Family Camping by Lake Shikotsu

Camping!

Going camping is the perfect way to get close to nature.

Hokkaido, a treasure trove of nature, has many campsites

that are fun for both adults and children.

You might encounter some wildlife,

or gaze in awe at the remnants of an ancient volcano.

Join us on a family camping adventure on Lake Shikotsu.

Wild Hokkaido!

Lake Shikotsu is located in southern Hokkaido.

It is a caldera lake formed by a volcanic eruption

and has a circumference of around 40 kilometers.

The waters of Lake Shikotsu are crystal clear

and its unique hue is known as "Lake Shikotsu Blue."

We're at a campsite on the shores of Lake Shikotsu

located in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park.

You can enjoy both the beauty of the lake

and lush green forests at this popular campsite.

It's mid-May.

The Berns family, who live in Sapporo,

have arrived at the campsite.

- Good morning.
- Good morning.

- Let's say good morning.
- Let's say good morning.

Good morning.

Johannes and Isis are here with their two children.

The family loves camping,

and Lake Shikotsu is a favorite of theirs.

It's amazing because this place is right near to Sapporo City.

It took us an hour and a half to get here.

So, in the middle of nature already.

Yeah, it is an amazing place here right at the lake,

and we're going to do some camping here for one night.

- Who's excited?
- Me!

Just come on.

The children start running around excitedly.

Five-year-old Elena is collecting twigs and dead leaves.

They'll be used to build a fire.

Yeah. And we can put it right there.

Oh, you okay?

Three-year-old Sofia removes rocks

that are in the way of setting up the tent.

Thank you, Elena.

The girls are used to camping,

and love to help out.

Don't you think it's a good place?

The campsite is large,

and tents can be put up right on the shore.

Johannes and his family choose a spot near the forest

away from the water for safety.

After pitching the tent,

they take a walk down to Lake Shikotsu.

Tomorrow, yeah. Today we're just looking at it.

People's tents are right here.

The view is nice.

You like it?

Look at that.

This lake was born through volcanic activity.

Sofia wants to try out the water.

This is still spring camping so it's going to be a bit chilly.

You can use Mama as a chair. Here. Let me sit. Let me sit.

You like it?

You like it?

Oh yeah, it's cold. It's super cold!

This is fun! This is fun!

Back at the tent, the family sets about preparing to build a fire.

So we'll get this together.

They use the twigs and dead leaves that the children collected,

as well as some tree bark that they brought with them.

They light the dry tinder to create a seed fire.

The flames get larger as more and more twigs are piled up.

Pinecones also burn well.

Pinecone, Papa. Pinecone. Here, dad.

Thank you.

Now that the wood is burning well,

they get started with...

making some bread.

Thank you.

They simply cook dough that is stuck onto a tree branch.

Easy camping bread is a staple of any Berns family camping trip.

Yummy.

The sun begins to set at 5 PM.

Isis and the girls have started the preparations for dinner.

So one of our favorite menus is this sweet potato.

And all we need to do is put it inside aluminum foil after putting some holes in it,

and throwing it into the fire.

And the outside will be crispy,

but the inside is so nice

and soft and creamy and super sweet.

The camp menu is kept simple

so that even the kids can help out.

Mama, I did it!

You did it. That looks pretty good.

They will bake the sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes.

Just then, an animal appears in the woods right by the tent.

It's a sika deer.

It must be hungry, as it is concentrating on eating

instead of trying to run off.

It's so close.

It doesn't have horns.

- Yeah, it doesn't have antlers, right?
- Yeah.

- It doesn't look scared at all though, eh?
- Yeah.

Hi, deer.

- It's beautiful, eh?
- It is beautiful.

An unexpected encounter with wildlife

can only be experienced at a campsite like this

that is rich in nature.

The family gets back to preparing dinner.

Tonight's main dish is beef steak.

It cooks slowly over the wood fire.

- Oh, perfect.
- Look at that.

- Good job.
- Look at that. Right?

- Yes.
- Medium rare.

Yeah, right. You want some... You don't want to... Yeah?

You're going to eat it so quickly, nothing else on the plate.

No. Meat... Meat first.

- It's so juicy.
- Meat first.

The sweet potatoes are also done.

They're a hit with the girls.

I got an idea. We can share.

Yeah, okay. You take one bite, and then you take one bite. Yeah?

How is it? Does it taste good?

Maybe you can tell the camera how it tastes.

- It's good.
- It's good?

How about you two start? What did you like today?

- The deer.
- The deer.

- Deer!
- The deer?

- And the tent.
- And the tent?

- Tent!
- And some dinner.

Dinner.

Night falls.

Place like that, because this knife...

The kids have fallen asleep

and Johannes and Isis are quietly relaxing by the campfire.

Yeah, it just... We have fun.

Relaxing with the fire.

And I love it. It's good.

Yeah. You kept saying over and over you love it here, right?

Yeah. I really like this place. I think it's definitely one of my favorite

areas in Hokkaido.

Yeah, different reasons. I think

one, I mean, it's just... The view is just amazing.

It's...

It's special. Very special.

It's 4 AM the following morning.

- Hi.
- (Good morning.)

- Good morning.
- Good morning.

Johannes and Isis are up very early.

There's something they're keen for the girls to see.

It's the sunrise over Lake Shikotsu

for which this campsite is renowned.

They get the kids up and head to the lakeshore.

They watch quietly as the sun climbs higher.

- This is beautiful.
- It's amazing. Look!

There's clouds right at the lake.

All around them is bathed in an orange glow.

Birdsong echoes through the air

creating a magical landscape.

You like the colorful mountains? It's amazing, right?

Yeah? The sun changes the color of everything.

It's so beautiful.

It's been a special morning for the family.

- All right.
- Let's go.

The girls are wearing life jackets.

Today, they'll explore Lake Shikotsu by canoe.

All right, we got to be very careful getting on the canoe, okay?

Make sure Mama and Papa...

It's the first time for them to experience being in a canoe.

There you go.

Visitors are free to bring their own canoe to the lake.

There are also canoe tours available.

All right. There you go. Yes, that's good, Elena.

Let's go to Lake Shikotsu!

Yeah.

They head towards Lake Shikotsu from a river that flows in from the lake.

Their adventure begins once they pass underneath the red bridge.

Look at this view, Elena!

This is so nice.

From the canoe, they can see that the color of the lake

changes from deep blue to green depending on the area.

On this side, it's only green.

Green, blue.

Straight ahead there, with some snow on it still.

See that brown mountain with no trees and no grass?

That's the volcano.

Mt. Tarumae looms before them.

Near the summit is a large, raised lava dome

which still emits plumes of smoke.

All around this lake are volcanoes.

What?

And a volcano made this lake.

- What?
- Yeah.

That's why here on the shore, it's very shallow.

See? It's really close to the bottom.

But in the middle, it's very, very, very deep.

Lake Shikotsu is one of the deepest lakes in Japan.

Remains of ancient lava flows can be found under water.

It has a very steep drop-off,

and its deepest point is 360 meters.

It was formed around 46,000 years ago

by volcanic activity.

The lake is a mysterious creation of nature.

The Berns family has gotten to experience

the wonder of Lake Shikotsu once again.

It was amazing. Like, the kids did...

Well, the kids woke up early and saw the sunrise, and that was the first time.

And canoeing for the first time. And they loved it.

And I think it's so important to have kids experience that from when they're young,

the beautiful nature of Hokkaido.

Yeah. I think... I think Lake Shikotsu is a bit of a gateway

into the wilderness of Hokkaido.

Just a beautiful, wonderful place. Right? It's fun, right?

Yeah.

Family camping by Lake Shikotsu.

It's an activity both kids and adults can enjoy

in Hokkaido's great outdoors.