Cycle Around Japan: Season 2019, Episode 5

2019 - 5: Yamagata - Call of The Wild

A 360km ride through the high mountains of Yamagata Prefecture, with a cyclist on his first long road trip. An interest in Eastern philosophy has drawn our traveler to the Three Mountains of Dewa, legendary abode of the gods. From a landscape of flowering cherry trees, we ride into the snow-capped mountains to meet a veteran artisan of Japanese chess pieces. On Mt. Haguro, we're guided up the sacred peak by a Yamabushi mountain ascetic. Finally, we help a free-spirited falconer train his raptor in the snowy wilderness.