Thoughts after a 3-day, 2-night trip
After completing their trip, the two returned to Memanbetsu Airport. While waiting for their flight, they reflected on the past three days, ruminating on the memories they had made at each of the places they had visited.
Suzuki
I didn't achieve my goal of seeing a brown bear, but I still feel a sense of fulfillment.
Hatano
I was fascinated by the giant bears after watching the movie "Into the Wild." My desire to experience the overwhelming wildness was fulfilled by the deer on the Notsuke Peninsula. They were a size larger than those on Honshu, and they were out of the ordinary.
Suzuki
Traveling isn't just about achieving a goal. If you start thinking that things have to be a certain way, your photos will become less and less interesting. The good thing about traveling without a plan is that a series of coincidences can lead to more interesting photos than you had planned.
Hatano
We stayed for 3 days and 2 nights, and I didn't decide what to do the next day until almost the day before, but that was a good thing. Seeing a school of pink salmon and receiving a deer head from a hunter were all unplanned experiences.
Suzuki
The pink salmon were amazing. It was the most memorable thing I saw this time.
During a sightseeing helicopter flight, I checked my GPS location and saw a dot moving across the ocean. 
Driving at night, you encounter many wild animals. Throughout the trip, I came across six foxes. 
At the visitor center in Pogawa Historical Site Natural Park, there are exhibits of Jomon pottery, stuffed specimens, and information on Ainu culture. 
The Brown Bear Cruise departs from Aidomari Fishing Port, where we come across a scene where fishing nets are being washed. 
I tried to send the deer antlers through the post office, but they were too large to send, so I had them delivered as household goods. 
Smoke constantly spews from Mt. I accidentally touched the boiling water that was gushing out and nearly got burned.
Hatano
Travel is a line that connects dots, so I think it's all about how you enjoy that line. Sure, the goal was to see brown bears, but even if you stray from that, there are different points, different lines. Even just changing your flight or lodging can create a different line.
Suzuki
When two people travel together, the combinations double. Even if you're in the same place, the things that catch your eye and make you think "this is interesting" are different.
Hatano
Especially in this line of work, when we think of travel, we tend to imagine traveling alone, but there are benefits to traveling with others.
Suzuki
The important thing is to see things with your own eyes. Photos on a trip are just a bonus to seeing things. Everyone is so obsessed with seeing everything in one trip that they pack their itinerary full, but you can always go again!
Hatano
That's true. I'd like to travel to Shiretoko again this winter.
Suzuki
You should go. I wonder what unexpected things will happen next time.
The angler I spoke to that day had been fishing for fish for over 15 hours, changing locations at different times. 
Experience a 30-minute round trip from the heliport in Utoro to the tip of Cape Shiretoko. 
We set sail on a fishing boat captained by a skilled captain who is able to sail even in weather that would cause other ships to be canceled. 
Hatano also holds a hunting license, and the hunter and I had a lively discussion about bears. 
Enjoy honey soft serve ice cream at Kaiyodai, an observation spot in Nakashibetsu. 
A sightseeing boat on Lake Akan photographed by drone. It takes 85 minutes to slowly circle the lake.
What does travel mean to Hatano Hiroshi?
To experience things that cannot be felt or conveyed through photographs
This was the first time I'd ever visited Shiretoko in my 35 years of life. I'd always said I wanted to visit, but maybe it was just lip service and I never really had any intention of going. Or maybe I imagined I'd live to be 80, and thought I'd visit when I had free time, like the elderly people who crowd tourist spots on weekdays.
If I wanted to visit Shiretoko, a natural heritage site in Hokkaido, it would only take six hours to get there from Hachioji, a natural heritage site in Tokyo. I just hadn't visited because I was busy, or because I had money, or because of the season or the weather, or any other plausible, boring reason.
When I was 25, I traveled all over Japan in search of a reason. Lately, I've been traveling for no reason at all. That's because I'm in a situation where I doubt I'll even live to be 40, let alone 80. I have cancer, and there's no hope of recovery. I don't really care about the illness, but as soon as people see the end of their lives in sight, they suddenly start to see what they want to do. The purpose of this trip was to "see brown bears." Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see any brown bears. Traveling isn't about achieving a goal.
Take the train, fly into Hokkaido, drive a car, or take a helicopter or boat to search for brown bears. Eat delicious food, meet people and talk to them. I think that traveling is about drawing a line that connects the dots. Traveling allows you to experience things that you could never get from a photograph. Learning things you didn't know becomes knowledge, and interacting with your physical sensations becomes experience.
Traveling is a life experience that deepens one's character. I want to visit Shiretoko again in my lifetime. This time, I want to visit with my son and wife and draw a different line. I want to draw many lines, that's what I think every time I travel.
What does travel mean to Suzuki Shin?
Travel, often
My first solo trip was in my first year of university. I took a late-night bus to Hiroshima to listen to music. I slept on the roof of a public toilet in Miyajima, cornered by a herd of deer. I was moved by the exhilarating feeling of sleeping under the starry sky and starting a new day with the heavens above. In the summer, I traveled around Japan, sleeping outdoors by train, photographing cute girls. I ate bread at a convenience store and did my laundry in a park. I only had one backpack. Everything I needed for daily life was stocked in town.
What is travel? Living things have been traveling ever since they were born. It was a movement to live, a movement to survive. Since the beginning of the Earth, we have adapted to changes in the environment, and it is inevitable that humans, like many other creatures, also travel.
Like all living things, I want to enjoy change, because one way or another, it will eventually come to an end.
travel information
Transportation: Travel by car is required. It takes about 20 minutes from Memanbetsu Airport to Lake Akan. It takes just under 2 hours to get to Shiretoko.
Food: In addition to fresh local fish, some restaurants serve venison and sea lions. Be careful though, as many restaurants close early.
Seasons: If you want to travel around and enjoy wildlife and nature, the best seasons are the short summer and autumn, from June to October.
Highlights: Many of the famous spots such as Lake Akan and the Shiretoko Five Lakes can be explored on foot, but coastal cruises and sightseeing helicopter rides from the sea and air are spectacular. Roadside stations are a convenient place to gather information on tours and other activities.
Other: Although it is closed off by snow in winter, you can see drifting ice from February to March. There are also tours where you can walk on the ice.
