Welcome to see Coco.

Right now I'm in Coach Prefecture along the Shimanto Dollar, the Shimanto River.

This is the longest river in Chicago and the cleanest in Japan.

It's the last of its kind, which makes it very special.

In this episode, we're going to be looking at some of the activities that you can do here.

But first, let's see this river from the air in the spring before the mountain snow melts, the water's air comma a beautiful emerald green.

The fresh green leaves sprout from trees on the surrounding hills.

The Shimanto guys away from major cities and has no dams, meaning it's free flowing from source to sea.

A reason this river is considered the last clean waterway in Japan.

The river meanders around coaches hills.

You'll find kayaks and houseboats cruising the lower parts.

Japan is a mountainous country, and the rivers are historical places of industry here for logging, paper and fishing.

It's the center of life, both for humans and wildlife, and the residents want to keep it that way.

Where is the Shimanto River?

It's on She Coco Island, the smallest of Japan's four main islands.

Koji Prefecture is along the Pacific Ocean.

To the west of Coach City is where you'll find the Shimanto River.

It's an as shaped river originating at Higashi Tsuna Village and exiting into the Pacific nearly 200 kilometers away.

The best way to get around the area is by rent a car from coaches.

Joma Airport.

I picked up the Toyota Mark X for a drive to the countryside, from the highway to the one lane country road through the forests.

Driving here is peaceful and the roads rarely crowded, like in Tokyo and Osaka.

I made it to the first destination hotel, Sarah Shimanto, overlooking the river.

This hotel is a mix of Japanese and Western style with a tatami room.

The view outside the window was spectacular.

A peaceful she Monta river that flows through Nishi Tosa town of Shimanto City.

Some kayakers air out to explore the calm river on a peaceful spring morning.

It's one of the activities here, but certainly not the only one boats.

There a way to get around, especially when the water's air Hi!

You'll find covered boat tours like here, but if you want to explore the river without a car, you can rent a mountain bike.

It's several places along the river like here.

It can you.

So we're running a bicycle.

It's 1500 again, about $15.

Now we're gonna be riding around the Schumann Togawa and see what we see.

I've heard that this is one of the best ways to see the river.

Let's go.

Make sure you take a couple bottles of water with you.

There aren't many vending machines out there in nature.

The main roads offer wide open views.

Long landscapes around the hills.

Down there is a king Kabashi or sinking bridge.

They're designed lo like this so they can't be washed away by flooding.

They also make drivers a little uneasy, so you may prefer crossing by bicycle.

It's easy.

Just go straight and don't look down.

There are no railings here to save you.

See me crossing down there.

There are 47 crossing the Schumann Togawa and the chin Kabashi has preserved is one of Coach E prefectures cultural heritage.

You don't find them anywhere else.

I'm here to eat.

There's a really nice restaurant just around the corner.

The She Monta Rivers produce are outstanding and local restaurants like this one in the small town have become famous to travelers.

This one is called Cheyenne Judy.

The name comes from the local Koji dialect, meaning vegetable fields, so it's not hard to understand the concept here.

It's a chance to try traditional area foods made by local grannies.

I got here a little after the lunch rush.

The food is super healthy, homemade with many options for vegetarians.

Tasting local foods is an important part of travel around Japan, and this place is a GM.

This is such a treat because all the ingredients here is made locally by the old ladies who live here, and that's pretty unique.

You can see that there's not a lot of restaurant options along the highways here in Chicago, but the one did you do fine, pretty special.

Vacuum us off to our main destination, You Sahara, which is a little off the river in the mountains.

It's one of Japan's old towns that have been renovated with inspirational designs, cafes, lighter avenues and is attracting younger people to return to Coach Ito live a more relaxed lifestyle in the hills with nature.

The main road used to be narrow 30 years ago, lined with metal poles to protect houses from logging trucks speeding by.

Now it's wide open and feels relaxed, a place you can stroll comfortably at night.

The use of hot a library is one of the most beautiful in Japan.

Designed by architect Kengo Kuma, whose designs connect with nature through Japanese aesthetics.

Use of wood here makes me feel like I'm under the canopy in the forest.

Every corner of the library is something special to look at.

I traveled into the forested hills nearby to meet a master of making washing Japanese paper.

Visitors can stay here while learning the craft from him.

From my room, a comic Oye, I had an impressive view of a quiet valley.

Tommy Room's walls, papered and washy, too.

Thistles.

Roger, who's been making handmade paper since 1981 in coaching his paper and craft, has won many awards and gotten the attention of architect Kengo Kuma, who uses his paper in various projects.

The texture and style put this beyond just simple paper.

It can include foliage like a fern leaf for seeds, don't have machine.

Washi paper can also be quite thick and have different uses, like for wallpaper or even handbags and clothing.

In this workshop, Rodeo will teach me to make a sheet of washy that I can use as a lamp.

The size of this sheet is just enough that you can make.

I'll get the chance to add some of the surrounding nature to make it my own design.

We start by walking right outside his show.

You harvest in the winter and the branches shoes bring inside here and you steam it that I can show you branches.

He put him on here.

We feel his water, make a fire for below there and covered this barrel this big one here and steam those fresh branches, esteemed branches air peeled and dried.

This is the foundation of washi paper.

It takes a lot of time to make this by hand.

Roger uses the traditional manufacturing technique called Tosa washi, which is 100% sustainable, but it takes a lot of time and work and skill to make.

So that's why I really traditional mate why she is very expensive.

Wow, because 3001 or more for one sheet, it's just don't It's old and labor.

It's all the all the work.

So this is your studio, The dried branches air moistened again.

You can see the fibers that it's fixed together.

Still, it's time to get started.

Some mountain water is put on top of the wooden board where it will be beaten.

The purpose is to separate the fibers and make them longer.

It's done in a rhythm several times thin.

Put into water like this.

Just this becomes the washi paper pulp.

Next we go outside to look for natural ingredients.

Toe add to the washi paper.

Basically, you can pick any thing in nature in nature.

Yes, Brandel.

Small branches or leaves fresh, green or dried, you can make like Japanese footie caca like like a crumb bolt.

This will give it some unique characteristics.

Looks like this.

Back in the studio, Roger showed me the variety of okra route found and coach he used to create slime flow down.

This slime is important because when mixed with water, it helps it move more smoothly and evenly.

You need viscous water mixed with your pills, so only slimy liquid water.

We want this line.

We want to slime.

We need we need that slime And again this is terrible.

See that it flows very thin layer.

You almost can see it, but there is a very thin layer off fiber here.

The water with the fibers and slime flow over the filter.

The water drains, leaving the fibers behind goes after a few cups.

You can see the fibers joined together to make a thin layer of paper.

So now you can see clearly that there's something there.

Now it's time to add some nature to the Washington.

So I brought some stuff.

Yeah, this night.

But this is live it too, right?

So you should, ah, pull it apart and then just start arranging it.

And then you can push like this and then flatten it a little bit.

It's starting to look pretty.

Rest with nature after placing it where you like.

Another layer of fibers is added, which locks it in.

I added some color to my washing with pulp mixed with other natural ingredients.

This gives the washing paper more characteristics.

You go just Okay, So So you're finished.

Yeah, I think it's okay.

Works for May.

Then just maybe to show you how that there's so much water.

It's so wet.

Excess water is blotted and drained from the filter.

It's then pressed to remove any remaining water from the paper.

I like it.

It it is nice that good balance of then peeled and glued to a board to be dried for up to a week after the washy A sat in the sun.

For a while, you can see how the final sheet will look like thin.

It's protected by the resident cat.

No mice here.

I talked with Roger about how the area impacts his craft, and his own connection to coaching was not only the paper, but I think the culture.

Maybe within two weeks I decided to stay the culture of the foods, the nature especially, and I only got a glimpse of it.

But people told me about the connection between the craft and nature on Dhe.

That was something quite new for me, that it depends the paper history, the paper culture.

It depends on the nature on the plants on that they use plans for paper.

I mean, it was all so when producing paper in the traditional way, he's dependent on the natural world around him.

I mean, for bleaching.

If there's no son.

You can't bleach if it's a cold year than the plants don't grow.

Well, if so, if you want to like we're doing here now, if you want to dry the paper, you need sunshine.

So every day, every step depends so much on nature on the weather, on the climate and and not only the fiber just during the process.

A.

Ll the time have to adjust to that days in the weather off the day of the climate off period.

So one reason that makes Coach E and the she Monta region a paper center for washi is it strong connection to nature, which is a perfect home for Roger and his family coaching prefectures.

Reputation for a clean environment is well deserved.

Residents live in harmony with the waterways and rivers.

Wildlife here, like in Dragon Fly Park, thrive around the Shimanto River.

The she Monta River provides delicious produce, livestock and fishing, and the residents respect the environment with sustainable logging and business practices in retching life and the economy.

But more and more, the river is attracting tourism, with people interested in Japan's cultural connections with nature from adventure sports, toe washi, paper making or just driving around to eat good food.

River really is the life of the area.

She want a river or Schumann Togawa here and coach.

He is really a beautiful place.

It's easy to fall in love with this area.

There's loads of things to see and do here.

So if you do make the trip here to coach, you will not regret it.

If you liked it, hit that subscribe button and check out another one of our shows.

Don't miss my second live streaming channel only in Japan.

Go and check out location photos on Instagram.