Canoeing Down the Shisorapuchi River

Canoeing down a river surrounded by greenery.

Here you can experience the great outdoors

while flowing in a gentle current.

You can also enjoy being swept along by thrilling rapids.

This time, an adventurous couple explores

the wonderful variety of Hokkaido's clear waterways.

Wild Hokkaido!

Near the center of Hokkaido

are the 2,000-meter-high peaks

of the Taisetsu Mountain Range.

This is the origin of the Shisorapuchi River

which travels through large sections of forest for 40 kilometers

before joining the Sorachi River.

These exciting rapids and lovely views attract canoeists.

It's early June.

Here at the river is Greg from Canada

and his Japanese wife Mari.

They've canoed over 30 rivers in Hokkaido.

This is the fourth time on the Shisorapuchi.

It's quite difficult. It drops about 40 feet a mile

which is quite steep to run in an open canoe.

So I think for intermediate advanced canoeists,

it's quite a challenging and fun river to do.

The water runs down from the Taisetsu mountains,

so, it's very clear and clean.

I can't wait to soak up all the beautiful fresh air.

They'll begin on the river's upper reaches

and go downstream for about six kilometers.

They're starting point is shallow with a rapid current.

Okay, I'm in.

And let's just ferry out across.

Paddling forward.

It's shallow. Okay, nice cross.

More.

Whoa, almost dropped the paddle!

- That's a hard start.
- Yeah.

Alrighty, we're on the water.

Welcome to the Shisorapuchi River!

They begin paddling out into the greenery.

Just keep in mind every white wave's a rock...

Okay.

...at this water level.

The river's upper portion flows through forests.

Bent trees and large rocks block their path.

At the head of the canoe,

Mari quickly spots any obstacles

and skillfully maneuvers with the paddle.

Greg at the back controls the speed and course

as he watches Mari's movements.

- It's so beautiful.
- Beautiful.

They bring the canoe up onto the bank.

It will be easier to plot a course from land

because they are unable to see what's ahead while canoeing.

I think we should hit this tongue...

...instead of that one.

That tongue looks like it's going to push us into there.

- This one is better.
- We want this slider right here.

That's what we're looking for.

So, here we go!

We go.

Stay to the left side of these waves.

Looking good.

Keep going forward.

- Keep going forward.
- Yeah, I can see the line.

Right on the money.

Here we go!

They have great teamwork.

That was a pretty hard hit.

In fact, Mari took up canoeing only after she met Greg.

Let's go left.

Since then, the two of them have been canoeing

together for over 10 years

and are in perfect sync with each other on the water.

Suddenly, the current becomes calm.

In these calm sections between the rough waves...

It's the only place to take a breather.

...you can hear the birds singing so loudly.

Yeah, it's really nice.

After about three kilometers, they climb up on shore again.

Up ahead of them is a particularly difficult section of river

that canoeists call the "Trauma Rapids."

These two have tipped over, hit rocks,

and had many frustrating experiences every time

they've tried to go over.

Right, so it's got a...

We want to have a momentum kind of going from left to right.

- Okay?
- See those rocks over there?

If we try to get through from this side...

They assess the course carefully.

They'll try to go from left to right just before the drop,

avoid hidden rocks, and go down the middle.

If all goes well, they should be able to clear this point

and not head into the large rock on the right.

It's so shallow, it's hard to paddle.

Right? It's all rock.

So yeah, it's a tricky one.

This one always makes me nervous.

They're ready to stake their canoeist reputations on this one.

They set off for the tricky spot.

A little sharper. A little sharper.

Way right, like. Now let's go forward.

Forward, nice and hard.

Nice and hard. That's it.

- Yeah, that's it.
- That's it. Perfect.

Right where we want to... Right here.

- Right here.
- Yes!

Right here. Perfect!

Just as they land, they lose their balance.

We'll crash!

Although they manage not to tip over...

Lots of water, eh?

Wow, that's not how you want to run it.

No!

It seems they will have to try their luck again next time.

At least we didn't sink!

The canoe continues its journey along the river's crystal-clear water

and through the beautiful nature of the forest.

Wow, can you hear the cicadas?

They're so loud!

I love this natural tree tunnel.

Almost the whole river is like a tunnel.

It feels so nice to canoe through.

- What's that?
- Do you see something?

They have spotted some birds by the water's edge.

They are looking for food to feed their young.

There's a brown dipper.

It dives under the water and catches insects

that live in the riverbed.

Because they need to search for prey visually,

they can't live near muddied water.

The clean and clear water of the river

sustains the birds and their chicks.

Greg and Mari are ready to take a break.

They hop on to a rocky shoal.

Usually, coffee is essential for their canoe trips.

But this time, it's matcha green tea.

Although they don't know the precise rituals of the Japanese tea ceremony,

Mari will brew the tea in her own unique way.

You don't put more in?

One, two, three.

Very, very nice.

- How is it?
- It tastes like matcha.

Very good.

- You have to look elegant.
- Elegantly?

- Right.
- Okay.

Just like that!

Next, it's Greg's turn to serve Mari.

Great location.

Side of the river.

This will give us a little bit of extra energy for

the next section of the river coming up.

I hope you can infuse my tea with love.

So, give Mari a little bit of energy for the rest.

Energy? Is that hospitality?

- Like this?
- Thank you.

Savoring green tea amongst nature.

Japanese culture has enabled the two of them to relax.

Once again, they come across some wild rapids.

Big draw. Big draw!

Good!

Nice draw, Mari. Here we go!

Nice!

They have traveled five kilometers.

Here, tributaries converge and become the Sorachi River.

The most difficult section of the course lies ahead

with three challenging parts in quick succession.

The first is a three-tiered drop.

Next is a series of rocks known as the "Pinball Rocks."

The final obstacle is a 1.5-meter drop

that carries a risk of the canoe capsizing.

Will they succeed?

- Slow it down just a bit.
- Okay.

The two push forward on the course they've mapped out.

Okay. Here we go.

Here we go. Nice draw.

Bingo!

They encounter some big rapids, but they manage to clear them.

Beautiful.

Next, the Pinball Rocks.

Go forward. Keep going forward.

Perfect, right here.

Good.

Wow.

They deftly control the canoe as it weaves through the rocks.

At last, the final stage.

They've cleared all three and they head for the finish line.

Though the Trauma Rapids earlier were not as smooth,

they can always try to conquer them on their next canoeing adventure.

Give me a five on that one. Good job today.

Alrighty.

It was all going exactly as we planned, so we thought it was perfect.

But once we hit that drop, it was over.

I have no idea what happened there.

That was the line we thought was going to be the perfect line, and it wasn't.

I've got a little analogy for you, you know. Rivers are like life.

It doesn't always go like you planned it to.

The important thing is, keep on paddling.

The Shisorapuchi River flows through verdant forests

in the center of Hokkaido.

Its gentle beauty and fierceness

create a paradise for canoe enthusiasts.