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00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:05,440
The sun rises on Japan.
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00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,320
More than 6,000 islands
on the edge of the Pacific.
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00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:20,880
Life here is at the mercy of Earth's
most powerful elemental forces.
4
00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,040
From the wilds of the frozen north.
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00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,280
To the subtropical warmth
of the south.
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00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:40,960
Animals along this chain of islands
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00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,960
have had to adapt in unique
and sometimes bizarre ways.
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00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:52,920
Throughout this land,
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00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,440
people have developed
an extraordinary relationship
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00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:57,960
with the natural world.
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00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,400
Trying to capture
its fleeting beauty.
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00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,520
And tame its spirit.
13
00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,160
But these islands remain wild,
14
00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:19,440
mysterious
15
00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:20,880
and magical.
16
00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,480
This is Japan.
17
00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:35,080
There's a corner of Japan
18
00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,040
that's a world apart
from the rest of the country.
19
00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:43,760
It's the northernmost frontier.
20
00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:54,880
This island endures a brutal winter
that locks the land in snow and ice.
21
00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:01,240
The animals that live here
would look more at home in Siberia.
22
00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,480
All life is ruled
by the changing seasons.
23
00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,520
Summers are brief
24
00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,800
and autumns dazzle.
25
00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,360
This is a land of tough animals
and hardy human souls.
26
00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,840
Sometimes you need
to build unlikely alliances
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00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:49,720
to survive on Hokkaido,
Japan's wildest island.
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00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:11,040
An Ussuri brown bear is patrolling
the Shiretoko Peninsula,
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00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,640
in the extreme
northeast of Hokkaido.
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00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,200
It's September.
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00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,520
She's waiting for a bounty
that comes this way every autumn.
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00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,240
Tens of millions of Pacific
salmon are gathering off the coast.
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00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,840
Soon they'll swim inshore to spawn.
34
00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,040
And that'll bring them
within snatching distance
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00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:42,240
of the female bear.
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00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,040
She needs to put food in the mouths
of her two young cubs.
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00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:13,400
There's a bitter winter coming,
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00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,480
and if they're not well-fed,
her cubs won't make it through.
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00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:22,800
This is a hard place to be a mum.
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00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,280
The family is not alone.
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00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,760
This peninsula is home
to 200 brown bears.
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00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:45,360
It's one of the most densely-packed
populations in the world.
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00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:57,880
The salmon bonanza
has attracted others here, too.
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00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,160
Nobody lives permanently
in this remote part of Hokkaido.
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00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:16,840
But one hardy group
have special permission
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00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:18,240
to stay here for some of the year.
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00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:31,040
Hokkaido is Japan's
second-largest island,
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but the harsh conditions mean
it's home to only 4% of its people.
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00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,640
Shiretoko is one
of the loneliest corners,
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00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:42,680
where you have to live
close to the wild.
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00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:50,840
Brown bears can weigh 300 kilos,
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00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:53,240
and are not to be messed with.
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00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,760
When bears and humans cross paths,
things can get dangerous.
54
00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,760
But here,
something astonishing has happened.
55
00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,120
For the fishermen, bears have become
a part of everyday life.
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00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:26,280
It takes some nerve, but the men
live alongside them as equals.
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00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,000
Tough characters, side-by-side,
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00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,040
both dependent on the salmon run.
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00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:42,720
The mother bear knows
what she's doing.
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00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:47,160
Survival is in her blood.
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00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,520
Her ancestors came to Hokkaido
from Siberia.
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00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:53,280
And they walked here.
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00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:01,040
12,000 years ago, Hokkaido
was joined to the Russian mainland.
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00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:06,560
Siberian animals colonised it,
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before the sea levels rose,
turning Hokkaido into an island.
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00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,120
It's why the wildlife here is
so different from the rest of Japan,
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00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:24,880
and so well equipped
to face the coming winter.
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00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,000
By the end of September,
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00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,360
it's getting colder
in the heart of Hokkaido.
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00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:43,240
The forests are starting to glow.
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00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,520
The intense colours are created
by the warm days and cold nights
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of Hokkaido's autumn.
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00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,040
It's one of Japan's most beautiful
natural displays,
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00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,560
and the forest fills with visitors.
75
00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,360
Every autumn, more than
a million Japanese tourists
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travel to Hokkaido.
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Vivid autumn leaves are called koyo.
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In Japan, people have been making
special trips to see them
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for over 1,000 years.
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00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:35,720
And, because it's so far north,
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Hokkaido is the first place
where koyo appears,
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hustled in by the chill
of an early autumn.
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00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:51,160
It's a fleeting display.
84
00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:01,480
There's barely two weeks to catch
the best koyo before it vanishes.
85
00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:06,600
And soon, the fair-weather
tourists will disappear too.
86
00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:17,400
For those who can't leave,
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it's all about preparation
for the winter to come.
88
00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:25,600
On the forest floor below,
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00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:28,120
animals are hurrying
to make the most of autumn.
90
00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:33,360
Siberian chipmunks.
91
00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,480
They came from Russia too.
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00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,880
Like the brown bear,
their ancestors were marooned
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just here on Hokkaido.
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To survive the winter,
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chipmunks need to have a good kilo
of nuts stashed in their burrows.
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00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:10,800
It's a lot to find.
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00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,040
Competition is intense,
and chipmunks are feisty.
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00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:34,120
This chipmunk has been
collecting nuts for months.
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00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:39,840
But the forest is full of thieves.
100
00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,440
The red squirrel is three times
heavier than the chipmunk.
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00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:01,920
But this little guy punches
well above his weight.
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He shoves the squirrel
off his patch.
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00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,680
And then, back to the job in hand.
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He can cram eight acorns
into his cheeks in one go.
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00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:36,840
That means fewer
trips to the burrow,
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00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,720
and fewer chances
for thieves to follow him.
107
00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,960
With the nuts off-loaded,
there's one last task.
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00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:04,120
To make it through winter, he'll
need leaves to insulate his home.
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00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:07,200
For the next four months,
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temperatures here
will plunge below zero.
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Ready or not, the chipmunks
will soon have no option
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but to retreat underground.
113
00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:29,520
Every one of Hokkaido's inhabitants
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has to deal with the island's
seasonal extremes.
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And that includes
some extraordinary life-forms
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that live at the bottom of a lake.
117
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They may look like mossy boulders,
118
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:53,080
but these strange balls in Lake Akan
come to life when you speed up time.
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00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,760
This spinning seems miraculous.
120
00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:11,120
After all, these aren't animals,
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00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:15,760
but an incredibly rare form of algae
found nowhere else in Japan.
122
00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,320
They're called marimo.
123
00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,760
Or, in the local language,
"marsh monsters".
124
00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,680
They can live for decades,
and grow bigger than a basketball.
125
00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:44,040
The marimos' dance is caused
by Hokkaido's elemental forces.
126
00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,040
The mountains funnel winds
towards the lake.
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00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:59,480
The resulting waves spin the marimo,
shaping them into spheres.
128
00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,760
But, if the waves are too strong,
it can be disastrous.
129
00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,960
Washed ashore, larger marimo
collapse under their own weight.
130
00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,160
Battered by waves,
they disintegrate.
131
00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,280
But marimo bounce back.
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00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,160
Next spring,
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00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,160
these fragments will start
growing into a host of new balls.
134
00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,440
Snow on the hilltops is a warning
that autumn is nearly over.
135
00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:49,680
It's October.
136
00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:53,440
To the east,
on the remote Notsuke coastline,
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00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,520
a battle's about to start.
138
00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:14,840
This alien landscape is stark,
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even for Hokkaido.
140
00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:27,640
Nobody lives here,
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00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,600
but all summer long,
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00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,720
trawlers have been busy
catching prawns off the coast.
143
00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:43,680
Now, the fishermen
are packing up and shipping out
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00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:45,320
before winter arrives.
145
00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,600
But others are made
of tougher stuff.
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00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,280
Sika deer live here year-round.
147
00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:04,200
Right now, they're gearing
up for the most important event
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in their calendar.
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00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,400
This stag has built up
a harem of females.
150
00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:33,680
He can't hang about.
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00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:37,320
A harem in heat
is a magnet for other males.
152
00:16:55,640 --> 00:17:00,080
The dominant stag has no choice
but to go and meet his rival.
153
00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:05,680
It's the newcomer that's won.
154
00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:11,200
He has the pick
of the females for now.
155
00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:15,200
But it won't be long before other
stags move in to challenge him.
156
00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:20,720
Many males are so exhausted
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00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:23,600
they just won't make it
through the winter.
158
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,400
But at least some
will leave a legacy.
159
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:30,280
The females are pregnant.
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00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:36,760
They'll need all their resilience to
survive the lean months of winter.
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00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:55,080
40 miles to the north,
back on the Shiretoko Peninsula,
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00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,080
the mother bear
is trying to feed her cubs.
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00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:07,040
Pretty soon,
they'll have to go into hibernation.
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00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,480
They'll be holed up together
for five months without food,
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00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,320
so it's vital
they lay down fat reserves now.
166
00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,120
The salmon have arrived.
167
00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:36,720
By watching underwater,
168
00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:40,120
the mother bear tries to get
a head-start in the chase.
169
00:20:58,000 --> 00:20:59,880
Just offshore,
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00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:03,000
the fishermen have also been
rewarded for their patience.
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00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,360
On Hokkaido, you have to grab
every opportunity
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00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,800
that comes your way
while the good times last.
173
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,320
Now the mother bear's finally got
her eye in, there's no stopping her.
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00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:09,200
The cubs still have a few weeks left
to bulk up before hibernating.
175
00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,360
In December, winter
arrives in force.
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00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,640
A colossal mass of freezing air
barrels in from eastern Russia.
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00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:30,600
Crossing the Sea of Japan, it picks
up enormous amounts of moisture
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00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,760
which it drops onto
Hokkaido as snow.
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00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:41,120
Over a metre of it
can fall in a single day.
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00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,320
The freeze intensifies
in mid-winter.
181
00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:09,560
By February, sea ice closes
like a fist around the coast.
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00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,320
Nowhere else in
the northern hemisphere
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00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,720
does sea ice reach this far south.
184
00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:27,840
Hardy animals travel 1,000 miles
185
00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,040
just to reach this frozen wasteland.
186
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,160
The Japanese call them owashi.
187
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,680
Steller's sea eagles.
188
00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:47,520
CHIRPING
189
00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:50,000
In winter, they fly in from Russia
190
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,640
and join other birds eking out
a living on Hokkaido's coastline.
191
00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:58,920
The sea eagles rule this roost.
192
00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:03,800
They're the heaviest eagles
in the world.
193
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:06,160
CHIRPING
194
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,800
The birds are surrounded
by the ghostly hulls
195
00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:12,440
of abandoned fishing boats.
196
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,120
Winter has grounded
the ocean-going fleet.
197
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,600
But a little ice isn't enough
to stop Hokkaido's fishermen.
198
00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:33,680
They venture out onto
the surface of a frozen lagoon.
199
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,760
And the eagles follow
their every move.
200
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:58,240
This band of brothers has been
ice fishing for over 40 years.
201
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,440
And for Mr Takahashi,
the eagles are a lucky sign.
202
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,480
The fishermen have built a
relationship with these birds.
203
00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:41,920
It's a two-way thing.
The nets are bulging
204
00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:43,920
and some of the catch
is for sharing.
205
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,640
As the brothers
make their way across the ice,
206
00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:08,920
the Steller's sea eagles move in.
207
00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:10,360
SQUAWKING
208
00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:16,720
White-tailed eagles enter the fray.
209
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:18,440
SQUAWKING
210
00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:38,520
On the ice, the boldest,
brashest eagles do best.
211
00:26:51,120 --> 00:26:54,400
Huge flocks of black-eared kites
join the party.
212
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:00,320
They're only a tenth
of the weight of the eagles.
213
00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:03,720
But what they lack in stature
they make up for in bravery.
214
00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:21,400
In spring, the Steller's sea eagles
will fly back to Russia,
215
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:23,640
fuelled by the fishermen's
generosity.
216
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,720
Hokkaido's winter is a force
to be reckoned with.
217
00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:38,360
2,000 metres up, on the peaks
that tower over the island,
218
00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:39,520
nothing moves.
219
00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:55,760
Even on the lower plains, the
farmland is locked in thick snow.
220
00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:05,120
WIND ROARS
221
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:13,680
This extreme season tests
even Hokkaido's
222
00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,480
most adaptable inhabitants
to the limit.
223
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:18,000
CAWING
224
00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:24,000
But a remarkable group
of people lived through
225
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:25,440
thousands of winters here.
226
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:32,680
Hokkaido was home to its own
indigenous inhabitants...
227
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:36,360
..the Ainu.
228
00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:46,000
Their ancestors came from the
mainland, just like the brown bears.
229
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:57,320
These hunter-gatherers were
well in tune with the natural world.
230
00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,320
They lived for millennia
on Hokkaido
231
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,880
before Japanese traders arrived,
over 800 years ago.
232
00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:11,920
In time,
the traders became conquerors.
233
00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:18,040
Since then, the Ainu way of life
has almost disappeared.
234
00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,400
But the animals they worshipped
still survive.
235
00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:33,200
CHIRPING
236
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:38,240
The Ainu revered red-crowned
cranes as gods of the marshlands.
237
00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:48,480
To modern Japanese, these birds
are symbols of beauty and long life.
238
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:51,720
SQUAWKING
239
00:29:56,240 --> 00:30:01,080
Hokkaido is the only place in Japan
where red-crowned cranes still live.
240
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:09,840
But settlers' farms have swallowed
up the wetlands
241
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,080
where they used to hunt for fish
and insects.
242
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,160
In these fields, pickings are slim.
243
00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:29,960
Last century, there were fewer than
30 cranes left in Japan.
244
00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,200
It looked like they might
disappear altogether.
245
00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:38,400
CRANES CALL OUT
246
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:47,200
But salvation has come from
a small group of farmers.
247
00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:54,560
They don't just tolerate the cranes,
248
00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:57,040
they go out of their way
to help them.
249
00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:00,880
Throughout the winter,
250
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:04,880
they brave sub-zero temperatures to
feed these giant birds.
251
00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:12,200
Over 100 hungry mouths
gather every morning.
252
00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:25,840
Thanks to these hand-outs,
253
00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:29,960
the red-crowned crane has fought
back against extinction.
254
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:38,040
Hokkaido is now home to
nearly 1,000 birds.
255
00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:43,600
CRANES CALL OUT
256
00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:51,000
Whenever cranes get together,
no matter what time of year,
257
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:52,400
they put on a show.
258
00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,040
CRANE CRIES
259
00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:57,840
It starts with a song.
260
00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:06,200
CRANES CRY OUT
261
00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:13,360
And then a dance.
262
00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:31,440
Cranes often pair for life,
and this ballet is key to that bond.
263
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:45,720
But perhaps there's more
to it than that.
264
00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:50,520
It seems that dancing is something
that cranes simply enjoy doing.
265
00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:02,120
Thanks to their own tenacity,
and human help, these enormous,
266
00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:05,680
irrepressible birds have survived
to dance another day.
267
00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:13,400
And on Hokkaido in deep winter,
survival is the name of the game.
268
00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:21,120
The Ainu people call the Shiretoko
Peninsula "the end of the Earth".
269
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:34,160
In winter, this northerly outpost
becomes a snowy wonderland,
270
00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:35,920
and even more isolated.
271
00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:44,920
Brown bears are asleep
beneath the drifts.
272
00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,160
But sika deer have nowhere to hide.
273
00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:57,120
Instead, they rely on their own
extraordinary resilience.
274
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:03,560
Pregnant bellies make for awkward
snow ploughs,
275
00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,400
but the females take
the drifts in their stride.
276
00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:13,760
Their favourite foods, bamboos
and other grasses, are buried.
277
00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,440
But these are the toughest
deer in the world.
278
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:25,480
And they're prepared for everything
winter can throw at them.
279
00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:34,920
Blizzards bury the deer's food
deeper and deeper.
280
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:42,040
So they look in high places.
281
00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:51,200
They'll even get by on tree bark.
282
00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,400
It's just enough to keep
hunger at bay
283
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:07,640
while they live off
their fat reserves.
284
00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:20,040
But even in this bitter winter,
there are a few places where
285
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,640
Hokkaido offers some
unexpected comfort.
286
00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:29,920
All across this icy island,
there are hot spots.
287
00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,200
Hokkaido has 20 active volcanoes.
288
00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:51,480
And in places, hot gases
escape from deep underground,
289
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:53,800
melting holes in
the snowy landscape.
290
00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,640
Hokkaido is alive and breathing.
291
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:13,000
Lake Kussharo is all that remains
of a colossal collapsed volcano,
292
00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,840
seven miles across.
293
00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:24,200
At the end of winter,
294
00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:28,760
the lake is a lifeline for
migrating whooper swans.
295
00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:41,280
It's a warm oasis in the middle
of a frozen desert.
296
00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:48,760
A thermal spring keeps this patch
of water warm and ice-free.
297
00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:54,520
SWANS HONK
298
00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:01,960
Most swans only use the lake
for a layover before continuing to
299
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:03,360
warmer parts of Japan.
300
00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:11,160
But a few have learnt to save
themselves
301
00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:13,720
a journey by spending
the whole winter here.
302
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:26,520
SWANS HONK
303
00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:38,120
This is the perfect place to
strengthen old relationships,
304
00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:39,800
and make new ones.
305
00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:55,600
The swans will stay
until the spring allows them
306
00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:57,440
to return to Russia to breed.
307
00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:01,840
They don't have long to wait.
308
00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:09,000
It's April, and there's another
great seasonal change on the way.
309
00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:15,120
From winter to summer,
the temperature can
310
00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:19,160
swing from 30 degrees
below zero to 30 above.
311
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:27,480
For Hokkaido's frozen inhabitants,
the thaw can't come soon enough.
312
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,360
The Shiretoko Peninsula is
released from the grip of
313
00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:39,280
sea ice.
314
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:49,600
By May, everybody on Hokkaido reaps
their reward for seeing out
315
00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:50,600
the winter.
316
00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:58,760
The island bursts into life.
317
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:15,120
Spring is short,
there's no time to waste.
318
00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:24,120
Farmers race to make
the most of the growing season.
319
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:37,160
Over the last century, Japanese
farmers have transformed Hokkaido.
320
00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:42,440
Half a million tonnes of wheat
are harvested every year.
321
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:52,640
The most fertile parts of the island
look more like rural England
322
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:53,840
than wild Japan.
323
00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:00,720
And all this greenery is
irresistible.
324
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:08,520
The sika deer have started creeping
into the lush cultivated fields.
325
00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:11,240
It's a whole new world.
326
00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:34,360
These fields are brimming with
specially-sown grass,
327
00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:35,560
intended for cattle.
328
00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:42,800
But this herd always seems to
be one step ahead,
329
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:45,960
helping themselves to
the best grass before it can even
330
00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:47,160
be cut.
331
00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:55,120
Every year, deer can munch their way
through over
332
00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:56,960
£30 million worth of crops.
333
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:03,880
But some farmers have developed
a live-and-let-live attitude.
334
00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:16,920
The deer are reaping the benefits
of Hokkaido's human landscape.
335
00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:21,320
In a place like this,
it pays to be adaptable.
336
00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:32,840
In the warmth of early summer, the
red-crowned cranes have moved into
337
00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:34,520
the farmland waterways.
338
00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:39,840
And they have a new family member.
339
00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:47,360
They traditionally nest in marshes,
but most have been drained.
340
00:41:51,720 --> 00:41:55,920
So the cranes are raising their
chick in an irrigation channel.
341
00:42:04,800 --> 00:42:06,320
All through the summer,
342
00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:10,280
the chick will be entirely
dependent on its parents for food.
343
00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:20,920
The channel is teeming with insects,
fish and frogs.
344
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:22,680
But the parents
345
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:26,320
can barely keep up with
their gangly offspring's appetite.
346
00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:42,160
The family won't be able to move on
until the chick can fly.
347
00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:52,640
In the meantime, they can't
escape from surprise visitors.
348
00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:06,280
The sika deer have managed to wander
right into the path of a pair
349
00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:08,160
of cranes with a week-old chick.
350
00:43:10,720 --> 00:43:11,720
CRANE CRIES OUT
351
00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:27,880
Mum and Dad work together,
to shepherd the chick to safety.
352
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:36,680
And then, a quick flash
of the dagger-like beak
353
00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:39,280
to make sure the deer
keep their distance.
354
00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:45,200
CRANE CACKLES
355
00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:56,160
The parents' diligence has paid off.
356
00:43:57,400 --> 00:44:01,040
Their priority now is to feed
their chick while times are good.
357
00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:14,880
All Hokkaido's inhabitants
358
00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:19,080
must rush to make
the most of the short summer.
359
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:34,320
Once the island blooms, some of
the busiest workers fly into action.
360
00:44:37,560 --> 00:44:39,120
BUZZING
361
00:44:44,240 --> 00:44:45,720
European honeybees.
362
00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:54,040
People brought them to Japan more
than 100 years ago.
363
00:44:55,680 --> 00:44:58,520
They're much more docile than
the native bees.
364
00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:05,000
Every summer,
Mr Seo brings his hives to Hokkaido.
365
00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:28,960
Mr Seo and his travelling bees have
found paradise here.
366
00:45:36,320 --> 00:45:40,320
In July, Hokkaido becomes
positively Mediterranean.
367
00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:47,680
While the rest of Japan
swelters in a sticky summer,
368
00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:51,680
Hokkaido enjoys warm days and
cool nights.
369
00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:58,320
It's the perfect place to grow
flowers.
370
00:46:02,920 --> 00:46:07,320
For a time, Hokkaido brims with
tourists who've come to soak up
371
00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:09,800
the beauty of
this man-made spectacle.
372
00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:16,160
Their love of nature has drawn them
373
00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:17,960
from across Japan and East Asia.
374
00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:28,240
But Hokkaido's summer is short.
375
00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:35,520
Soon, the blooms will fade
and the tourists will go home.
376
00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:51,440
It takes a certain resilience to
live here year-round.
377
00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:57,400
Mr Seo doesn't stay for long.
378
00:47:19,720 --> 00:47:23,720
By September, Hokkaido is already
sliding into autumn.
379
00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,880
Leaves that only grew a few months
ago are changing colour
380
00:47:31,880 --> 00:47:33,080
and dying off.
381
00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:40,960
Hokkaido never stands still,
its seasons rush by.
382
00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:51,360
This hostile frontier has long
been a place that tests
383
00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:52,360
life to the limit.
384
00:47:55,320 --> 00:47:59,280
But its extraordinary inhabitants
are more than up to the challenge.
385
00:48:02,240 --> 00:48:06,320
And they've discovered that by
forging new alliances, they can deal
386
00:48:06,320 --> 00:48:08,120
with everything that the toughest
387
00:48:08,120 --> 00:48:10,040
corner of Japan can throw at them.
388
00:48:22,240 --> 00:48:23,520
All across Japan,
389
00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:26,080
from the mountains of the
heartland...
390
00:48:29,120 --> 00:48:30,480
..to the southern seas...
391
00:48:34,480 --> 00:48:37,080
..people still celebrate
its unusual nature
392
00:48:37,080 --> 00:48:39,560
and fleeting beauty.
393
00:48:46,160 --> 00:48:48,840
Japan may be one of the busiest
places on Earth,
394
00:48:48,840 --> 00:48:51,720
but the connection with the wild
395
00:48:51,720 --> 00:48:53,520
still runs deep.
396
00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:12,840
The wildest part of Hokkaido is
the Shiretoko Peninsula.
397
00:49:14,320 --> 00:49:16,520
It's remote and mysterious,
398
00:49:16,520 --> 00:49:20,760
one of the last true
wildernesses in Japan.
399
00:49:26,720 --> 00:49:29,400
After months of negotiation,
400
00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:32,080
cameraman Graham MacFarlane has
a special permit
401
00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:34,000
to enter Shiretoko National Park.
402
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:40,800
He's come here to film brown bears
and their salmon-hunting techniques.
403
00:49:42,720 --> 00:49:47,080
Shiretoko means
"the end of the Earth",
404
00:49:47,080 --> 00:49:48,920
so it kind of feels like that.
405
00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:55,120
I've never specifically gone to
film, um, brown bears
406
00:49:55,120 --> 00:49:58,560
so I'm very excited
but also a little bit nervous.
407
00:49:58,560 --> 00:50:03,040
I, I don't really know how
these animals react to humans,
408
00:50:03,040 --> 00:50:04,800
how they behave.
409
00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:06,560
A journey into the unknown.
410
00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:15,160
Right from the start,
the signs are promising.
411
00:50:17,240 --> 00:50:19,680
Oh, yeah, oh, fantastic.
412
00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:22,760
Hopefully that's not the last
we're going to see of them.
413
00:50:26,360 --> 00:50:31,040
This is the end of the road, a small
base used by seasonal fishermen.
414
00:50:36,040 --> 00:50:40,160
There's no hotel here and Graham's
not going to risk a tent.
415
00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:46,320
So, my bear-proof living quarters,
my van,
416
00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:49,880
and, uh, it's actually very cosy
417
00:50:49,880 --> 00:50:53,720
and it feels very safe, too.
418
00:50:55,400 --> 00:50:56,840
Goodnight.
419
00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:13,040
Well, I've just woke up,
it's about five o'clock.
420
00:51:17,480 --> 00:51:20,640
That's pretty amazing,
I can actually see a bear
421
00:51:20,640 --> 00:51:24,640
sat on the rock
on the shore waiting
422
00:51:24,640 --> 00:51:26,520
to fish, from my bed.
423
00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:31,560
There's no time for a lie-in,
Graham needs to get to work.
424
00:51:39,720 --> 00:51:42,840
The first morning
and there are the bears.
425
00:51:45,360 --> 00:51:47,200
Wow, there's another one there.
426
00:51:53,480 --> 00:51:54,680
There's loads about.
427
00:51:56,960 --> 00:51:58,360
And they're not shy.
428
00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:06,080
She's coming right up to the car.
429
00:52:09,520 --> 00:52:10,840
Should I put my window up?
430
00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:19,400
She could certainly get her paw
through the window.
431
00:52:22,400 --> 00:52:25,400
Until Graham can
get to know these bears,
432
00:52:25,400 --> 00:52:27,400
it's better to be safe than sorry.
433
00:52:32,360 --> 00:52:34,720
His main mission is to
film a salmon hunt.
434
00:52:40,080 --> 00:52:43,920
But the bears aren't fishing,
so Graham can focus on getting
435
00:52:43,920 --> 00:52:46,320
close-up underwater shots
of the salmon.
436
00:52:51,800 --> 00:52:56,080
To help him, he's called on his
friend, cameraman Daisuke Semiya,
437
00:52:56,080 --> 00:52:59,720
who's got a simple idea for how to
reveal the beauty of the fish.
438
00:53:00,840 --> 00:53:05,200
This time just first experiment, so,
yeah, let me see what happens.
439
00:53:05,200 --> 00:53:06,640
OK, cool.
440
00:53:06,640 --> 00:53:09,480
It requires an underwater camera,
a phone...
441
00:53:09,480 --> 00:53:11,440
So you're going to attach
it to the end of this?
442
00:53:11,440 --> 00:53:13,400
..and an improvised pole.
443
00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:15,920
I think it's a curtain rail,
isn't it?
444
00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:18,000
It'll do, you know.
445
00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:19,560
Yeah, Japanese technology!
446
00:53:19,560 --> 00:53:21,800
That is, that, genius,
that's cool, man.
447
00:53:24,280 --> 00:53:26,360
By hooking the phone up
to the camera,
448
00:53:26,360 --> 00:53:28,760
they're hoping to monitor
shots of the fish.
449
00:53:30,080 --> 00:53:31,960
Just, I love it, the simplicity.
450
00:53:41,360 --> 00:53:42,960
That is amazing.
451
00:53:48,200 --> 00:53:49,280
Oh!
452
00:53:52,080 --> 00:53:53,080
Great, it works!
453
00:53:54,920 --> 00:53:56,160
Semiya's ingenuity
454
00:53:56,160 --> 00:53:57,200
has paid off.
455
00:53:58,680 --> 00:54:00,240
Oh, fighting going on.
456
00:54:00,240 --> 00:54:01,680
Wow!
457
00:54:01,680 --> 00:54:03,720
Now Graham's filmed the salmon,
458
00:54:03,720 --> 00:54:06,360
he can turn his attention
back to the bears.
459
00:54:10,880 --> 00:54:13,320
They're still not hunting.
460
00:54:13,320 --> 00:54:16,800
Instead, they seem more interested
in checking out something else...
461
00:54:18,720 --> 00:54:19,960
..the fishing base.
462
00:54:25,480 --> 00:54:30,680
Nowhere else in the world are people
so relaxed around brown bears.
463
00:54:39,080 --> 00:54:42,880
It's a unique relationship that's
developed over time.
464
00:54:46,200 --> 00:54:50,160
Mr Ohse has been working
here for over 50 years.
465
00:54:51,640 --> 00:54:53,640
In the early days, attitudes
466
00:54:53,640 --> 00:54:55,120
to bears were very different.
467
00:55:07,200 --> 00:55:08,520
But over time,
468
00:55:08,520 --> 00:55:12,360
the fishermen realised there were
easier ways to deal with the bears.
469
00:55:25,600 --> 00:55:28,600
The relationship has strengthened
over the decades.
470
00:55:45,920 --> 00:55:48,880
All the same, the situation can take
some getting used to
471
00:55:48,880 --> 00:55:50,200
for new recruits.
472
00:56:04,520 --> 00:56:07,480
It's advice that Graham's
trying his best to follow,
473
00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:10,200
as he continues his quest
to film a hunting bear.
474
00:56:14,960 --> 00:56:18,520
But there's one
situation that is dangerous.
475
00:56:18,520 --> 00:56:20,800
Getting between a mother
and her cubs.
476
00:56:26,320 --> 00:56:28,800
And this cub's coming far too close.
477
00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:33,080
The mother bear could be anywhere.
478
00:56:43,120 --> 00:56:44,600
There she is.
479
00:56:46,440 --> 00:56:50,480
The bear family are reunited,
so Graham can set up the camera.
480
00:56:54,120 --> 00:56:55,560
It's very close.
481
00:56:55,560 --> 00:56:59,480
I could, um, I could smell her,
she glanced at me, I glanced at her.
482
00:57:01,200 --> 00:57:02,920
Finally, the hunting begins.
483
00:57:09,280 --> 00:57:13,520
Over the next few days,
Graham gets the shots he needs.
484
00:57:21,160 --> 00:57:23,520
It's a rare view
into their private lives.
485
00:57:40,480 --> 00:57:42,640
And the team discover that
it's not just
486
00:57:42,640 --> 00:57:44,720
the bears that
accept their presence.
487
00:57:46,200 --> 00:57:47,120
Wow!
488
00:57:49,880 --> 00:57:53,560
The normal rules between man and
beast don't seem to apply in
489
00:57:53,560 --> 00:57:55,160
this strange, lonely place.
490
00:57:56,600 --> 00:57:59,400
Actually, it's been a complete
success, we've got
491
00:57:59,400 --> 00:58:01,760
everything we came for and more.
492
00:58:01,760 --> 00:58:02,840
I didn't think in
493
00:58:02,840 --> 00:58:05,640
my wildest dreams I'd film
as much bears as we have
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00:58:05,640 --> 00:58:08,480
and to be able to follow
a particular bear family,
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it's just
been a privilege, really.
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00:58:12,160 --> 00:58:13,800
On the Shiretoko Peninsula,
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Graham has found a world where the
normal barriers between a cameraman
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and his subjects don't exist.
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00:58:22,480 --> 00:58:26,640
That's the magic of Hokkaido,
Japan's wildest island.
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