Video: Soil Searching in Japan - Guardian of the Mountains

Apr 21, 2020
by I Am Specialized  



Ryo Hazuma is a man who can — and will — move mountains. Living in the Minami Alps of Japan, he dedicates himself completely to developing and maintaining trails at this UNESCO World Heritage Site, all while consciously bridging the generational divide.

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It is a place where the change in seasons is as elegant as the inaudible ticking of time itself. Flawless. Japan: The Land of the Rising Sun. We arrive there just as summer makes its gentle turn to pass the torch of change, bringing hues and saturation beyond the most vivid of imaginations.

It’s raining when we meet him. He’s wearing a bright, florescent hi-vis vest, decorated with various badges, some of which include a hunter’s badge, a trail steward badge, and a firefighter badge. At 1.65 m (5’4”) tall and no more than 60 kg (132 lbs.), he is clean cut and sharp, like the finest of Japanese Santoku knives. He walks over to us with short, deliberate steps, sticks out his hand, bows in respect, and smiles.

Ryo Hazuma.

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At first glance, he’s not the quintessential mountain man you’d expect to find, but within the first few minutes of observing and listening to him, it becomes crystal clear: Ryo Hazuma is a man that can and will move mountains. Folks like him are referred to as mountain guardians, an unofficial title that envelopes this man in his entirety — an old soul with a youthful spirit.

For two years, Hazuma had travelled four hours every weekend to go find solace and meaning in the mountains. He lived in Tokyo, with his work a two-hour train ride east, and the mountains a two-hour car drive west.

Four months after our visit, Hazuma quit his job and moved to the Minami Alps to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to his vision. In his own words, “If I say I do it, I will do it.” Hazuma, it appears, shares the same compulsive conviction as John Muir, in that “going to the mountains is going home.”

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Minami Alps.

His overwhelming love for the mountains is an overflow from his mother’s love for them, as he recalls.

bigquotesMy mother absolutely loves nature and history. She really wanted to instill a similar love in me. She supports me in everything I do.Ryo Hazuma

Hazuma is what you might call a “trail Shogun.” His very surname was passed on through generations by the first Shogun of Japan. The term “Hazuma” refers to the space between the two nocks of a perfectly tensioned bow. He embraces it as his calling. This becomes almost eerily apparent when we witness first-hand how this conviction has revived a deeply rooted mountain tradition: The Night Festival

In 2014, Hazuma introduced mountain biking to this centuries-old tradition in the Minami Alps. This beautiful festival was on the verge of dying, with more people moving away from the mountains to the cities to find jobs, and with the introduction of mountain biking it found new life. Young and old, mountain bikers and non-mountain bikers are traveling from far and wide to attend this festival.
A tradition saved, a culture preserved, a generation gap bridged.

This year was even more special, as around the same time Hazuma proposed and introduced mountain biking to the night festival, he also started discussions with the local city council and the mayor of the Yamanashi prefecture.

On the day leading up to the festival, we accompanied Hazuma as he met with the mayor and city council leaders to sign a document of approval, which will allow him and his team to officially develop and maintain trails in the Minami Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As rumor has it, this achievement is nothing short of a miracle. To get permission to develop anything new in Japan is an excruciatingly exhausting exercise and virtually impossible.

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Tenacious.

Matt Hunter will tell you that once Hazuma has something in his head, he’s not letting go. In 2014, Hazuma was involved in one of Matt’s Trail Hunter trips to Japan. He made Matt promise that he would return to Japan if and when Hazuma got the permission to develop trails — in the likeness of fine Japanese art — from the top of the Minami Alps (3,000 m elevation at the highest point) to the bottom.

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Furthermore, Hazuma, along with his fellow conspirator, Ryosuke Kimura, organized a Trail Builder Summit in conjunction with the Night Festival, and invited trail builders and advocates from all over Japan and other parts of Asia. Again, this was history in the making — a collective gathering among trail advocates in Japan had never taken place before.

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Hazuma-san delivered and Matt kept his promise. Over 200 stoked mountain bikers built an entire new section of trail in the space of four hours. We rode bikes, we ate sushi. We rode some more. We took our shoes off before entering a room and we ate the world’s most questionable soup with chop sticks. We made friends with the school principal and the local firefighters — on two separate occasions — over generous helpings of small-batch sake (in Japanese culture, it’s rude to refuse). And the first Japanese word we learnt alongside arigato (thank you) was futsukayoi (hangover). It all came together with clinical precision.

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In the same manner that the seasons in Japan graciously yield to each other with palpable respect, so do her people show their respect to each other, their craft and their surroundings. Ryo Hazuma, and the people of Japan who opened up their hearts and their homes to us, possess a quality of painstaking perseverance, a pursuit of perfection, a dedication to discipline, a respect and reverence of divine nature, and an embracing warmth, like first light in the land of the rising sun.

To the people of Japan and the mountain guardians like Ryo Hazuma all over the world, arigato gozaimasu. Thank you.

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Member since Jul 12, 2011
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33 Comments
  • 49 1
 This is the coolest story I've seen on mountain biking in a long time... so rad...
  • 2 1
 Yeah the last story I really enjoyed was "RJ Ripper"
  • 15 0
 There is loads of potential for developing mountain biking culture here in Central Honshu. There are some passionate and dedicated people working together to grow and sustain it. The Minami Alps area is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.
  • 15 0
 When the "4 months later" part popped up I was like "oh crap please be something good" glad it was! Great vid, I want to go ride in Japan even more now!
  • 2 0
 haha same! I was dreading the next line would be bad news…
  • 2 0
 I literally was thinking, "Oh god no he died!?" (the worst of scenarios) for a second...and then it was good news. So much better.
  • 1 0
 I had the same reaction! So glad it was good news!
  • 3 0
 Great story, excellent video. I can only imagine what quality of the trails will be like in a few more years. I only wish there were more pics and shots of the actual trails that are there right now, but I can certainly imagine what they are like. I the Chinese and Japanese cosmology of the 5 Elements, ( Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth,) great emphasis is placed on the balance of these five. I imagine the Water element is very strong in the design and shape of these trails and their shape and appearance.
I can only hope that I will be able, in a few years, to travel to these mountains in Japan and see them and their trails myself. That would make for a worthy pilgrimage .
  • 2 0
 Ray. Here is the video. I've watch this video over 500 times. In fact I watch it everytime I'm about to shred. It gets you pumped the f*** up!!!

youtu.be/vesqaZxKgvo
  • 1 0
 @Vutt73: Thank you so much for that link. Yes, quite beautiful, and takes advantage of the natural water element that the earth element controls. Beautiful.
  • 5 0
 Where do I sign up for "quit my job, and moved to the Minami Alps to build trails". Awesome video.
  • 1 0
 One of the coolest videos that I have seen in a very long time. Any of you notice how he pulled up to the shrine or bike trail to do some maintenance and he just plopped his bike down and walked off without a care. Must be nice to live in the most honorable place in the world where no one would EVER consider ripping off your bike.....or anything else for that matter. Can't wait to visit Japan!!!!
  • 6 1
 Fanie Kok vs Dick Pound. Bets open now.
  • 3 0
 Yes!! So rad Ryo, stoked to see your passion coming to life in the eyes of your community and the trails of your mountains!
  • 1 0
 One of the most moving videos I've seen in a long time. It's not only about bikes and all that gear, above all it is about people. Great editing and emotional music, love it.
  • 1 0
 Incredible story of the length one man will go to, to rekindle our love with the forest and nature. Benefiting his community in the process. Time to book a trip to Japan..
  • 2 0
 Well done Fanie, Hunter, Justin, Etienne and Ryo! Incredible story, look forward to hearing more about the futsukayoi.
  • 1 0
 Thanks boys! Was one hell of a trip! We will have to get together and talk it over round the camp fire with some fatties in hand!
  • 1 0
 Absolutely loving this story. Maybe some day I will get to ride in Minami Alps (Mini Alps?) Smile
  • 1 0
 This is awesome to see. I lived in Okinawa from '09-'11 and back then Oki had a strong mtb scene.
  • 2 0
 Amazing write up. Sugoi! ( Exelent)
  • 3 1
 this is what mountain biking is all about, involving the community
  • 1 0
 Yes Fanie! Stoked to see you keeping the stoke going round the world. Look forward to seeing you in Marin later this year!
  • 1 0
 Wow absolutely love this! Well done!! ????
  • 2 0
 This video is awesome.
  • 1 0
 Check this bad boy out. Crank it up to 1000!
  • 1 0
 Ganbatte Ne! Yoroshiku onegashimasu!
  • 1 0
 SO RAD! Stoked for everyone involved!
  • 1 0
 great story, looks like a fun flow trail.
  • 1 0
 This is mountain biking.







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