Glamping Mongolian Style

Where We Call Home.

A camping ground near the foot of a mountain in Ibaraki.

Here, guests can sleep in a ger - a traditional portable Mongolian house.

Let's smile as we welcome
and attend guests.

Here's Chimedtseren Amarzul, or Amura by nickname.

She started this camping business to introduce the culture of the nomadic people of her native Mongolia.

What's that up there?

But her insistence on authenticity can sometimes get in the way.

- It tastes bad, Mommy!
- Don't say that!

Why don't you like it?

So many problems to deal with.

Borrowing a bit of the local wisdom, Amura pours all her efforts into making her dream project a success.

About seventy kilometers north of Tokyo is Mount Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture.

A sacred mountain with a past rooted in history, it's visited by some 2.2 million hikers and sightseers every year.

At the base is a glamping site with gers - traditional Mongolian houses.

It's been a month since the facility opened in May.

I'll show you our gers.

They're all authentic gers
we imported from Mongolia.

This type was common in the time
of Genghis Khan in the 13th century.

Come in.

How do you like the interior?

The entire interior, from the beds to the couch, down to every accessory has been specially selected by Amura.

The cushions and tables were handmade in Mongolia.

It's really nice, isn't it?
I love it.

Glamorous camping, or glamping, is a booming recreational activity in Japan.

Guests can stay over and enjoy outdoor activities like barbecues - no need to bring any camping gear.

Amura is particular about the authentic Mongolian dishes guests can order optionally, like these steamed dumplings called "buuz."

These are "khuushuur," a type of fried pastry.

Both these and the dumplings are usually filled with mutton.

The menu is a hit with Mongolian customers yearning for a little taste of home.

It's great. I hadn't had real
Mongolian food in a while.

Guests can also play the "morin khuur," or horse-head fiddle, and try on traditional clothes, free of charge.

I wanted people to learn
about Mongolian culture...

and experience things like
traditional costumes and daily items.

Creating a place like this was my dream.

In 2005, Amura came to Japan to study global and transnational sociology at the University of Tsukuba.

She actively took part in cultural exchange events, presenting the customs and traditions of her native land.

Nomads live on Mongolia's vast grasslands.

In winter temperatures as low as minus thirty degrees Celsius, animals like horses and sheep are a major part of their lives.

Generously welcoming weary travelers with products from their precious livestock has been an integral part of the Mongolian lifestyle.

It's with the strong wish to introduce this culture to people in Tsukuba that Amura had been preparing her glamping facility.

She added a cafe for guests to meet and socialize.

Though she wasn't planning to do so at first, she set up a kitchen to offer meals.

I wanted to give guests the chance
to experience Mongolian cuisine.

She spent way over her initial budget.

Her husband worked hard to help fund her project.

She's doing too much!

We barely cover costs!

Amura's husband - Tumurbaatar Munkhzul, or "Muji" to family and friends.

To save on construction costs, Muji and his friend worked together to set up the glamping ground.

Muji's main line of work is the exporting of used automobiles.

For his wife and her project, he purchased machinery and obtained a permit to operate it.

He works so hard.
He's such a big help.

I'm not good at making compliments.

She gave it her all
to help with my car business.

She had my back the whole time.

It's my turn to support her.

After one and a half years of construction, the glamping site was ready.

However, obstacles soon appeared.

June - wet season in Japan - brought rainfall for days on end.

The carpet is soaked.

What's that up there?

The water dripped down.

There's a hole up there somewhere.

Gers are portable homes built to travel over Mongolian plains where there's very little rain -

quite different from Japan's hot and humid climate.

Then came another issue.

- They can't do it?
- They can't.

- So many issues.
- Yes.

She asked for air conditioners to be installed inside the gers, however...

We can't install it here.

Mounting an air conditioning unit on an arched beam, as the worker explains, is impossible.

Any company will tell you the same thing.

Good evening!

Thank you for coming!

Amura invited her friend of ten years, Yoshimura Chizuko, who came with some of her friends.

They'll be staying in one of the gers, and provide comments from a Japanese perspective.

Thank you for waiting.

Some Mongolian dishes.
Give them a try.

Mongolian cuisine featuring mutton.

Does it suit the Japanese palate?

It's quite 'muttony.'
I can't eat too much of it.

The fat...
Such a strong smell.

Chizuko offers her honest opinion.

We're not used to mutton.

It may be a bit too different from
the flavor Japanese people expect.

I didn't want different recipes
for Mongolians and Japanese.

But I guess...

people have different tastes in food.

Amura wants to serve Mongolian dishes Japanese guests too will love.

With her daughter who just came home from high school, she prepares a culinary experiment.

From the beginning, Aminzul has been supportive of her mother's project.

"How is your mother?"

She has an inner strength.

And she works hard.

They prepare "buuz," which the Japanese didn't care for.

Instead of the stronger-smelling mutton, they use chicken, and even some tofu for a healthier touch.

They replace the salty seasoning with a bouillon flavor.

Their shape looks bad.
I hope the taste is better.

The family's three daughters have been raised on Mongolian food.

Bon appetit!

How do the "buuz" taste?

It tastes bad, Mommy!

Don't say that!

It's bad?

The outside is good, not the meat.

At least they should have
a rounder shape.

"Buuz" aren't squashed like this.

The filling needed a thicker consistency.

They're OK.

But they're not "buuz."

Yeah, it's too different.

Just how authentically Mongolian should she make her recipe?

Amura continues to think.

I want Japanese guests to like the food.

But they don't like mutton very much.
What to do?

So many problems to deal with.

Nice to meet you!

Pleased to meet you.

Amura visits a three-hundred-ninety-year-old inn introduced by an acquaintance.

Here, we have yukatas and towels.

The inn welcomes not only Japanese but also many guests from overseas.

How do they accommodate such a diverse clientele?

The two head to a recently renovated guest room.

It's lovely.

In a Japanese-style interior, some decidedly non-Japanese couches and beds -

furnishings that were never seen in such traditional inns until recently.

Most elderly people prefer beds.

That's why we put some.

It turns out non-Japanese guests
prefer beds, too.

You adapt to guests' needs.

The foundation is Japanese-style.

For example, we wear kimonos.

If your foundation is solid,
you can be flexible with the rest.

Kawano's mother, Yoshioka Mariko, is the proprietress.

She explains that the most important aspect of attending guests is the "spirit of hospitality."

I believe thoughtfulness is key.

Pay attention to your guests' needs.

That's the spirit of hospitality:
adapt to them.

For example, we adapt dishes
for non-Japanese.

This time, Amura sticks to a Mongolian base, but with a slight adjustment to the recipe.

For the filling, I'll use ground meat
that mixes beef and pork.

She replaces the mutton with pork and beef - a more familiar option for Japanese guests.

I'll do the seasoning Mongolian style.

For the seasoning, she follows the traditional Mongolian recipe.

And here they are: "buuz" steamed dumplings - perfectly shaped this time.

For this test the jury is comprised of Muji and Chizuko.

Let me know how you like it.

First, the verdict on the Japanese side.

It's delicious...with a light taste.

Japanese will love it.

And what does Muji think of it?

It's tasty.

It's really tasty!

By discussing together,
we exchange all kinds of ideas.

From now on, I'll consider different
opinions when creating the menu.

Introducing her homeland's culture while taking her guests' tastes into account.

Amura has started to put the "spirit of hospitality" into practice.

July.

The gers are now rain-and-leak-proof, but that's not all.

They had special wooden mounts built to accommodate air conditioners.

Everyone's happy to stay in
an air-conditioned ger.

It's fun!

The voices of kids playing echo through the site.

More and more guests are coming to stay.

It's bigger than I thought...

and comfortable.

We'd never stayed in a ger before.
It's fun to experience Mongolian culture.

Mongolian food was a first for us.
It was great. She loved it, too.

Thanks to Amura's efforts, and the support of those around her, the glamping ground's first summer season is off to a good start.

I want to introduce my culture
but I'll also be extra thoughtful...

so that each guest has a great time.

I want to make this a warm
and welcoming place.

Hi! I'm Lan Ping-Fang from Taiwan.
I'm a tour guide in Shiretoko.

I enjoy introducing the beauty
of Shiretoko to people from abroad.

"Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido."

"Lan works as a guide for people
mainly from Taiwan and Hong Kong."

"8:15 a.m."

Hi!

- Are you the Chiang family?
- Yes.

- 2 adults, 2 children.
- Yes.

"Shiretoko has a rich and unique ecosystem
where land and sea interact."

"It became a UNESCO
World Heritage site in 2005."

"It's home to a diverse wildlife
of over 4,000 species."

"Lan is the only foreigner to be certified
as a guide for the Five Lakes region..."

"by the Japanese government."

"From May through October, 3-hour tours
of the Shiretoko Five Lakes area are held."

"Let's have fun together today.
If there's anything, let me know."

"The peninsula also has a dense population
of some 500 brown bears."

I have an important announcement.

We have to say hello to the brown bears.

Let's make some noise
to tell them we're here.

You can clap your hands like this.

Try it.

Making noise keeps the bears at bay
to prevent encounters.

Look here.

A bear ate this about 2 days ago.

They eat the roots of the skunk cabbage,
but not the leaves.

See the holes in that tree?

They were made by woodpeckers.
They peck 20 times per second.

On this fallen tree,
some saplings are growing.

They're lovely, but they're a natural
heritage, so we mustn't take any.

I want people to go home saying,
'Shiretoko was fun!'

'I took great photos of the lakes.'
And, 'We want to come see Lan again.'

"In elementary school Lan became
interested in Japanese TV series."

"In technical high school,
she studied Japanese."

In Taiwan, I saw a TV program
about glacier walks.

I wanted to try it. I found out it was
in Shiretoko, so I decided to come.

"In 2016, Lan came to Japan
on a working holiday visa."

When I saw the glaciers,
I fell in love with Shiretoko.

The people here are so kind.

I've been all around Japan.

But Shiretoko left
the biggest impression.

You walk down the street
and people say, 'How are you?'

'Are you hungry? I'll buy you ice cream!'

Miura-san is my senior as a guide.

He works as a guide by day
and runs this bar by night.

He's so amazing!

Lan took the test...

to become a certified guide.

She had to memorize
about 100 photos of plants.

"As part of her test, Lan had
to write the names of 100 plants."

I'd taken the same test,
so I taught her the names.

- But she had to learn them in Japanese.
- It was hard.

She really studied hard.
When she passed, I was so happy.

- I said, 'Great job!'
- I did it!

"Once a month, Lan and her friends
volunteer to pick up garbage."

We began after we saw on the news...

a photo of a bear holding in its mouth
a convenience store bag.

If bears get a taste of human food...

they might come closer to humans.
It's dangerous.

We sometimes fill up 20 bags or so.

Lan is always so cheerful.

With her, I can do anything with a smile.

It's thanks to her that I can do this.

My treasure is this backpack
my husband gave me.

I take it with me every day.

"In 2020, Lan got married with
Hasa Takashi, a local fisherman."

It reminds me of
when he offered it to me...

and of his moral support.

Along with showing the beauty
of the local nature...

I want to show the lifestyles
of people here.

I really love Shiretoko.