The best way to discover little-known sights and make even familiar places feel brand new,

is to go exploring by bicycle.

This time, we're in Kochi, known as the land of rivers.

In this part of Japan, you're never far from water.

That's really, really good.

So fresh.

People live close to nature in this fertile countryside.

The plants I grow feel like a part of me.

That's what keeps me farming.

For many, life here is an endless quest to make better use of Kochi's natural abundance.

I want to cover the mountain with trees so in
30 or 40 years, people can still make charcoal.

Come with us now, on a 370-kilometer ride through Kochi, from the mountains to the sea.

Kochi City is the largest of the prefecture, with a population of 320,000.

A major attraction is the morning market, held four times a week in the shadow of the city's old castle.

Sunday is the busiest day, when stalls selling vegetables and seafood stretch for over a kilometer.

This market is the first stop for our cyclist.

They've got all kinds of stuff here.

This is Bobby Judo, from Florida in the USA.

Bobby's passion is cooking, and when he isn't working as a TV personality,

he runs his own barbeque site and a hamburger restaurant.

So he's very keen to investigate the local cuisine and try regional ingredients unique to Kochi.

Good morning! What are you selling?

All kinds of handmade foods, like inakazushi.

- Inakazushi? What's that?
- Sushi, but using all sorts of vegetables.

- Is this it?
- Yes.

Very pretty. I see myoga ginger.
And that's konnyaku, right? Bamboo shoots too.

- Why is it called inaka, or country sushi?
- In the past, it was hard to get fish in these mountains.

So they made sushi with vegetables instead.

Inakazushi, made from wild mountain ingredients, was traditionally eaten here at festivals and celebrations.

I'll start out with some bamboo, some takenoko here.

Oh, it's really good.

It's got that firm, crisp texture to the bamboo,

and it's got that vinegary sweetness that you expect from sushi.

This one is my absolute favorite.

This is myoga, this bright pink...

It's in the ginger family.

That's awesome.

This is the first time I've been to Kochi prefecture in quite a while.

I came through about ten years ago with some friends for a cycling trip.

I'm looking to explore places I haven't been yet.

Find new things, meet some new people.

And now, we can head out and see the rest of the prefecture. Let's go.

On the first day of this three-day trip, Bobby will ride from Kochi City to join the Niyodo River,

which will take him into the mountains.

On day two, he'll cycle beside the swift-flowing Yoshino River.

And on the last day, he'll take a look at the Yasuda River before riding along the coast to Cape Muroto, his final goal.

I want to try to get some distance in this morning before it gets too hot.

It's late August, and afternoon temperatures today are forecast to exceed 30 degrees Celsius.

We have this big, broad river over here on the left.

The Niyodo River takes a winding route through the mountains.

This is one of Kochi's three major rivers.

Oh, wow.

We've got a really nice view right here.

It looks like that water picks up a little ways.

Some stronger currents down through there.

Wow.

Some fishermen out there on the water.

What a gorgeous place.

Imagine living nearby.

So many things to enjoy here.

Starting to get a little bit of a light rain.

Not too bad. I hope it holds off.

We can see a couple of people fishing down here in the river.

This is on my must-do list while we're here.

Bobby has arranged to go fishing with this couple.

What a nice spot.

Oh, check that out!

She's got two on the line. Nicely done.

- Hello!
- Hi there!

- Are you the Nishiwakis?
- That's right. Nice to meet you.

Nishiwaki Yasushi and Aki make their living catching sweetfish.

This river produces the highest quality sweetfish, which they sell to top-class Kyoto restaurants.

The rain has now eased off, and it's time for Bobby to learn their special fishing method.

- You can use this rod.
- Wow, that's long!

This is a short one. Only 7 meters.

The water in this tributary of the Niyodo River is among the purest in Japan.

Yasushi also likes this particular spot since it's easy for beginners to keep their footing.

He'll teach Bobby a 200-year old technique using live decoy fish.

Sweetfish are fiercely territorial - they'll instantly attack any intruder.

A decoy fish attached to a hook is cast into the river where sweetfish like to feed.

When they try to drive it away, they become hooked themselves.

The main point is not to leave the decoy fish
on the line too long, as it gets weak and lifeless.

Your line is a bit too slack. Tighten it up until
you see the rod starting to bend at the tip.

The aim is to cast near rocks covered in moss, the favorite food of the sweetfish.

Too much tension on the line weakens the decoy fish, so the skill lies in guiding it gently towards the rocks.

- You have to be patient. It takes a while.
- True.

- Do you fish? Other kinds, I mean.
- Yes, but I've never got the knack.

Mostly I go home empty-handed.

Ah! I got something!

Yes! Get the net ready as you reel it in.

Here it comes!

Caught it!

I got one.

We gotta keep going. We gotta keep fishing.

Decoy fish must swim vigorously to be effective, so they use the freshest.

Each time a new fish is caught, it's used to replace the decoy.

- A lively decoy attracts lots of others.
- Yes, it's pretty vigorous.

Again, again, again!

See what I told you? Now you'll catch plenty.

Okay!

Not many first-timers can handle both rod and
net at the same time. Maybe 1 in 10.

- Really?
- Yes, you're a natural.

Yasushi has always loved fishing.

He met Aki when they both worked at a company in Kyoto.

She's from Kochi, and when she brought him here, seeing these rivers changed his life.

After I showed him some Kochi rivers,
he was hooked. All he wanted to do was fish.

- The water in these rivers is so clear.
- Sweetfish from pure water taste divine.

These fish only thrive in certain environments.

They eat moss, and moss needs clean water.
Sweetfish from such rivers are the best.

After that first experience of the Niyodo River and the taste of its sweetfish,

Yasushi gave up his job and moved to Kochi to spend the rest of his life fishing on this river.

He insists that the best-tasting sweetfish are caught using the decoy method.

This method lets us catch sweetfish in the best condition,
so they stay healthy in the tank.

They stay fresh right up till you eat them.

People we teach always say these are
the best they've ever tasted.

Our aim is to show people how to catch
sweetfish and see how good it tastes.

They all say the difference is incredible.

Bobby has brought the sweetfish he just caught to a nearby hotel, where he'll get them cooked.

Wow. This looks amazing.

What a feast!

Most of these ingredients are grown or caught locally.

Bobby's fish are served both salt-grilled and cooked in rice seasoned with soy sauce.

Itadakimasu.

That's really, really good.

So fresh.

It's soft, it's light, it's flaky, it's perfectly seasoned.

It's unbelievably good.

- It doesn't smell at all fishy.
- That's because it lives in such pure water.

Now for some sweetfish rice.

There are three fish in that serving of rice.

It's really, really good.

That's delicious.

- I've tasted the best of Kochi today.
- That's very good of you to say.

There's nothing more satisfying than a meal of fish you've just caught yourself.

Day two takes Bobby to another of Kochi's great rivers.

The 194-kilometer long Yoshino River is famous for its many rapids.

I don't know if it goes anywhere, but it's beautiful.

Wow. There's a rainbow over there.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Look at that rainbow!

Look at this, descending just right down into the middle of this valley here, right into the river.

What a lucky find.

Bobby has come to an area where the mountains plunge steeply right down to the river.

Even so, people manage to farm these slopes.

As the incline steepens, Bobby's pace slows to a crawl.

In the end, this hill is just a bit too much for our cyclist.

Bobby gives up and walks the last stretch.

That was quite a climb. I made it all the way up here.

And I think I see some people at work up in the field over here.

Hello there!

- Hello!
- Good morning!

Tending their crops are Wada Toyoki and Kazumi.

The Wada family has farmed these slopes for generations.

I see you're mostly growing summer vegetables?

Yes. Tomatoes, eggplants,
bell peppers and cucumbers.

How colorful!

Ah look, she's given me shears!

It's so firm and shiny.

When the green peppers ripen a bit more,
they turn red. The red ones are sweeter.

- May I cut one off to taste it?
- Go ahead.

It looks so good.

We're chemical free so it's safe to eat.

Oh, this is so sweet! Crunchy and juicy!

Glad you like it.

You don't need to cook it at all,
it tastes great fresh.

Few people live up here, high above the village, so there's no pollution from household wastewater.

At this height, the Wada's crops thrive on the pure mountain spring water.

Toyoki has thought deeply about the best ways to farm in this unique environment.

The most important thing is soil preparation.

I cut wild grass on the ridge up there for mulch
to feed the good microorganisms in the soil.

For Toyoki, weeds are an important resource.

He uses them to improve drainage and aerate the soil,

activating microorganisms that enhance the flavor of his vegetables.

There's a beautiful tree frog over there.

Frogs are great. They eat insects,
so they keep my crops pest free.

It's such a rich and diverse habitat.

Born to a family of rice farmers, Toyoki naturally began growing rice himself after high school.

But soon after, the government introduced policies to reduce rice production,

so he started thinking about other kinds of farming.

In this fertile area so blessed by nature, he decided to focus on growing safe, high-quality vegetables.

Walking through the field like this,
I sometimes just stop and look around.

The leaves of all these different plants
seem to flutter in a special way.

Are they trying to talk to me?

It always moves me deeply.

But the more farmers rely on the power of nature, the more they're vulnerable to nature's unpredictability.

- They don't seem all that healthy?
- You're right.

We just had two typhoons.

Constant rain and no sunshine stunted their growth.

Yes, it's very obvious.

I've been growing tomatoes for 30 years and
I've never seen anything like this before.

Typhoons pass over Kochi every year, but this season was exceptionally bad,

bringing unusually frequent and heavy rainfall.

Toyoki's harvest was only 60 percent of the usual crop, putting him into the red.

This way of life requires accepting that nature can be cruel as well as kind.

So what is that makes you want to continue faming?

My plants have come to feel like a part of me.

Seeing and touching them everyday,
that's what keeps me farming.

They give me strength to keep going.

While they were talking in the field, Kazumi has been in the kitchen preparing lunch.

Wow, you've really made a feast for us.

- Here, peel this.
- Me?

- Do I strip all the skin?
- No, leave some. The purple looks pretty.

So I cut them diagonally?

Are all your meals like this?

Yes. If I think there isn't enough,
I just go out in the field and pick some more.

In the Wada family, the kitchen is Kazumi's domain.

It must be tough, working in the fields.

Well, I'm starting to feel my age. But I just
think "It has to be done" and go do it.

Your husband seems a very diligent man.

He's always been like that. Decides something
and never changes course.

Simple dishes, lightly seasoned to bring out the intrinsic flavor of these homegrown vegetables.

I'll start with the eggplant tempura we just made.

The eggplant itself is so soft and juicy.

Perfect! This pepper is so crisp.

Everything is amazing. Everything tastes great.

For fifty years, Kazumi has been Toyoki's indispensable partner on their farm,

while at the same time running the house and raising four children.

- How is the food?
- Delicious. As usual.

Him saying that must make you happy.

He'll comment if it's too hot or sweet,
but when he likes it he says nothing.

Maybe I don't say much, but I know
I'd be at a complete loss without her.

For me, this is a feast.
But you eat like this everyday?

Yes, this is a normal meal for us.

It's the best feeling when guests tell us the food is delicious.

Hearing that makes all the work worthwhile.

I never want to stop doing this.

Going back down the hill that tortured Bobby's legs on the way up is a very different matter.

This part is pure pleasure.

Oh, wow.

Perfect season for this.

Look at these rice paddies. All grown so high.

Bobby is now entering Aki, a town on the Pacific coast.

What an amazing view!

Beautiful.

All these boats lined up in the marina here.

All look like fishing boats.

They're rigged out with nets on the back.

A restaurant close by the port catches Bobby's eye.

Time to eat.

Here you are. Soft-boiled shirasu on rice.

Shirasu are a kind of whitebait, and this dish is the restaurant's specialty.

- How many of these tiny fish?
- 3,800, I believe.

We have had people who actually like to count them.

- And someone did once tell me 3,800.
- An amazing number.

- Is there really any rice underneath all this?
- That would be a good prank to play.

So I've had shirasu many times before, but I don't think I've ever had this much in one go.

"Itadakimasu!"

- It's really, really good.
- Thank you.

Very good! Oh wow.

Shirasu are so interesting.

Each one is tiny, but when you eat them all together it really does feel like a good, firm mouthful of fish.

One of the Pacific's major warm currents, the Kuroshio, passes close to the Kochi coast.

This current brings up nutrient-dense water from the deep ocean just off Aki,

which makes this area one of the best places to fish for whitebait.

We get freshly landed fish at the daily auction
and I cook it as soon as it arrives here.

Customers enjoy the sea view, knowing that's
where the fish they're eating came from.

People tell me they come here just for this fish,
and always find the trip well worth it.

That's what motivates me to keep doing it.

Bobby starts his final day on the Yasuda River.

Hello! How's the fishing?

- Nothing yet.
- Good luck!

Much of Kochi is mountainous, and rivers with great fishing are everywhere.

A tunnel built into the side of the mountain here.

Kochi has a thriving forestry industry.

The timber used to be transported by rail out of these hills, and many tunnels remain to this day.

I think we're getting close to our next stop.

I can start to smell a little bit of a smoke. I can start to smell some smoke through here.

I think I even see some clouds wafting up over there.

Bobby has come into these forests specially to meet someone.

Excuse me.

- Are you Morimoto san?
- Yes.

- I'm Bobby. I've come to watch you work.
- You're very welcome.

Morimoto Seicho is a charcoal maker.

He specializes in binchotan - a type of very high grade charcoal that's long burning and gives a strong flame.

Morimoto is the leading producer of the kind called Tosa Binchotan.

It's almost done now.
Time to take it out.

Even over here, the heat is so intense.

- Inside the kiln it's about 1,000℃.
- 1,000 degrees!

Logs stay in the kiln for 20 days, with Morimoto constantly monitoring and controlling the heat.

Today is the final day, when the finished charcoal can be taken out.

Over here there's some I took out earlier.

- It's quite heavy.
- It really is quite a weight.

The wood shrinks to half its original size.

It gets so dense, it becomes hard like metal.

What a lovely high tone. You'd never think charcoal
would make a sound like this.

Morimoto is continually researching better ways to make charcoal,

experimenting with different methods of drying the logs and varying the kiln temperatures.

He's especially focused on improving the design of his kilns, which he builds himself by hand.

- Building the kiln is the hard part.
- I can imagine.

It's the basis of everything. If the kiln isn't right,
you won't get good charcoal from it.

Morimoto takes Bobby inside a kiln.

This is intense.

- It's very high.
- About 3 meters.

- Normally the top would be closed?
- Yes. It's off now for maintenance.

So these bricks withstand 1,000-degree heat?

Yes. There are some melted bits, but that's where
ash stuck to the surface like a glaze.

Kilns must be strong enough to withstand temperatures of 1,000 degrees, and be completely airtight.

The smallest gap will let air escape and degrade the quality of the charcoal.

Morimoto has built more than 20 kilns, using a variety of shapes and materials.

I feel I still have a lot to learn about
both charcoal burning and building kilns.

I won't be satisfied until I discover
better ways of doing my work.

Originally a livestock farmer, at age 31 Morimoto began making charcoal as a side business.

The more I learned about the technical aspects,
the more interesting it became for me.

The quality changes completely depending on the
way you char the wood to remove moisture.

And the quality also depends on how it is carbonized,
and how it's refined.

It's very difficult to do everything correctly.
We just try to get as close to 100% as possible.

Charcoal making really is a very deep process.

Morimoto is planning ahead to ensure future charcoal makers will still have access to the timber they'll need.

To get the logs, we cut them up there and
haul them down on a wire.

Wow. That's quite a job.

Binchotan charcoal needs a special kind of oak that grows on these steep slopes,

but few people have the skills to harvest them.

So Morimoto is planting new trees in a more accessible part of the mountain.

I won't be here to fell the trees I plant,
but I still work to keep the mountain covered in trees.

That way, in 30 or 40 years, someone will be able to
cut them down to make charcoal.

We need many mountains like this to continue
providing work for people of the region.

I hope more young people will want to become
charcoal makers.

One man's passion - a flame that will burn long after he's gone.

Bobby is now on the last leg, climbing toward his goal, Cape Muroto.

Crossing this final pass, Bobby smells the ocean ahead.

We're on the Muroto Skyline.

Cyclists love this road, with its panoramic views over the Pacific.

We made it.

Pounded by waves, Cape Muroto is a long headland jutting sharply out into the Pacific.

What an amazing place to finish out the trip.

Look at this incredible coastline.

You can really feel the raw power of the ocean.

This was a great trip.

It was nice to get to meet so many people making their living together with nature

in these places that are so beautiful.

And there are really difficult things about living that kind of life as well.

You can't always make nature do what you want it to do.

But to watch these people living within the balance of nature and not giving up

and choosing to continue that kind of life anyway, and finding fulfillment

in that kind of life really kind of drove home to me that

these people have found a lifestyle and a way of living that makes them even more a part of nature.

Kochi has been absolutely wonderful. I definitely want to come back.

Nature in the wild - sometimes kind and beautiful,

sometimes unsparingly harsh - demands the courage to take on challenges and to believe in the future.