Miyagi & Yamagata: Glowing with Greenery - CYCLE AROUND JAPAN

The best way to discover little-known sites and make even familiar places feel brand-new is to go exploring by bicycle. It's early summer and this time we're visiting Miyagi and Yamagata, both in the northeastern Tohoku region. Nature is at its most colorful and treats the locals to bountiful gifts. Yamagata is famous for sakuranbo, which means cherry blossoms. They pass those gifts from generation to generation. I'm very happy to be able to do the same work with my three children and live with them. Very cool old town. Find through a fresh green landscape on a 400 kilometer journey. The largest city in the Tohoku region is Sendai. This is where our trip begins. Welcome to Sendai. I'm so excited to be here. I love this town. I love this area. Miyagi Prefecture is amazing. Michael Rice from the U.S. is a dedicated cyclist. He conducts bike tours across Japan and competes in races, too. This trip especially, I've ridden in this area before, but I want to get a lot deeper into nature. I want to see the mountains, the rivers, you know, how people live in the countryside and share that with you. I love cities with bike paths. Makes it a lot less stressful. Hey, let's enjoy. We begin the four-day trip by heading down the coast to Watani. We then follow the Abukuma River upstream to Marumori. Next, we cross the Zao Mountains into Yamagata, where we visit Kaminoyama and Ide on the way to a view of the snow-capped mountains. This major Sendai street is lined with zelkova trees. Michael is using a bike path built in 2009. The weather's great today. Couldn't be more perfect. This is the best season for cycling. Michael's been riding east for half an hour. I see the ocean! This canal follows the shoreline. It was built around 400 years ago. More of the old trees that survived the tsunami. In 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake caused a tsunami that devastated the region. Several pine trees survived. Growing up towards them are a host of younger pines. Planted after the disaster. 25 kilometers down the coast, we arrive at the mouth of the Abukuma River. It's 239 kilometers long. Looks like they're doing some kind of fishing over there. Wonder what those boats are getting. Down at the river, we find a boat just about to depart. Shijimi. We're going to catch some shijimi clams. They're in season in May, so we're going to start fishing in May. That's great. Mizunuma Yoshinobu has been harvesting shijimi clams here for over 30 years. He invites us along. Feels good, doesn't it? Clams are harvested near the river's sandbars. This area is shallow. Oh, you're right. They're big. They're usually this big. But they're this big. Amazing. The Abukuma River flows from the mountains in Miyagi, Fukushima, and Tochigi. So it's very nutritious. Yes, it's very nutritious. It's a long river, and the nutrients come from the forest in the back? Yes, that's right. Mizunuma uses a tool called a joden. This method has been practiced for generations. You pull it like this. Wow, that's a lot of clams. Wow. Can you get this many just by pulling a major clam? This is a scribe. Wow. Amazing. Watari's residents have long harvested clams for personal consumption. Michael gives it a go. Please start with the left foot. Oh, it's cold. Push it down like this. Yes. If you pull it like this, it will go down like this. Yes. I feel like I've got it. It's crispy, isn't it? Oh, there it is. Oh. In one hour, they harvested three kilograms. A great haul. Mizunuma cooks some up. Miso soup with shijimi clams. Let's eat. Oh, this is delicious. Oh, it's delicious. Yeah, these are really good. I can tell that they're full of protein and minerals and a lot of really healthy stuff. Originally, Mizunuma harvested clams for his own consumption. But three years ago, he began selling them. The reason? Retirement from his previous career. The idea is to help fund his motorcycle trips. It occurred to Mizunuma that he could present shijimi as a watari specialty. One ton of watari shijimi are shipped each year. They're slowly gaining national recognition. Day two begins with heavy rain. Playing in the rain today. Hopefully this rain is just brief. It won't continue. We follow the Abukuma River upstream. Beautiful. More bamboo. There's someone down there. Yashima Tetsuro has been growing takenoko bamboo shoots for 45 years. Peak harvest season is late spring, this exact time of year. Shall we dig? Yes, I'd like to. Hold the stem short. Little by little. This is the purple dot. Can you see it? It's the root of the bamboo. If you can see it, dig. One, two. Did you get it? Bamboo shoots. Oh, you got it! I dug it. I'm so happy. Shall we eat? Let's eat. Just like that? Just like that. It's sashimi. Is it? Yes. There's a lot of purple dots. Don't make it too big. Where are you eating? I'm going to try it. It's really crunchy. It's not bitter at all. I've had takenoko that's not boiled enough and it feels like it's going to stick in your throat and make your throat swell up or something. But not with this. Bamboo shoots get bitter the moment you cut it off. How long did it take you to dig and eat it? Less than a minute. You can only eat it when you come here. Yashima has a store where he sells his bamboo shoots. It stands on the bank of the Abukuma River. It's the only store within 10 kilometers. Do you have a lot of bamboo shoots? We started in Yorozuya and we've been in business for 133 years. We started with my daikon and now we have local warabi mochi and snap peas. The produce is sourced from local farmers. Many of the store's customers are from other prefectures. I'm very happy and grateful that so many stores come to our store even though there are hundreds of them. I'm very happy and grateful so I don't want to let down their expectations. That's why I take care of my bamboo shoots. In his early 20s, Yashima inherited the shop from his father. Seven years ago, it faced a crisis. We watered up to this green line. Up to here. We watered up to the Abukuma River. Up to here. It looks like it's very high from the river, but I don't think it'll be flooded. It's about 20 meters from the river. I was in my 50s at the time, but this is the first time I've come this far. In 2019, a major typhoon caused the river to overflow and the store was inundated with water. But thanks to Yashima's loyal customers, 150 of whom helped with the clean-up, the shop somehow reopened in just a month and a half. I like this place, so I was supported by the customers. They supported me in my business and in my recovery from the typhoon. That's why I have this store. Before the typhoon, I thought I was the only one running the store. But no, it wasn't just me. I learned from the typhoon that it was the first time I had customers in my business. Yashima is also supported by his family. His son, Shotaro, once worked in Sendai, but the typhoon prompted him to take part in the family business. Leaving Marumori, we head for the Zao Mountains. You can see most of the mountains, but I think Zao is the one up in the clouds there. Wow! This 65-meter rock face was formed by cooling lava. It's the visible result of volcanic activity in the Zao Mountains. There's the big red gate. This is the beginning of the road called the Zao Echo Line, which is also a route for uphill races. Okay, the start line. Let's go! The route climbs 1,330 meters, over 18.7 kilometers. As we get higher, it starts to get misty. I'm getting up in the clouds, and my breath is starting to make clouds. It's so cold. Up into the clouds. At an elevation of 1,500 meters, we emerge from the mist. The blue sky is starting to clear up. I am feeling a lot warmer. First signs of snow. Yeah, we're above the clouds. The clouds are down below us. These are the clouds we climbed through. Cool. Very cool. We pass a 5-meter wall of snow. It's not far to the top. Wow! Another bunch of mountains over there. This is a view. Beautiful. Get up here. We've reached the highest point on the Zao Echo Line. This is it. So much to see here. Every direction. There's a lift that will take us even higher to a spot with an unforgettable view. This is the Zao. This lake was created when water collected in a volcanic crater formed thousands of years ago. Light reflects off volcanic particles suspended within, giving the lake a beautiful emerald color. Sometimes you go to places on Earth that you don't believe that there can be any place that's beautiful on Earth. This is one of those. Tomorrow, we'll cross into Yamagata and explore what lies beyond the Zao Mountains. The best thing for tired legs is an onsen. After going over Zao, I need it. My legs are tired. We begin the day by riding through Kaminoyama in Yamagata. Yeah, there it is. Cool castle. Kaminoyama flourished as a castle town starting in the 16th century. It was a vital transport hub that welcomed countless travelers. Ah, look at this village. Love these old buildings. Really love Japanese architecture. Many of the buildings are protected cultural properties. We emerge from the center and reach the city outskirts. Wonder what kind these are. Ah, I can see a few cherries. Ah, there's some. Oh, those are red. Hayasaka Keiichi is the farm's 8th generation owner. It's nearly time to harvest the cherries, so he's checking on the crop alongside his wife, Toshiko, and his son, Kazutoshi. They're red, aren't they? Yes, they are. This is called a minisaya. It's a Japanese fruit. It tastes better when it's a bit black. It's a beautiful color. Thank you for it. It's good. It's sour and sweet. It's well-balanced. There's a lot in it. People say that the cherries in Ami no Yama are delicious. The reason is that it's cool in the morning and night, and it's hot during the day. We live in a bunch. That's why it's easy to find and has a good color and acidity. I see. Where do you get the water from? The water comes from Zao. The winter snow melts in spring, nourishing the farmland at the base of the mountains. The fruit benefits from minerals in the soil. It comes from ash, deposited by volcanic activity. There is one tree that the Hayasaka family holds dear. This one is the thickest. Yes, it is. It's about 70 years old. It's quite thick. Yes, it is. The tree was planted 68 years ago. It was the first to be sown by Keiichi's father. Is this tree still in full bloom? Yes, it is. It's a good cherry tree. It's about this big. It's a perfect size. The trees generally have a lifespan of around 50 years. But yet again, this one has produced plenty of fruit. When farmers lack successors, cherry fields can disappear. For the last 15 years, Keiichi has been preventing this by taking on neighboring farmland. His son, Kazutoshi, once left to find work elsewhere. But six years ago, he returned to Kaminoyama. Once I left Yamagata prefecture, I realized the value of farming. I realized how good the local produce is, and that's how I started farming. Kazutoshi decided to continue the family business and began planting trees for the future. I think the more people who do this, the better it will be for the future. The shelves are lined with wooden plates. Really interesting. It has like the names of different trees here. The plates are made from wood associated with Yamagata, such as cherry, persimmon, and La France pear. All different kinds of wood, but it's perfectly smooth. You can't feel where one wood ends and the other begins. This is really well done. The business is run by Suzuki Ryo. Suzuki offers to show us his workshop. Wood from fruit trees often warps or cracks when it dries. It's often considered difficult to work with, and not suitable for woodworking. When handling the wood, each type's properties, such as hardness, must be taken into account. It's like I'm watching a show. Beautiful. Amazing. Each tree has its own characteristics. It must have been difficult to work with different themes. Why did you start? Did you start by yourself? My father used to be a carpenter. A carpenter who made doors. As time went on, the number of jobs decreased. Ryo's father, Masayoshi, lost work as wooden buildings became less common. He quit and began making plates instead. After high school, Ryo found work near Tokyo. But he became entranced with the plates his father started making. If you go to a normal company, the departments are divided. It's not easy to do everything by yourself. Making everything by yourself from start to finish is very difficult. When I see beautiful wood, I feel happy. You're still impressed? Yes. Even after decades? It's interesting. Look at this. Wow. That's a cool building. Hello. What is this? Kyu-Takahata Station. A station? Yes, a station. It's a different station now. It's a great building. Yes, it is. There's a stone called Takahata Stone. It's a stone that's being mined. It's a bird-hugging stone. I see. It's a special stone, so you don't break it? No, we don't. Wow, and an echo here. Am I in a dream? I've got to pinch myself. It doesn't feel like I'm in a real place. On our final day, we ride through southwest Yamagata Prefecture. It's a nice town. Okay. It's a tiny stream up here. This is the start of the stream. Look at this lake. The lake with the trees growing in it. It's so strange to see trees growing out of a lake. This is Lake Shirakawa, and there's a unique way to experience it. Hello. I'd like to make a reservation. Welcome. My name is Horie. Nice to meet you. Horie Morihiro runs canoe tours of the lake. We set off on the tour. It's so mysterious. It's beautiful. It's really beautiful. It feels good. The trees are shiroyanagi, meaning white willow. They're healthy enough to avoid withering, even when submerged. Lake Shirakawa was created 45 years ago by the construction of a dam. Recently, its magical scenery has made it a popular tourist spot. Horie was born and raised in Ide. He's been conducting canoe tours for 10 years. In his university days, competitive skiing took Horie all over the world. He says it gave him an outsider's view of his hometown, changing his perspective. When I lived in Yamagata, I thought there was nothing special about it. When I look at Yamagata from the outside, I see a lot of changes in the seasons. It's hot in summer and cold in winter. I think that's the charm of it. Since then, Horie has promoted the appeal of Ide in many different ways. One method is cycle tours. It's really sunny. The weather is great. We're here. I see a lot of snow mountains. That's right. The snow water from those mountains created Lake Shirakawa's watermelons. And now, in this season, the water from the watermelons is being sucked in to produce delicious rice. Hello. If you look around here, you can see that the trees next to the house are all on one side. Oh, I see. It's called a bamboo forest. It's a tree planted to protect the house from the blizzard. Horie takes us for a closer look. He knows the homeowner well. The house is protected by 12 Japanese cedar trees. Some are said to be over 100 years old. Horie wants to show us one more thing. He leads us up a small hill. Ide is an idyllic rural landscape, fueled by water from melting snow. It's a scenic landscape where people live together and farm together. I want to pass this landscape on to the next generation. That's why I came back here and work as a guide. A spot with a panoramic view of the Ide Mountains. Oh, this must be the higher ones that I'm headed for. There are 50 kilometers to go. It's starting to get steeper. Almost there. This is it. Made it. Many of the peaks reach 2,000 meters. They stretch out majestically before us. I can't believe I made it. This has been an incredible 400 kilometers. The views all along this trip, the mountains, the ocean, the volcanoes, the birds, the flowers, the rice paddies, the people. Everything has just been so beautiful. People have learned to, you know, accept nature, accept what nature can bring, and get over it and make their lives the best they can. They understand that they're alive because of nature. Their children will stay alive because of nature. Learn to not take nature for granted. It's something that, you know, once it's gone, it's really hard to bring back, and we're alive thanks to nature. I really learned that on this trip. Miyagi and Yamagata. People survive through the blessings of nature. On this 400-kilometer trip, we felt the joy of knowing that some things are worth protecting.