The hosts of "Journey Across Japan" travel to the northeastern region of Hokkaido, visiting the town of Kushiro and exploring its cold climate. They head to Lake Akan, a remote and landlocked lake, and stay in a traditional inn. The hosts visit an Ainu village, learn about the indigenous Ainu people, and try local delicacies such as deer meat.
They then travel to the town of Nikubetsu, officially the coldest town in Japan, where they visit a ramen shop and try the local specialty. The hosts participate in a rap battle, with the loser having to remove their shirt and roll around in the snow. The winner is declared, and the loser is punished.
The episode ends with the hosts traveling to the coastal town of Abashiri, where they plan to explore an icebreaker ship and a notorious prison. They also try some deer jerky and reflect on their journey so far.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Japan's coldest town is not the most northern point of the country.
2. The town was once recorded to have a temperature of -41 degrees Celsius.
3. The town is a remote region where Japan's indigenous people, the Ainu, were relocated 150 years ago.
4. The town is located in the mountains and is landlocked.
5. The Ainu are the traditional natives that lived in Hokkaido before Japan was established as Japan.
6. There are about 25,000 to 200,000 Ainu people left in Japan.
7. The Ainu people lived around the Sea of Okhotsk, stretching between Siberia and Hokkaido.
8. The Ainu people were displaced from their traditional lands on the warmer southern coastline to barren mountainous regions in the middle of the island.
9. The Ainu people were stigmatized, and many kept their ancestry hidden.
10. In 2019, the Ainu were legally recognized as an indigenous people of Japan by the Japanese government.
11. Lake Akan is a caldera formed by volcanic activity.
12. The town of Akan is famous for its hot spring.
13. Akan is the only village in the lake.
14. The temperature in Nikubetsu has dropped as low as -38 degrees Celsius.
15. Nikubetsu is officially the coldest town in all of Japan.
16. The population of Nikubetsu is around 2,200 people.
17. The local food in Nikubetsu is deer meat.
18. The train station in Nikubetsu is closed for many months of the year, including the winter months.
19. The Shibari Festival is held in Nikubetsu every February, featuring a human cold resistance test.
20. The festival participants spend 10 hours in temperatures around -25 degrees Celsius throughout the night.