Kayaking over Rapids of the Sakazuki River

These kayakers are attempting to navigate some wild river rapids.

In the springtime of Hokkaido,

rivers collect large amounts of melted snow.

A waterfall with a five-meter drop also awaits them.

In this episode, we experience the thrills and spills of kayaking.

Wild Hokkaido!

The Shakotan Peninsula is located on Hokkaido's western coastline.

It's covered in deep snow during winter.

The roughly ten-kilometer-long Sakazuki River

flows into the Sea of Japan from the peninsula.

In May, the river roars with a tremendous amount of snowmelt.

For kayakers, it's their most favorite time of the year.

There are many challenging sections along the river

that appeal to adventurous types.

Frenchman Hugo and his Japanese friend Ota Chihiro

will take on the challenge.

Chihiro is a kayak guide, and knows the Sakazuki River thoroughly.

Hugo is also a kayaking specialist

who has kayaked many rivers overseas.

Both are big fans of the Sakazuki River.

I feel really excited

because I'm on the top of this really beautiful, clean river.

Lots of waterfalls on the way, so yeah.

Really, really excited.

Let's go!

They're ready to start their journey on the white water rapids.

Let's do some warming up.

Not long after setting off, they warm up

to prepare for the strong current they'll encounter on the river.

After warming up, they're now ready to raft down the river.

The first major obstacle to appear is an enormous rock,

long and smooth like a slide.

It's close to 30 meters in length.

It's an exhilarating place to ride the current,

but there's a risk of capsizing if they get too close to the center

where the water surges.

If you go to the left side of the rooster tail,

you're going to hit the big hole at the bottom.

Chihiro goes first.

He races down the slippery rock.

Next is Hugo.

He makes it to the bottom in one piece without being caught in a wave.

Both men are confident kayakers.

They continue down the fast-flowing stream.

The two of them pull up to the riverbank and alight.

A waterfall with a drop of four meters is looming before them.

Chihiro checks for a safe route.

You can choose out of two lines.

One is in the middle, and the other one is on the left side.

At the waterfall's basin, the water crashes with such force

that it surges in reverse as if it is boiling up.

It's known as a boil, and there's a risk of capsizing

when going over the falls.

Chihiro gives some advice on how to overcome it.

He suggests paddling hard enough

to propel the kayak forward horizontally in the air,

to avoid sinking into the boil.

Timing and position...

If you make a mistake, you may fall vertical, but no problem.

It is not dangerous.

Chihiro shows Hugo how it's done.

He paddles powerfully,

stays horizontal and manages to land upright in the water.

Next, Hugo's turn.

He makes it over.

Hugo looks relieved to have cleared the first major obstacle.

The two continue their journey down the river.

Chihiro stops his kayak on the bank again.

The next challenge to appear is a two-tiered waterfall.

If you're unable to maintain your position between the levels,

it's difficult to get back up again.

If you go left, you hit the wall and get stuck.

Once you get stuck, you have to swim.

So, try to go right.

Especially at the end,

if you don't land directly in the center of the river,

there's a chance you'll capsize.

Hugo maps out the course in his head.

He kayaks down first.

He did it without flipping.

Chihiro goes next.

He also gets over the waterfall successfully.

After conquering a difficult section of the river, they take a rest.

Hugo uses his aquascope to peer into the river.

This could be a good place for the cherry salmon to hide.

It's sort of slow-moving water, not really fast

but really close to fast-moving water that brings a lot of food.

You can see all the rocks and everything,

the small sand that's moving around,

so there could be some insects in there.

Hugo is actually a fishing guide,

and is fascinated by freshwater fish.

Masu Salmon are an unusual fish.

They grow for one to two years,

after which almost all females go out to sea,

leaving some males behind in the river.

After a year of fully maturing at sea,

the females return to the river to spawn.

As such, this river is very important to the fish

that travel between river and sea.

The pair continue kayaking downstream.

Waiting up ahead of them...

is the most challenging section of the entire course.

A five-meter-high waterfall.

This boil is pretty strong, and this will push you to the left.

Chihiro suggests that it's best to kayak

to the right of the waterfall to avoid the boil.

Even Chihiro has trouble staying upright in his kayak

when going down this waterfall.

Will he clear it this time?

Chihiro starts paddling...

And he's made it!

Next is Hugo.

His heart pounds.

The kayak starts to tip.

Hugo attempts to right himself.

Chihiro promptly lends a hand.

Hugo looks a little frustrated that he capsized.

The Sakazuki River isn't all smooth sailing,

but that's exactly why it appeals to kayakers.

The adventure is coming to an end.

Almost no rocks!

Yeah, pretty high!

After passing through the valley, the current has calmed down.

It's so beautiful.

The Sea of Japan appears before them.

Yes! Nice!

Kayaking the Sakazuki River is an experience Hugo will never forget.

First, before the waterfall, there was a lot of pressure building up.

Your heart is racing, and then you go for your line.

And once you're into it, nothing else matters.

It's hard to explain but nothing else matters,

and then you do your move and then you feel like you're flying.

Then you crash-land in the water and it's really soft.

It's a good feeling.

I think you can see from my face there was a lot of adrenalin.

I'm pretty happy now.

Bursting with melted snow from the spring thaw,

the Sakazuki River offers a thrilling experience

for adventurous kayakers.