NEWS

Translated By DeepL

An outdoor summit organized by The North Face, Snow Peak, Rausu Town and Shari Town. Two days of enjoying nature in Shiretoko in late summer.

The Sea of Okhotsk, with its sometimes calm and sometimes wild waves; the Shiretoko Mountain Range, which includes the famous Mt. The Shiretoko Five Lakes, where nature's threats and grandeur coexist, and the wild animals that appear as a matter of course in the sphere of human life.

The event made me realize, "I didn't know such a place existed in Japan."SHIRETOKO Adventure Festival 2024was held on September 14 (Sat.) and 15 (Sun.). As the name suggests, the event took place in Shiretoko, located at the northeastern tip of Hokkaido, at the very end of Japan.

This event was jointly planned by Shari-cho and Goldwin's THE NORTH FACE, and Rausu-cho and Snow Peak. Both companies have signed comprehensive cooperation agreements with their respective municipalities, and both have also signed an "Official Partnership for National Parks" with the Ministry of the Environment.

The event was held to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Shiretoko's designation as a national park this year and the 20th anniversary of its registration as a World Natural Heritage site next year. Here is a report on the two days we spent enjoying the late summer in Shiretoko.


A full review of SHIRETOKO Adventure Festival 2024.

The SHIRETOKO Adventure Festival was held simultaneously at the Shiretoko Nature Center in Shari-cho and the Rausu Auto Campground in Rausu-cho. The North Face held a talk show and field activities based on the theme of "National Parks, Environment, and Activities" in Shari-cho, and Snow Peak held a camping event based in Rausu-cho with the theme of "National Parks, Outdoors, and Staycation. Snow Peak held a camping event based in Rausu Town with the theme of "National Parks x Outdoors x Staycation. The content of the event was a reflection of the fact that the two brands' areas of expertise differ in a positive sense.

The first day started with a beach cleanup to protect the coast of Shiretoko.

On the second day, four activities were on standby. One of the team that climbed Mt. Rausu with adventure racer Yoki Tanaka.

Photographer Naoki Ishikawa went to Rausu-ko Lake. It was an unfortunate downpour, but some participants said they were able to experience the functionality of rain products.

A stream climb up the Kamuiwakka hot waterfall. The Huinamu reporting team also participated, and more details will follow.

The Shiretoko Nature Center is also a light activity that combines learning with an exploration of Shiretoko's forest creation sites.

The first day in Shari-cho started with a beach cleanup, followed by a film festival focusing on environmental issues and a talk show by The North Face athlete Yoki Tanaka and Naoki Ishikawa, who is supported by The North Face. Although it rained all day on the second day, it didn't matter once the action started. The second day was rainy all day, but it didn't matter once they got moving, as getting soaked and muddy was a given.

On the other hand, Rausu Town held a two-day and one-night camping event. Workshops that evoked the history of Shiretoko, such as candle making using Ezo sika deer oil and earthenware cup making, were held, and food was provided from a menu rich in local ingredients. As night falls, families gather around the campfire to enjoy more lively conversation than usual. The warmth of the flickering flames and the comforting sound of crackling sparks in the air. The evening passed by as everyone enjoyed their own time with the glimmering flames.


The atmosphere of Shiretoko feels somewhat foreign.

The Huinamu team arrived at Memanbetsu Airport on an early morning flight on Saturday, September 14, and participated in the Athlete Talk on the first day. We headed to the Shiretoko Nature Center, the venue of the event, by car in the cool, dry air. Incidentally, it is about 100 km from the airport to the venue, but there are only three traffic signals in between. The roads parallel to the ears of wheat and fields give the impression of being in a foreign country rather than in the "countryside.

After the opening ceremony, the talk show by photographer Naoki Ishikawa and adventure racer Youki Tanaka started.

Mr. Ishikawa has long been involved in editing Shiretoko's photo collection and Shari-cho's brand book "Shiretoko Sustainable Book," and has seen Shiretoko's nature in each of the four seasons with his own eyes. Projecting his own photos of drift ice on the screen, he said, "I have traveled to Greenland and the Arctic Circle in Alaska, but the phenomenon of the sea freezing over in the middle of winter is very rare in the world. It is only in the Sea of Okhotsk that you can see the entire coast frozen over," he said, describing the rare natural phenomenon in Shiretoko.

In fact, a few days after the event, Mr. Ishikawa was preparing to enter Shishapangma, his final attempt at the 14 8,000-meter peaks. I'm going home on the last flight tomorrow and fly to Tibet the next day, so I'm a little nervous," he said. I'm a little nervous because I'm going to fly back to Tibet the next day, so I'm a little nervous." He revealed his feelings before the culmination of his activities over the past 20 years, but on Friday, October 4, he successfully climbed to the summit. On Friday, October 4, he successfully reached the summit, becoming the 51st person in the world and the second Japanese to do so.

Mr. Tanaka then shared an episode from his visit to Shiretoko as part of the "Japan's Three Hundred Famous Mountains by a Single Stroke," a project to climb the 100, 200, and 300 most famous mountains in Japan by human power alone. I climbed Mt. Rausu for the second time in 2021. I still remember how impressed I was when I looked around from the top of the mountain and saw how many mountains there were in the area. Whenever I come to Shiretoko, I always think that we must have respect for the natural world. I hope that everyone will enjoy the outdoors with the awareness that they are visiting an area where many plants and animals live.


Go to Kamuiwakka, deep in the Shiretoko Peninsula!

On the second day, participants will head to "Kamuiwakka Hot Spring Waterfall," one of the most famous waterfalls in Shiretoko, by electric mountain bike to enjoy climbing a stream in the "Kamuiwakka Adventure.

At the beginning, the unpaved, rain-slicked forest road gave me a thrill, but once I got used to it, the thrill turned into a pleasant sensation. The car can accelerate up to 20 km/h without effort, and it goes along at a brisk pace while being bathed in a dignified wind.

We saw deer several times along the way. At first I was surprised and looked at them with curiosity, but in Shiretoko, where pristine nature remains, it is natural that the activity areas of humans and wild animals overlap. It is good manners not to disturb the balance of the natural world by feeding them or littering them with food.

About an hour after the start, you will arrive at the "Kamuiwakka Hot Spring Falls. The entire river is warm because of the hot spring water flowing from "Shiretoko Io-zan," and the temperature of the river rises as you ascend. At the final destination, the temperature reaches about 35 to 38 degrees Celsius. On this day, although the water temperature had dropped due to the rain, it was about 25°C at the point of entry to the river. From the perspective of someone who has been pedaling an electric mountain bike in the rain, it was as warm as if we were immersed in lukewarm water. I was grateful for this warmth.

Even for those who are active outdoors on a regular basis, there are probably not many people who feel that climbing streams is a familiar activity. It is a great opportunity to enjoy an activity that is difficult to take the first step into with the support of guide staff through events like this. Having a vague feeling of "this might be fun" or "I want to try it again" is the first step to feeling closer to the outdoors.


There are many unfamiliar landscapes in Japan.

The North Face and Snow Peak representatives we met at the event were unanimous in their hope that as many people as possible would visit Shiretoko and experience its charms. Although Japan's national parks still have their problems, if people actually use them, they will become more familiar with them and will realize the beauty and joy of Japan's natural environment.

When you go there, you will feel as if the forest is alive and smell the ocean. And the physical experience of the activities will leave you with strong memories of your trip. As I was on my way to the airport, I saw this view from the car.

The setting sun over the Sea of Okhotsk. The unobstructed view is unique to Shiretoko. There are many experiences that can only be gained by visiting Shiretoko.

INFORMATION

GOLDWIN Customer Service Center

Phone: 0120-307-560
Official Site
SHIRETOKO Adventure Festival 2024 special site

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