Hiroshi Hatano and Shin Suzuki, two photographers, travel to Shiretoko, Hokkaido, in search of brown bears

September 3rd / Memanbetsu to Shari

Gentle Light (Hiroshi Hatano)

I arrived at Memanbetsu Airport, my first time visiting the airport.
Our journey has already begun. I was in Aomori until this morning, then took an early flight back to Haneda from Aomori and arrived at Memanbetsu. My travelling companion, Suzuki Shin, was in Fukushima until this morning, then returned to Haneda early in the morning and arrived at Memanbetsu. It would probably be quicker if we both came to Memanbetsu together, but if I was too selfish, it would be a burden for Kamoshida from the editorial department, who is also traveling with me, to arrange the plane tickets and so on.

Photographers are selfish. That's because they don't like having other people control their photography. They don't want to follow someone else's schedule, be restricted, or take photos in places like photo spots; all of this leads to control over the photos. It's the role of Kamoshida, a young woman in her twenties, to either loosen or tighten the reins on these two selfish photographers.

I drove a rental car for about two hours from Memanbetsu and took a sightseeing helicopter to Shiretoko. It was a small helicopter, so flimsy that it made me a little uneasy. The 180L fuel tank contained fuel that cost 400 yen per liter, and apparently one liter of fuel was consumed per minute of flight.

Apparently helicopter sightseeing flights are expensive because aircraft have a lifespan determined by flight time, and because time is sold in chunks. He told me that piloting a helicopter feels like balancing a stick in the palm of your hand. There's so much I didn't know, and it's fun to learn new things.

Feeling the sway and roar of the helicopter, I gazed upon Shiretoko, bathed in a gentle light as the sun set. I love taking photos at this time of day. The soft light of early morning and the soft light of evening. This gentle light comes twice a day. Sometimes the camera gets in the way of experiencing things that cannot be conveyed in a photograph. Once the photo is taken, all that's left to do is look at it; it's a very important time for a photographer. Where will I go tomorrow, and what will I experience?

Is it okay to be honest about your genes? (Suzuki Shin)

The pink salmon filling the river and swimming upstream were causing an incredible traffic jam as they climbed up the rocks one by one. They climbed slowly and steadily. It felt like there must be a more efficient way to climb, but they continued on their own way without anyone teaching them.

The difference between humans and animals and plants is imagination? "Thinking" has pushed humans to the top of the food chain, cleared the fields and mountains, and allowed cities to emerge. We have learned and thought from the wisdom of our predecessors over millions of years. But are we really thinking now, relying so heavily on smartphones and television?

A child who passes on a legacy. The parents who laid their eggs at birth are no longer with them. They live without being taught by anyone, relying on their own experiences and the information left in their genes. Yes, to them, parents and teachers are merely whispers of genes.

I learned this in health and physical education class. It resides within us all. So maybe it's good to listen a little more. It's okay to be yourself. The ghosts must have been whispering hints to me all this time. It's not that I can't hear them, it's that I'm not listening. And so, in the setting sun of Shiretoko, my own upstream migration began.

September 4th / Aidomari - Nokke Peninsula - Nakashibetsu

Purpose of the trip (Hatano)

I missed breakfast at the hotel, so I munched on a sandwich I bought at a convenience store as I drove for about two hours to the fishing port of Rausu. Yesterday I rode in a helicopter, and today I'll be on a fishing boat. My goal is brown bears, and the purpose of this trip is to see them. Ideally, I'd encounter one while driving, but I wanted to make sure I was on a fishing boat, as there's an almost 100% chance of seeing one.

While all sightseeing boats were cancelled due to the typhoon, this fishing boat cruise set sail. There were about 10 passengers, including us. Perhaps because it was a fishing boat or because of the typhoon, it rocked very much. And because it had no roof, the waves hit us like a shower. This situation continued for two and a half hours on the round trip. There were several people on the fishing boat taking pictures with large SLR cameras equipped with 200mm or 300mm telephoto lenses.

I have a small mirrorless camera with a 55mm lens, and Suzuki Shin has an even smaller camera with a 35mm lens. The larger the lens, the farther away you can photograph objects. We both only have one lens, and no spare cameras or batteries. This may not seem like the kind of equipment a photographer visiting to photograph brown bears for a magazine project would choose, but our main goal was the journey. We chose our equipment with the same perspective as what equipment you would choose when traveling. The waves get on the lens and fog it up, and photographing without wiping that fog is the world I see, and my journey.

We were almost certain to see a brown bear on the fishing boat cruise, but we were unable to. After disembarking, both my camera and Suzuki Shin's camera were malfunctioning. We got splashed with too much seawater. If our cameras break, we can just buy a disposable camera at a convenience store. We were both touched by the fact that we couldn't see any brown bears and that our cameras were malfunctioning.

Unexpected things happening may be trouble in everyday life, but the important thing about traveling is enjoying those troubles and solving them. They become memories. I'm sure we should do the same in our daily lives.

Voyage, regret. (Suzuki)

As a typhoon approached, we boarded a boat driven by a skilled fisherman off the coast of Rausu, in a rough sea, to see the brown bears that live on the Shiretoko Peninsula, the main purpose of our trip, and who was determined to return no matter the weather.

Despite the clear skies, the boat bounces across the ocean, tossed about by rippling waves, and heads towards the peninsula's cape. While the humans are helpless in the face of such a situation, a white-tailed eagle soars leisurely through the sky, and the geological formations carved into the sheer cliffs before us smile. I feel a sense of insignificance in my existence, or perhaps I feel slumped?

That's just how humans are. Without tools, without companions, we can't do anything. We don't live, we're kept alive. I suddenly forget all about that and post a photo of today's lunch on my smartphone.

We are creatures that consume. We take in everything we need to survive from outside our bodies. But on an ocean this vast, we can't even do that, and the door to the other side opens easily. We returned to port. The camera was hit by spray from the waves and was in a bad mood. But my heart was refreshed. I realized that life is so much fun. It was an unexpected voyage, but unexpectedly I had no regrets.

September 5th / Mount Iou to Lake Akan

Standing in the same place, thinking the same things. (Hatano)

It's the final day of our trip to Hokkaido. In the luggage compartment of our car are what appears to be a whale spine and a Hokkaido deer skull with impressive antlers, which we found on the beach on the first day. My suitcase is there, so 80% of the luggage space is filled with my belongings. Kamoshida tries to keep his luggage from touching the whale and deer as much as possible.

The deer head was a gift from a hunter from Nakashibetsu who treated me to a meal last night. He's a hunter with 30 years of experience who hunts hundreds of Hokkaido deer a year and has killed dozens of brown bears. Hearing this, one might imagine a silent, intimidating old man with a white beard and a fur vest, aloof and reclusive. In reality, he's the exact opposite: a good talker, stylish, and gentle. He also has a wide circle of friends.

To begin with, I have never seen a hunter wearing a fur vest. He had a philosophy about hunting and was a very thoughtful man. Perhaps it is because hunters deal with lives that they become thoughtful, but in reality, there are many who are not like that. I felt that truly strong people are kind. This was also something the hunter himself said many times in our conversations.

In the evening, I headed to Yaitai Island, a small island in Lake Akan. There is a shrine to the White Dragon God there, and it is apparently a so-called power spot. I'm not very familiar with power spots, but Yaitai Island, lit up in gentle light, was simply beautiful. Being in a beautiful place makes you feel calm, and I imagine that the word "power spot" is an easy-to-understand expression of that.

There is a facility at Lake Akan that preserves Ainu culture. When I look at the scenery, I imagine that people from many eras have seen the same scenery. The Ainu people of the time must have been looking at the same sunset over Lake Akan that I am looking at now.

Suddenly, the faces of my son and wife waiting for me at home come to mind. This always happens as the end of a journey approaches. The tools we use and the times we live in may be different, but human essence remains the same. I'm sure people of all eras have thought of their families in this way at times.

We are all alive (Suzuki)

Good morning, let's go. So, where?
The journey begins at a relaxed pace. You get in the car and decide on a destination. The car drives along slowly, and time passes slowly. Before you know it, it's dusk and another day is over. Since it's a special trip, you might as well take it easy.

A photograph is a product of the subject. The more of yourself the photographer wants to capture, the more difficult it becomes. It's like forcing the other person to think the same way you do. Everyone is different, and everyone is good. Enjoy the differences between you and others. Enjoy when things don't go as planned. That's what travel is all about.

What would it be like to travel if you were fixated on money, status, and your destination? Life is like a journey. Things will work out, but that doesn't mean they won't matter. Your intentions are much more important than your plans. Whatever your lifestyle, living in your own way is beautiful.

The journey of life will one day come to an end. We are all living towards that destination, towards the end of today.