Amazing Quest: Stories from Japan | Somewhere on Earth: Japan | Free Documentary

[Music] hey [Music] [Music] japan is a land of extremes situated on the pacific ring of fire this archipelago still bears the scars of a tumultuous bird this living volcanic land thrust up from the ocean depths its tormented nature brought forth masterpieces and has swallowed up numerous enigmas here off the eastern tip of asia there are men and women who pursue their passions in a relentless quest for perfection going beyond one's own limits has been raised to an art a marriage of nature and tradition that has left its mark on this land of the eternal [Music] [Music] in the tropical south the long ribbon of the ryukyu island stretches out over 1200 kilometers these islands differ from the rest of japan by their history their language and their traditions a quiet corner of the world lapped by the east china sea [Music] here in the westernmost part of japan rise the cliffs of a little island of 29 square kilometers yonaguni its nearest neighbor is taiwan 110 kilometers away shotalo maja was born and bred here and this remote island holds no secrets for him i feel the sea that's all around me [Music] [Music] and the fact of leaving my island made me realize just how magnificent the sea is here at yonaguni that's why i came back and i'm glad i did because my roots are here [Music] [Music] when shotalo came back to live on his island he brought along his wife and son here he's taking you and kylie to discover a significant sacred site [Music] in the ryukyu islands they practice ancestor worship and fear the power of the shamans [Music] a long time ago had four brothers and they ruled over the villages of tategu danu datubaru do you understand the ryukyu islands are steeped in legends that are handed down from generation to generation indifferent to the trends of modern japan [Applause] uh hi dad hello in 1985 kiashiro aratake a professional diver discovered an extraordinary underwater site he's totally convinced that it is an archaeological ruin if we find any traces of human activity we'll try to have this structure declared a unesco world heritage site we have to focus on the dolmen the turtle sculpture and the triangular basin [Music] we have to look for evidence in particular in the holes that held the pillars we have to measure the depth that's it was around the time you were born the water was crystal clear i thought i was dreaming i thought what is this it was as if i was looking at machu picchu from the sky i had goosebumps i thought maybe i'd gone crazy that's how overwhelmed i was [Music] now it's up to shotalo to solve yonaguni's underwater mystery [Music] when i was in middle school it was easy to get down to the water from here but then the ledge collapsed up there yeah then they cannot i haven't been here in quite a while all right yeah this is one of yonaguni's landscapes that i really love the rocks here are so characteristic from here they look like steps it looks very archaeological but the site my father discovered is much bigger and really seems man-made [Music] several times a year yonaguni is buffeted by violent typhoons in april 2015 a 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the island the threat of a tsunami is ever present so the islanders live in a state of permanent alert yonagoni looks like a besieged fortress [Music] the inhabitants of okinawa practice singular funeral rites the round tombs symbolize the mother's womb [Music] by returning to it the deceased are completing the cycle of reincarnation in okinawa all the generations are buried in the same tomb this tomb will be the final resting place for me for my two sons and their children after them i think it's very important that we continue on as we should pass once a year the men of yonaguni launched the sabani a sacred boat to thank the gods for their past blessings and to ask their future protection [Music] their ancestors fishermen and intrepid voyagers ventured far from the archipelago on board these unstable hard-to-steer boats [Music] has mastered the art of steering the sabani [Music] the weather has finally calmed down shotalo and his father head for the underwater site to continue their investigation kia shiro pioneer in diving in the ryukyus was the first to create a dive center here and has trained hundreds of divers now his son is carrying on his work take this with you okay okay let's go just the stones throw from the world of humans we find strange somewhat menacing creatures standing guard over one of the world's most enigmatic sites some people think that these are the ruins of a long vanished civilization so [Music] sophisticated scientific techniques like carbon 14 dating have shown that a few thousand years ago this site was above water now it's widely accepted that the base is natural but for many observers its shape was modified by the hand of man between six and ten thousand years ago with its east-west orientation irrigation ditches basins regularly spaced holes the stairways and geometric sculptures this 180 meter long site is potentially the greatest discovery ever made testimony to an extremely advanced civilization predating even the time of the pharaohs [Music] so [Music] we had several archaeological experts here from abroad and we also had japanese geology professors who came to study the site but why is this thing here we don't know we still don't know exactly what it is i hope that other teams will come and do the necessary research to one day solve the mystery [Music] history and tradition the lifeblood of the yanaguni islanders [Music] [Music] it takes a long apprenticeship to master the traditional dance form of okinawa a discipline that is as much a spiritual exercise as a martial art in feudal times only the elite had the right to bear arms so the peasants used their scythes to defend themselves the hat is used to hide the sword and also serves as a shield [Music] yonaguni is a land outside of time chotalo is once again enjoying the peace and quiet of his childhood home an island with a wealth of treasures the rare and expensive yakugai is a shellfish endemic to the island this place is one-of-a-kind [Music] uh [Music] is highly proficient at a dangerous and little-known discipline [Music] she is the ice climbing champion of japan [Music] [Music] all right [Music] i'm really a bit weird normal people go shopping go to the movies meet other people they have jobs they lead a normal life a simple life without ups and downs but me i'm a bit special that's why i climb ice [Music] has forsaken the comforts of a conventional lifestyle in order to pursue her passion to the point of completely remodeling the interior of her home [Music] i used to work in an office so every morning i'd put on my suit take the train i'd fix myself a bento but i'm much happier now is preparing an expedition to a little-known and dangerous climbing site nature scares me sometimes it's as if i were going to meet a new very strict boss [Music] oh it's heavy [Music] there was sure [Music] on japan's main island honshu the overpopulated valleys are surrounded by magnificent mountains with peaks of over 3000 meters the japanese alps rise like ramparts against the bustle of human activity [Music] tsugadera in the region of nagano harbors a well-guarded secret that only the most skilled climbers dare tackle [Music] ed hanham a seasoned mountaineer is an expert in ice falls 12 years ago this australian fell in love with japan and its mountains [Music] [Music] it's the end of the winter and ice is becoming rare with the mild weather certain ice falls have melted and what do you think condition good or not i don't think it's any good anymore i think the ice in the upper section is maybe okay it's not it's still thin but it hasn't collapsed yet but the stuff that looks good when we get there might not be there i'll let you go alone no i'm afraid too i'll just sit tight so most people that's their idea of hell not their idea of fun and if you're attracted to things like danger and strategy and planning and carrying a heavy backpack but ice climbing is perfect you know you can get all your thrills in one go hey ed this is really hard do it ed and i are determined and persevere in their quest for ice but the conditions are particularly bad today mother nature isn't making it easy for us i don't know if it's good or not i can't actually see the waterfall it's in here somewhere it was there before i can hear the waterfall which is not a good thing to go ice climbing it's always in a difficult place it's always a gamble the weather's always against you the season's always short um half of the danger is just getting there in a way climbing the ice is only a small part of it so on the days when it doesn't work i really don't worry about it so there's only two things in the world i think that are true one is quantum physics and the other is mountain spirits and today yeah the mountain spirits are just saying no no and quantum physics will explain it in a different way that's how it is it's all part of ice climbing nai and ed will just have to bide their time they'll come back at the next cold snap if the mountain spirits are willing [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] afraid of the ice afraid of nature afraid of people i don't have enough self-confidence i worry so i took up ice climbing to combat that i hike in the mountains i think about myself my life that scares me too because it means facing up to myself [Music] at 31 naie is at the peak of her discipline she has been able to confront her doubts to rise to the top of an extremely demanding sport [Music] [Applause] long time no see how's it going great thanks [Music] taiki and his forebears have been the guardians of yatsugatake refuge for four generations they used to bring the supplies in by foot now this little customized van saves them hours of hard work even though it only does six kilometers an hour walking speed [Music] taiki's refuge is a base camp for climbers it's known for its unusual structure of man-made ice the ice candy [Applause] olympic games i took part in a climbing demonstration so that ice climbing can become a recognized discipline as i was representing japan i stuck the flag on my helmet and after that i kept it i know a lot of climbers who'd like to have one like it the ice candy is a place to train and organize meats in relatively stable conditions it's rebuilt each winter and offers a range of climbing difficulties it looks good here now it's your turn oh it's cold in the 70s thanks to new tools and techniques ice climbing revolutionized mountaineering and opened the way to new conquests by routes that couldn't have been imagined previously competition is much more recent the ice climbing world cup was created only in 2000 naie has already taken part in 20 international championships [Music] [Music] [Music] sports has allowed me to accomplish has led me to evolve [Music] let's try that again [Music] [Music] i always but i also draw on its force to go forward and never give up [Music] hmm [Applause] [Music] [Music] the country has 27 000 hot springs for centuries these onsen have been part of daily life of the japanese they believe they purify the mind and body [Music] rest training and a healthy diet are essential if you want to make a good climb [Music] when you climb on ice your fingers and feet freeze [Music] your back stiffens up you're always climbing in very cold spots the best way to relax is to get your body warm in an onsen then you're ready to return to the ice in the shinto religion suijin is the god of water associated with all its earthly and heavenly manifestations one of the main characteristics of the shinto religion is a great respect for nature the divinities exist in all its aspects the role of the priests is to harmonize the relations between humans and the forces of the universe [Music] a but is not merely a sport when a japanese climbs a mountain it's to get closer to the gods to grow in body and soul mountaineering in japan began as a path to spiritual awakening [Music] [Music] the gods have answered nye's prayers and are offering her this one last chance to tackle a frozen waterfall before the end of the winter danger is ever present on the natural climbing sites there's falling ice and rocks but also avalanches extreme cold wounds from the sharp climbing equipment so many dangers and always in isolated spots [Music] nowadays life expectancy is very long whereas once competitive years are very short so now i'm concentrating on climbing natural ice i place myself in nature's hands the ice and mountain have many faces always changing it's always a new encounter as we say here in japan and that's what i like [Music] means demon drummers in japanese for 46 years it has also been the name of a group of virtuoso musicians they play the traditional japanese drums the taiko [Music] [Music] do [Music] naoto kinoshita is the youngest member of honde koza for three years he has been running every day an integral part of the troops daily routine [Music] we go running every morning at six whatever the weather we run no matter what [Music] a philosophy that combines music and running [Music] running every day enables us to forge the physical and mental strengths that characterize ondekuza [Music] the sogo quran lifestyle and the taiko have given meaning to naoto's life the tychos entirely handmade are true works of art the skills needed to make them go back several centuries it takes five years to produce one of these drums from carving the wood up to placing the drum head just to change the heads can cost over ten thousand dollars so proper maintenance is of utmost importance the drums have to be taken to the workshop every five years to be tightened each jack exerts three tons of pressure 24 tons all told [Music] like that [Music] jump as if you were trying to pierce the hide [Music] it sounds better here the troupe founded in 1969 by den tagayasu is now headed by matsuda it began with a handful of enthusiastic young people attracted by the founders vision of communal life and ready to take on the taiko and raise it to an art form this drum weighs around 60 kilos this one about 70. weighs 360 kilos [Music] in ancient times the drum had military religious or simply festive functions but it had another function as well it determined the geographic limits of a town the further the sound carried the larger the territory which explains the very big drums [Music] [Music] the undecosa members are renowned for their musical talent but also for their top athletic condition [Music] the effort demanded during a concert is equal to the 42 kilometers of a marathon they've done entire tours where they ran from one concert to the next during a tour of the united states they ran a total of 15 000 kilometers they've also taken part in a number of major races notably the boston marathon we set [Music] stopping every kilometer i was behind him thinking he was going to die but he made it to the finish [Music] the troop lives as a community and follows a somewhat monastic lifestyle here in the mountains near in a former school the cries of children have been replaced by the echoes of mantras and taikos every day tommy yoshi and naoto practice tracing a mantra in chinese characters with their left hand an exercise to sharpen their concentration the text was not a random choice it carries the symbol of their ascetic way of life this mantra contains an ideogram that is quite common it's a very interesting character it can signify the void it's present in a number of words for example in the word for air my [Music] no that's not it it's double time oh double time [Music] in itself the taiko is rather simple you hit it and it makes a sound [Music] but if you want to get a rapid clean pleasing ample sound it takes hours of practice to master the technique he's absolutely right yoshi is the most experienced drummer this virtuoso has been playing for more than 25 years it's tricky [Applause] [Music] let's simplify it all right [Music] i feel some kind of fear because every move i make creates a sound it's only through practicing every day that i can improve my performance and improve myself okay okay that's enough [Music] so [Music] i live in a community so i'm hardly ever alone my moments of solitude are important to me they are very precious because we don't have the same hands the same strength we prefer to have our own custom-made sticks making our own tools allows us to deepen our self-knowledge the undecosa troupe was born from the desire to keep the ancestral traditions alive in japanese culture the boundary between art and craftsmanship is imperceptible in shishibu they used the crystal clear water of the ogawa river to produce a paper of an exceptional quality following techniques going back 1300 years [Applause] this sturdy paper is used to make kites lanterns and for calligraphy a treasure classed intangible cultural heritage since 2014 thank you we'll use it to make posters for our matsuri please come if you have time every year at the spring equinox the community holds open house during a matsuri a fork festival okay the matsuri is also one of the rare occasions when the musicians can visit with their families the opportunity for naoto to introduce his niece to taiko i don't know how to do that [Music] my work and my personal life are inextricably mixed my life is always the same i never take a break they have vacations they can have a family i'm happy for them and that's enough for me [Music] thanks to their communal lifestyle the members of ondecoza have achieved a harmony off as well as on stage a near telepathic symbiosis [Music] the motto of the company genkayo ilogilu means push your limits [Music] i don't really know my limits those my brain recognizes are not the real ones i think there's still a lot of force stored up somewhere [Music] i'm striving to draw on those last resources to attain my true limit but as i keep pushing it further it keeps receding [Music] you you

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 196,016

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), somewhere on earth, amazing stories, amazing stories from japan, amazing quest, japan

Id: G5mxsBMmbQY

Length: 52min 6sec (3126 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 30 2022