This year we're heading to a place which holds an awesome record in Japan, and getting there is half of the adventure.

秋は毎年ハイキングに出掛けますが 今回は特別です

Get ready as Life in Japan rolls through Japan's highest bus stop.

日本で最も高いバス停に出掛けます！

[Life in Japan Theme Song]

新たな冒険へ出発します

OK, this is it! Heading on a new adventure, here we go.

毎年 秋になると 友人とハイキングに出掛けます

Every year I like to take a fall trip with some friends to explore parts of Japan I haven't been to yet.

引越しで大変でしたが 実現できそうです

With our move consuming all of our free time, it almost didn't happen this year.

雨で日程を変更したので

Weeks of rain also kept us away from this adventure.

引越しの後に 出掛けることにしました

But as we got settled into our new home, the rain stopped, so we planned a unique one day trip.

早起きして東京を出発します

In order to pull it off, we're getting up early and heading way outside of Tokyo.

数時間の道のりです

The drive alone will take several hours,

道中の日本アルプスは壮観です

but the scenery of the Japanese Alps promises to be spectacular along the way.

秋真盛りです！

And the fall colors coming out!

すごい！

Yes!

乗鞍岳を目指しますが

Whew!

途中で珍しい場所を通過します

We hope to summit the highest peak at Mt Norikura,

見えてきた！

and to do that, we'll have to go through a unique point in Japan.

見えました

Oh, our first view of the peak!

引越しで忙しく 秋のハイキングは無理と思ってました

There it is.

遂にだね！

This trip almost didn't happen this year.

そう！

Our first priority has been to get settled into our new apartment.

戸棚よ

A big thing just came through.

この2ヶ月は 引越しでドタバタしていました

Yes!

我が家も やっと落ち着きました

My cabinet.

ランチデート！

We've been spending every free moment of the last 2 months focused on our move.

そうね！

But now that we are mostly settled in, we can use our free time for other things.

キューバ風サンドイッチ

Having a lunch date!

ルースはメキシカンライスです

Yeah!

家族のことが 私たちの優先事項です

Alright, I got my Cuban sandwich,

アナ 学校は？

And Ruth got the Mexican rice— oh boy.

楽しい

Yes, making sure the family is well adjusted has been our big priority.

新しい学校は気に入った？

Anna Cakes, did you have a good school day today?

友達が恋しい

Yea. Yea?

学校は良いけど 寂しいね

Are you liking your new school?

そうだね

Mmm hmm, but I miss my friends.

富士山が照らされています

Yea, you like your new school but you miss your friends.

すごいです

Yeah, that makes sense.

家族が元気だと 人生もうまくいきます

Look at Mt Fuji's shadow in the sun.

こたつはどう？

How crazy is that?

スイッチは？

Yes, when the family is doing well, life is going well!

暖かい？

Everyone's enjoying some kotatsu here?

本当？

Is it on? Uh huh.

試してみて

Is it warm? Yeah.

どうかな？

Really?

初めてのこたつ

Here honey, I'll hold it and you go try it.

友達の家で入ったけど

Let's see! First time for me under kotatsu.

すごい！

Oh!

いいよね

I had my first time at my friend's house, they have a kotatsu, so I went under it.

出られないね

My goodness!

そう！

It's so amazing.

お風呂みたい！

How would you ever come out of this?

濡れないお風呂だね

I know!

出れない！

Never, never! It's exactly like a bath.

♪ 出れない～ ♪

Never, never! It's like a bath and you don't get wet, huh?

家族も落ち着き 心置きなく出掛けられます

Never... get out. Never get out.

バスです

[Singing] Never enough! Never! Never!

出発します

With the family doing well, it's time for this year's fall hike!

準備は？

Here come our buses!

もちろん

And we are ready to roll.

カズさんは？

Are you ready for this, John?

ジョン・カズ・私は ハイキング仲間です

Yea, we're ready. Let's do this.

晴天です すごい道です

How about Kazu san? Yes.

第80話で黒部峡谷に出掛けた時 この仲間で険しい山道に挑みました

John, Kazu and I are no stranger to adventure in Japan.

この時の仲間で 毎年ハイキングに出掛けています

The sun's shining down and look at this path here.

出発！

In Episode 80 of Life in Japan, we braved Japan's deepest gorge

バスは乗鞍スカイラインの 美しい紅葉の中を進みます

and found ourselves on one of Japan's most beautiful and dangerous path through the mountains at Kurobe.

スキー場の準備です

This challenging but amazing experience solidified our bond of friendship

凄い景色です

and since then we've tried to make it out hiking every year.

日本一の標高のバス停を 通過するだけのことはあります

[Announcement in Japanese]

大自然！

We're on our way!

樹木限界線を越えると 別世界が広がります

The buses wind up the Norikura Skyline, zig-zagging back and forth past beautiful foliage and ski slopes.

すごい高さ

Working on the ski run, clearing it out. Wow.

緊張する人もいるかもしれませんが 車窓からの眺めは絶景です

The ride is not for the faint of heart.

着きました

Drop offs along the way remind you that you are climbing so far up into the mountains that you will reach a point that holds a record in Japan.

到着！

That's wild.

寒い！

Soon you reach the tree line, and from there you can really start to appreciate the road you are traveling.

準備しよう

Look at how much we've climbed.

日本一高いバス停

If the bus ride makes you hold your breath anxiously,

そうだね

the views offer the one-two knockout punch by taking the rest of your breath away.

これから

At the top, look at that!

標高3,026mの 剣ヶ峰に向かいます

Alright!

いいね！

Cold!

ロックンロール

We gotta get ready to do this!

いい自転車！ ここまで漕いだ？

We're at the highest bus stop in Japan

出発です

I was wondering!

強風の予報が出ていました

And we're going over here

天候は読めません

Mt Kengamine, the highest point in the area. 3,026m (9,927 ft)

軽い風で済むか それとも強風になるか

Nice!

強風だけど絶景！

Rock 'n roll.

風が強くて寒いです

Nice bike Kazu. Did you bike up here?

でも大丈夫！

And with that, we were off.

峰が見えます

The forecast called for windy and cold conditions, so we did our best to prepare.

山は素晴らしいです

Still, we weren't quite sure just how bad it would be.

道が見えます

Would it be a light headwind, or were we risking getting blown off the mountain altogether

曲がりくねっています

Windy, but satisfying view!

サイクリストが見える

I'm not going to lie: it's windy and it's chilly.

高山の空気に 少しずつ慣れていきます

But we're prepared!

体力が必要です

There's the peak where we're headed...

富士登山を思い出します

Nothing quite like the feeling of being on top of the world.

この景色！

And here you can see the road we came up.

すごい！

How it just winds back and forth from way down below the tree line.

もう少し

Look at the cyclist going down.

登りの視界は悪く

As you get hiking, you settle into a rhythm and adjust to breathing in the thin mountain air.

月面の様な気分でした

Climbing takes extra work when you're up this high, and it reminds me of when we climbed Mt Fuji years ago.

富士山に似ていますが 格別の感動です！

Look at this view here!

気温は僅かに氷点下 時速50kmの風でしたが

Oh yea! Man!

登山で少しずつ 体も暖まりました

We're getting there. We're getting there.

素晴らしい日

Our view to the front is not as great when you're climbing.

岩肌です

See it looks a lot like just climbing on the moon.

すごい道のりでした

A lot like Mt Fuji. But when we get the top, it's going to be awesome!

まだ残っています

With the temperature just above freezing and the wind gusting up to 50 kilometers and hour,

もう少しです

we're glad that we're working hard to get to the top, because it helps keep us warm and even appreciate the day.

こんにちは

What a beautiful day here.

去年の秋のハイキングでは 富士山の絶景に出会いました

It's going good. Coming up the rock face here.

ドローンからの映像が 素晴らしかったです

We've come a good, long ways.

今日の風では ドローンは飛ばせません

And we have quite a bit to go still.

風が強いので 手袋をしています

But we're getting close.

下からは岩肌が 雪のように見える

Hello

そうだね

Last year we also did a fall hiking trip, and on it we ended seeing some of the most incredible views of Mt Fuji I've ever seen.

風が止んだ

Flying the drone there was epic, and the footage looks like something from a movie.

谷の風が凄かった

But with today's wind, there will be no drone flying.

もうすぐ頂上です

If you put a drone up in this, you won't get it back.

あの上だ！

It's really windy, everyone's got their gloves out!

もうすぐ！

Awesome, isn't it?

富士山より面白いです

This is what looked like snow from the bottom.

少なくとも登りは

I think so.

コーヒー？

It's unreal. Look, there's no wind.

もうすぐ360度の絶景

That little valley there is a wind tunnel.

そう

We are getting close to the top and you can tell.

遂に！

There we are, right there!

コーヒーを飲もう！

It's right up there!

頂上です！

A little more

カズもいます

I will say, this is a little more interesting than Mt Fuji.

ジョンと新しい友達

For the climb part at least.

私はマオ

What is this?

マオ？

Oh do they have coffee?!

私はユミ

This is about to be a 360 degree view soon, huh?

マオさんとユミさん

That's right.

カズがガスバーナーで お湯を沸かします

Yes!

チキン！

We did it!

チキン？

We climbed it!

コーヒーも！

Wow!

チキンも

Coffee time!

忙しい毎日ですが 山には特別な感動があります

OK we made it to the top! Here's Kazu!

仲間と一緒だと格別です

And John, and some new friends we made here at the top that took our picture...

山頂で楽しむパズ・コーヒー

My name is Mao

とても美味しい

Mao? Yea.

外人の発音です

My name is Yumi

寒い！

Yumi. Mao san and Yumi san.

見渡す限りの絶景です

OK Kazu's got, brought the stove...

反対側に行きます

We're going to heat up some water and have us some... Chicken!

これが山頂です

Some chicken?! Some coffee.

風が強い！

And chicken.

大変！

It's not easy to make time for trips like this, but getting out into Japan's back country is a rewarding experience I always enjoy.

最高！

And doing it with good friends is truly great.

どれ位かかった？ 1時間10分？

We just enjoyed some coffee here at the top, some Paz Coffee!

1時間20分？

We climbed it!

だいたい

I sound very foreign.

下ります

Cold!

ストックが必需品です

Look at this. It's just awesome view as far as you can see in any direction.

美しい！

Except for this direction, so let's go over there and see what it's like.

400mの岩肌を登って来ました

This is the top, top, top.

経験者なら分かりますが 下りの方が大変です

This is the windy side, huh? Holy cow!

下り坂も疲れます

Yes! Yes!

この辺りは風が穏やかです

How long did that take to come up did you say John? An hour and ten?

色んな色の岩

An hour and twenty?

黒と赤と茶色

It was an hour and twenty something.

頂上は白い岩

And now going down.

緑が戻ってきました

I am very glad I brought my poles, let me tell you what.

バス停に戻りました

Whew! Beautiful!

帰りも楽しみです

So John said we climbed about 400 meters. And it felt like it on these craggy rocks.

下り坂からの車窓も素晴らしいです

If you've ever climbed a decent mountain, you know that your work isn't done once you reach the top.

山肌の道です

The ascent can tire you out, but the decent can make you sore.

曲がりくねった道

Some of these places along here are so shielded from the wind that you'd hardly know there was any wind.

あの山に登りました

Hello

車に戻り ナビに次の目的地を入れました

I love all the different colors of rocks.

出発！

Black and red and brown

準備完了！次の場所は？

And you had the white up on top.

白骨温泉

Some greenage has appeared again.

来た！

Once we were back to the bus station, it was time to grab our ride back down to our car.

登山の後はこれです

But the day's fun was hardly done just yet.

木が色付いている

For it's on the way down that you get the best appreciation for the road that takes you to Japan's highest bus stop.

いい色だね

Look at the road, it hangs off over the mountain.

赤と黄色

This is a windy, windy thing.

カズに似合っている

There's where we were — all the way up there.

見て下さい

An hour later, and we were back to our car again with a very important destination in our GPS.

日帰り登山は最高でした 家に帰っても 冒険が待っています

Ready to go!

こたつです

Alright, we're ready to go! Where are we going, Kazu?

- 見て - 何？

Shirahone Onsen!

イビィの

Yes!

お目覚めかな？

It's the right way to finish the day.

隠れてる

Wow, look at those trees! Wow.

ジョシュア こたつにおいで

That is a good mix... That is

こたつが暖かいよ

Red and yellow...

入って

Kazu matches all the trees.

どうだい？

Look at that, yes!

気持ちいい？

Wow!

うん

It's great, isn't it? So pretty.

The day trip got me excited again for life in Japan and all the adventures we have in front of us,

whether they're far away or right at home.

Kotatsu for the win.

Look at this. What is it?

It's for Evie.

Are we just waking up? Oh my goodness!

Oh cover up! Oh hide, hide!

Joshua, come to the kotatsu!

Oh, get under the Kotatsu! It's so nice and warm!

Go down to that far end.

Whoa, what's it like Dude?

Is it nice?

Yeah.