In episode 1 of Race Across the World, the participants began their journey in Sapporo, and found their first checkpoint in Nara. But they weren’t done exploring Japan just yet! In the second part of our Race Across the World articles, we’ll follow the 5 pairs of adventurers as they continue to explore Japan.
Nara
After an adventurous first few days as all the pairs made their way to the first checkpoint of Nara, they were able to spend a little bit of downtime in the city. Nara is most famous for its vast population of deer, which wander around the city, and especially Nara Park. You can purchase food at various spots around the park that you can then give to the many deer. The deer have also learned to respectfully bow to people when they are around, so make sure to give them a bow when you see them!
Everyone also had the chance to participate in a traditional tea ceremony. The ceremony can be traced back more than 1000 years, and turns the act of making and giving tea into a form of art. It consists of intricately planned steps and rules, usually performed within a special tea room, or ‘chashitsu.’ You’ll have the chance to taste the tea once the tea master has made it, and then indulge in some accompanying sweets or other food. Ranging from short to more than two hours long, the ceremonies are performed all around Japan, but are especially popular in the former capital of Kyoto. Worry not about making mistakes during a ceremony, the cultural experience is unparalleled!
Okayama
Once everyone had their rest, it was time to head to their next checkpoint in South Korea. But to get there, they needed to make their way through the rest of Japan down to Hakata, in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Venturing via Okayama was Brydie and Shannon, who worked briefly with fisherman Kunihiko-san and his wife Miho-san, on the vessel Kunimimaru. They caught various types of fish as they sailed out and around the Seto Inland Sea. Located in between the islands of Honshu and Shikoku, the Seto Inland Sea is composed of thousands of different beautiful islands, all unique with their own histories and stories. Some have vast art installations, while others offer peaceful retreats for those looking for a getaway. One fantastic way to explore the area and its many islands is to cycle. You can return and return bicycles from multiple spots in the area, and the ability to take your travel at your own pace is a great bonus.
Shikoku
Shikoku, the smallest of the 4 main islands of Japan, was visited by Betty and James as they made their way to Hakata. Similar to other groups, they also did some part-time work while in Kamikatsu Town in Tokushima Prefecture. In Japanese cuisine, presentation is quite a large portion of the experience. From the type of dish to the decoration on the plate, there are many different qualities of presentation that all come together to make a perfect arrangement. At times, dishes also use ‘momiji’ or maple leaves on them. Betty and James helped out cutting and picking the perfect maple leaves from a tree. Kamikatsu is also known to be a town that is well on its way to becoming a Zero Waste Town. The town has detailed recycling procedures, and many of the local stores and shops utilise sustainability and carbon neutral practices, from donating unused items to a local thrift shop, or a hotel that has guests cut their own soap and grind coffee beans only for the amount of cups that the guest wants.
Getting to and from Shikoku can be an adventure, whether you are cycling or taking the train, or even crossing the massive Akashi-Kaikyo Suspension Bridge, but Shikoku has plenty of magic hidden in its hills.
Hiroshima
Isabel and Eugenie made their way to the southern city of Hiroshima, and had time to explore the city before their shift at a local okonomiyaki spot.
Situated within the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome is representative of the spot where the first atomic bomb was used during World War II. Part of the original building survived the bombing, and is now a marker of world peace and the march towards denuclearisation. The Peace Memorial Park covers a large amount of area, more than 122,000 square metres. Within its grounds are the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims, and other memorial sculptures.
Hiroshima’s food culture is one of the best in the country, famous for its version of okonomiyaki, which is hotly debated by many people as to which version is better, Osaka or Hiroshima. Essentially a savoury pancake made of cabbage, flour, and egg, the Kansai style mixes them all together while the Hiroshima style layers them and adds noodles. It’s up to you to decide which version is better!
The city is also serviced by many different trams and streetcars, known as the Hiroden, making travel throughout the city quite easy. You can board the streetcar from Hiroshima Station and take it all the way to Hiroden-Miyajimaguchi, where you can then take a ferry to Miyajima Island, home of the famous Itsukushima Shrine.
Kobe
Alfie and Owen decided to take a different route through Honshu, navigating their way through the port city of Kobe. While in Kobe, they were keen to try one of the cities, and Japan’s most famous delicacies - Kobe Beef. Japanese beef, or wagyu, is famous for its tenderness, it can melt in your mouth because of its fat content. There are multiple areas around Japan that produce wagyu, and the type of wagyu is often named after the region that it is from. Thus Kobe beef is exclusive to Hyogo Prefecture, and you’ll find Matsusaka beef hailing from Mie Prefecture. At times costing a pretty penny, wagyu has wonderful marbling and can be enjoyed in many different ways. You can have it in a shabu shabu style, where you’ll dip strips of meat into a broth and quickly cook it to perfection, sukiyaki style where it is cooked in a smaller dish, or teppanyaki, where a chef will prepare and cook the meat in front of you, accompanied with other side dishes such as fried rice and vegetables.
They decided to stay the night in the city, at another famous Japanese style hotel. However, this isn’t your traditional Japanese style room, with sliding doors and tatami mat floors. This is a capsule hotel, filled with small, personable, and compact sleeping areas. If you are looking for an affordable place to stay a night or two, a capsule hotel is perfect. Many are also themed, with other amenities, making the experience of staying at a capsule hotel an adventure in and of itself.
Kayabuki No Sato, Kyoto
Stephen and Viv, on their way towards Hakata, made a stop in Kayabuki No Sato, in the north of Kyoto. This town is made of many historical thatched roof houses, and offers much to see when wandering around. You can get guided tours of the area to learn more about the village and residents, and take in the small town atmosphere of northern Kyoto.
They wanted to participate in some part time work, helping locals service some of the thatched roofs, but the rain made the work dangerous and unfortunately they were not able to complete it. However, the villagers found some other work that Stephen and Viv were able to assist in, namely cleaning a nearby shrine’s ‘kaguraden’, a dancing stage that is commonly found at shrines. They enjoyed their time in the village, and eventually made their way to the port of Hakata afterwards. Northern Kyoto is full of wonderful experiences and things to do, such as seeing the port city of Ine or the Amanohashidate, ranked as one of the Three Views of Japan.
The area of Miyama also has Chii Hachiman Shrine, founded in the 11th century, multiple waterfalls to explore, and museums, more than enough to spend multiple days taking in the Japanese countryside.
Hakata
The endpoint of the adventurers' time in Japan was Hakata, in Fukuoka Prefecture. Situated right on the beach, and facing the Sea of Japan, it is full of exciting things to see and do. You can discover the famous Shofukuji, known to be the first Zen temple built in all of Japan, attend a sumo tournament in November, or wander the canals on the hunt for the best bowl of tonkotsu ramen. With a vibrant festival scene, delicious food, and easily accessible, Hakata makes for a perfect spot to visit in Kyushu.
One of the most famous aspects of Hakata, and Fukuoka in general, is tonkotsu ramen. Made of pork bone broth, this soup base is overflowing with flavour, making it a favourite of both locals and visitors alike. You’ll see countless stalls and restaurants around the city selling this type of ramen, so make sure to give it a try while you are there. ‘Yatai’, or food carts, are also spread around the streets. It is a wonderful experience to walk up to one, take a seat and watch the chef prepare the food right in front of you. Imagine passing the night with a warm bowl of ramen!
The two most famous festivals in the Hakata area are the Hakata Dontaku and the Hakata Gion Yamakasa. The Dontaku takes place during Golden Week, and is characterised by dancers and floats in the streets during its peak. It is a high energy event, on the last day you can even join in on the dancing as well! The Gion Yamakasa is held in July, and includes huge floats that people race down the street, and others that are displayed and paraded on certain days.
The Race Across the World took participants from the northernmost island of Hokkaido all the way to the southernmost main island. From Sendai to Tono to Kyoto to Hiroshima, each pair had a unique path through Japan. With every spot visited having more than enough fun things to do, where will you go during your race across Japan?
Race Across the World is airing on BBC, and can be seen on BBC iPlayer!
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