welcome to hakudate city gateway to hokkaido i'm taking one last look at it because we're about
to embark on a 500 kilometer three-day journey to japan's most extreme northern point across
one of the most remote and isolated places in the entire country if we make it back from this road
trip in one piece it'll certainly be one hell of a journey to remember complete with noisy clothes
hokkaido is japan's second largest island and home to the country's most extreme northern
point cape soya a thousand kilometers north of tokyo and just 45 kilometers south of the russian
island of sakhalin our epic three-day journey across the island will take us 500 kilometers
to wakana japan's most northern town and finally on to cape sawyer as we battle through blizzards
colorful barns frozen seas and scenery both jaw dropping and utterly bizarre and because i don't
want to freeze to death alone in a field joining us on the trip is my best american friend pete
a presenter on japanese tv who promises to drive me insane along the way but our road trip begins
here in hakodate the southern tip of the island in 1854 the city found its way into the history books
by becoming japan's first port open for trade with the west and that legacy lives on today
in its western influenced architecture it's here not too far from the red brick buildings
that we grab a much needed breakfast at the iconic seafood market before we hit the road
oh so it's seven o'clock in the morning guys and we're at hakodate morning market before we begin
this long journey i thought get some breakfast get some seafood given that's what this place is
famous for and also worth introducing you to the guy who's coming on the journey with us pete my
best american friend probably there you think you are that's quite the compliment i'm probably your
only american friend um chris i gotta say we've been friends for many years we have we met in
a we made a video game bar in shinjuku about four or five years ago that's quite real i remember you
did announce yourself you don't know me i'm the great chris broad i didn't say that and you said
like who the hell are you oh you're one of my mini fans okay just get it over with nice to meet you
i'm chris broad you pulled out a business card and you said it says right there 250 000 subscribers
wow look how far you've come so you're probably wondering why we've come on this trip to hokkaido
in winter to the most northern point because i've always wanted to go to cape soil but certainly not
in the height of winter but pete is the reason we're coming why did you choose air pete of all
places like okay i know it sounds crazy but you and i have been friends for a long time and one
of the perks of being your friends is you guys may know him i'm buddies with natsuki who last year
got me a really nice gift and i'm very thankful for it why'd you get you a gift it was my birthday
for god's sake some of us remember awkward what is that this is a shattered mug i know i get it
i know i sound insanely stupid and this is crazy but listen to me this was important to me he got
it for my birthday i immediately broke it and he specifically said he got this in a town called
waka knight well i know natsuki did cover hokkaido last year it seems a bit unlikely he got it in
wakana the most northern town in japan right and i know this sounds stupid i get it but i think that
if we can have a chance to hang out together and there's a chance a small one that i can replace
this gift that he got me wow i'd feel good what a great man you are i don't know whether to cry or
be physically sick save your strength it's a long drive well we're gonna finish up this breakfast
guys then we're going to hit the road let's do it for a mug i feel like a mug to be honest god
our first stop on our three-day road trip is the coastal town of otaru 250 kilometers
north of hakodate and neighbouring the regional capital of sapporo it's here that i've booked us
a traditional brick house for the night first things first we've got to get there in one piece
i have seen some snow in my days chris but this is absolutely insane and i wouldn't want to drive in
it yes thank you pete there's a reason i wasn't overly enthusiastic about this uh this road trip
like we're currently in between sapporo and aomori city and both of those cities have the highest
levels of snowfall on the planet do you get like this kind of snowfall in kansas of course in
northern america it's immense amount of snow but i've been in tokyo for 10 years and the most we'll
get is like a light little dusting of snow and it's a big deal so what goes on in kansas is one
of those states you never really hear that much about america right i don't know we're very famous
for our barbecue and um of course the wizard of oz barbecues and the wizard of oz what what a legacy
a film about a band of idiots going on a journey that ultimately ends in massive disappointment why
does that sound eerily familiar as we head west around hokkaido's stunning coastline towards the
city of otaru the blue sky quickly disappears and we get our first taste of the region's
infamous winter weather but amidst the snowfall pete spots something rather odd out to sea
what the hell was that crisp chris pullover what i just i saw like a a glitch in the matrix it was it
was a floating rock a floating rock yes you gotta see it what have you been drinking this morning
holy [ __ ] look at that look at that rock chris yes have you ever seen something like that
no trying to be a little more excited please
i gotta say that is pretty [ __ ] cool it's one of the most amazing things i've ever seen your whole
life ever yes i don't go outside much so this is really unique i really like that little torii gate
too i don't know how they got that up there but it looks like something out of ghost of tsushima
a drumstick shaped rock that sticks out of the sea somehow defying the laws of physics and gravity
yes a drumstick because that's all you think about is chicken how dare you how dare you
just half an hour away from hokkaido's main city of sapporo otaru has something
of a steampunk vibe going on thanks to its old world european architecture left
over from its days as a bustling port town in the 19th century
from the steam clock puffing away the heart of the city to its famous canal lined with stunning
historic warehouses it's a refreshing change of atmosphere from the many shrinking run-down
towns you typically find along the sea of japan coastline here it is the picturesque otaru canal
finished construction in 1923 as the booming shipping market was full effect this quiet and
idyllic place is perfect for a romantic getaway or a special time with that someone in your life
stop it get that on my face as it's not a large city otaru is perfect for strolling around for
a day trip and undeniably at its best in the winter months because look there's a snowman
hey look at this man there's a bunch of snowmen and well there's about a dozen look at that one
right over there we found the little chris broad special he's got oil top hat and a scarf or pipe
which one's you then uh that one in the back right want the smiling face oh you just fell over
just make sure if you do come to hortado in winter don't forget to bring some gloves otherwise you'll
end up like this oh it's so cold oh [ __ ] my hands look at this i'm a weak little kansan boy
take me to the hospital my hands are freezing as the blizzard picks up and pete's hands require
defrosting we head off to seek shelter in our accommodation which looks more like a pirate's
lair than your typical japanese inn which is why i like it because pirates are cool in it
so we've just had a long arduous drive through the mountains of hokkaido but we're finally here
in otaru in our beautiful converted barn that's been turned into a hostel and pete and i are the
only guest tonight and we're about to give you a whirlwind tour of this place because it is
pretty magnificent from what i've seen so far i mean the walls are made of brick which is pretty
rare in japan first off otaru is famous for its kind of brick architecture but uh before we get
to all that p are you ready to take us on a tour absolutely let's do it welcome chris has already
unloaded the bags thank you chris let's go ahead and take a look at the master bedroom i'm told
oh god it's it's we're sharing it that's awesome thank you chris very cozy
god damn it well let's go ahead and take a look at the shower bath combo right in here oh this is
a capsule hotel okay change of plans all being here perfect for a party of six or 12. oh wait
look at this this is one of those old false windows let's take a look behind this guy oh
oh [ __ ] we're trapped okay nope let's go with that not that way
let's leave that one alone let's try the third floor