Rachel, what do you any updates from you on this river? Really? Not really. Yeah, it’s going to be hardressed to get content from Rachie today on this river, isn’t it? Rachie, what about surely you could update us on some of the wildlife we’ve seen on the river? What kind of birds have we seen? Corrant, egret, haron, pigeon, clover. Clover and then a turtle. A turtle. That was kind of the best thing so far, right? Yeah. So cute. First certified cool thing we saw on the river was Rachie. A kingfisher. A bright blue kingfisher. Probably one of our favorite birds, right? Yeah. Always a nice sight. Always a nice [Music] Okay, another cool thing on the river. Maybe this was more of a reach cool thing. She liked it more. Yeah. A little beachgoing turtle. A beachgoing turtle. A turtle sitting on the beach. He’s having a relaxing moment. Raisy thought we should get him an umbrella. Another thing on the river, but beautiful. Just beautiful. [Music] Another very clear cool thing on the river was it was apparently the local community’s time to clean the river this weekend. So they were in there cutting the grass. Real cool thing. A little good luck charm. Cool thing. Cool thing on the river. Another good luck like a rabbit foot. A lucky river. A lucky river. Can’t see. Can’t see. Should I get the curry instead? Yeah, I get the curry. What would you like? Oh my god. Just like that. stories. Wow. Okay. Cool thing on the river. Yeah. A cool treat on a hot day. So good. Amazing. greenhouse on a tree. Nice. Urban river tracing has quickly turned into mountain hiking and the river is split into a million different streams. And this is where the Aboryama River meets Aboryama, the mountain. So, we’re heading back down and making the cut across the mountain over to find our next river of the day, the H he River, where we’ll trace it from source to the sea. Maybe scary thing on the river. I can’t see. [Laughter] What do you mean? Like with my hands? That’s too hot. I’m so Three. Two. I want to make this into an earring or something. A little acorn. The hunt for the beginning of the H River has transitioned from city cruising to pure hiking. The hunt really begins now. That’s the thing about rivers though. They start in mountains. [Music] Oh, a bit of a terrifying moment there. Just walking and then came across pack of four massive murder hornets. They were very aggressive, right? Yeah, I was one of them first. It’s terrible. Excuse me We made it out of the hiking trail mountains mountain section of this, but a little worse for the wear after a murder horn attack and I had a big crash. Fell down twice, sliced open my hands and elbows. Rachel says it was very rough. It was a slippery one. Rachel’s mood has improved. Mine has deteriorated greatly. Anyway, we’re still looking for the He River. This is a very long transfer section and I do not remember where the Heath starts because I made this route very late last night in a rush. Not even sure where we’re going. Nice breeze, though. It’s nice breeze. And we’re up higher, so it’s pretty nice. Hopefully, we find the source of the heon. But yeah, right now we’re up on a big branch just fell down in front of us. It’s a dangerous day. Yeah. We’ve found the key river in Albori Forest Park. The river does kind of start a little higher up in the mountain, but that’s certainly close enough for us today. So, now we see if we can get from here back into the city by following it cuz it doesn’t seem to be a clear path, but we can give it a try. What was that frog? Oh, tiny bird. What is that? [Applause] Oh, Pretty crazy to think that this tiny little river turns into like a 200 m wide river downtown with like waves. Pretty amazing stuff, eh? Rivers. Ricky rivers. [Music] Follow the water. [Music] up straight. We would just walk right through it. [Applause] Down the busiest road in the world. I have never been that happy to find a busy road. Nice to pop out of that forest finally. Few spider encounters, but the path continued through to the road, which was a big win for us. Now it should be We’ve lost the river for a second, but it’s I can hear it, so it counts. The rest of the walk should be pretty much easy. Long, but easy because it’s just all urban river tracing once again. Now, time for food. Time for food. We haven’t eaten anything today. My watch says I’ve burned almost 2,000 calories, so time for food. Water or tea? What do you like? Tea time. [Music] We are really back in the city now, which is great for the efficiency of this walk. The He River is turning into a real river and things are looking up for us. Still have not found food, so hoping for a 7-Eleven soon or something. Oh, look at these guys. We did it. We found a convenience store. Family Mart appeared. I don’t know where to save us. First real food of the day. First food of the day. First food. Let’s go. Bouses and rice triangles eaten and we’re back on the river. Thumbs up if you feel good. Okay, pretty good review. Really? Oh my god. [Music] Cheers. Just got trapped in a subdivision walking in circles for about 20 minutes, but we are back on track now. Might be doing the same thing. Ior might still be trapped actually. Nope, there it is. So nice. A bus and a bike. A bike. Give that guy a little high five. We have been walking for a long time now. The river is getting very pretty though and things are getting considerably more urban. But really looking forward to getting this thing done, complete, finished. Yes. Over. Over. Looking forward to where the river meets the sea. Wow. [Laughter] Things are changing quickly now. We just hit a little bakery that was fantastic. Two of the best sandwiches ever. Also, another unnamed river, at least unnamed to us. Just had a confluence with our beloved He River. So, the He has doubled in size. And the city is uh getting hot, busier. So that’s good though cuz that means we’re nearing the ocean kind of Okay. [Music] [Music] [Music] Things are getting very exciting all of a sudden. We went from just normal almost bone dry river to totally full super wide river almost at the ocean. See the ocean. All of a sudden I am pumped up for this walk to reach its end. Uh but yeah, very close. Rachel’s gone. Thank dude. Oh, same. Oh, cool. Okay. Cheers, man. It’s okay. We made it. We did it. We made it. The He River turned to the ocean and we followed it from source to sea. It’s been a long way from Aboryama Creek to the ocean. Rachel, what was the highlight of this river? Getting to the end. Getting to the end. And it was actually right because that was actually got really nice and exciting. It was exciting. There was guys doing parkour at the end. We fistbumped them. They had the same camera as me. So, I just felt like I’m part of like a cooler group of guys. Rachel said it back there. And she said, “You’re just like those cool guys.” And now for the long walk home. Not that long though. Like pretty long. Three. 2K. 2K. 2K. Not too long. Maybe three. Put it back. [Music]
Join us on a fun 40km urban river tracing adventure in Fukuoka, Japan! In this video, we explore two rivers that cut through the city and surrounding mountains: the Aburayama River and the Hie River.
We start by tracing the Aburayama River all the way from the sea to its hidden source in the mountains. After climbing up and over the ridge, we pick up the Hie River at its source and follow it back down through the city, finishing where it meets the ocean. Along the way we encounter unexpected challenges — from tough climbs and crashes in the mountains to a murder hornet attack — but also uncover the natural beauty hiding in plain sight within an urban landscape.
River tracing (sometimes called river walking) is one of the best ways to discover the wild side of Japan’s cities. You’ll see how rivers connect people, neighborhoods, and mountains, and why following them on foot can give you a whole new perspective on the places you thought you already knew.
This channel is all about unique challenges and outdoor adventures in Japan. From river tracing and long-distance hikes to exploring secret mountain paths and uncovering hidden history in urban landscapes.
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📍 Location: Fukuoka, Japan
🚶 Distance walked: ~40km
🌊 Rivers: Aburayama River & Hie River
#Japan #Fukuoka #RiverTracing #UrbanExploration #HikingJapan #HiddenJapan #AdventureTravel
00:00 – Intro
02:10 – Starting the walk and the Aburayama River
09:15 – Transferring through the mountains
14:06 – Finding the Hie River
25:44 – Reaching the Ocean
AloJapan.com