KAZUKIN likes playing in mountain streams.
This is a certain place in South Shinshu.
Driving through the deep mountains of South Shinshu, you run into streams everywhere.
Streams are good.
Surrounded by trees in the mountains, you hear
shhhhhhh.
the sound of the brook.
Bird calls. Trees swaying in the wind. And the sound of cold water flowing.
When these mix, it becomes a wonderful natural harmony.
A THE detox by forest bathing.
Even KAZUKIN's head, which normally keeps thinking about trivial things, goes quiet just this once.
My heart is washed clean.
...But there's one thing I can't get out of my head.
Bears.
Deep in the mountains. Which means bears are a little scary
This deep in the mountains, I can't help worrying.
Bears.
I have a relative who's a mountain forester, and I once asked him about bears.
“If we don't attack them, they don't do anything.”
That's what he said.
...
Really?
You're holding a chainsaw or a saw in your hands, aren't you?
I'm not.
Look at KAZUKIN playing in the stream.
Bare hands.
And
bare feet.
The gear I have is, at best, a water bottle and a convenience-store lunch.
Combat power: almost zero.
I can't shake the feeling that there's a big gap in composure between the forester and KAZUKIN when meeting a bear.
Carrying that lingering unease, KAZUKIN still heads for the stream.
Because there's an appeal that outweighs it.
Water so clear it makes you say “Ohh!♪”
I put my feet in the river.
Cold!
And look at the water.
Beautiful!
Clear enough to plainly see the stones on the bottom.
Cold water flows briskly through it.
Experiencing this for real,
“Ohh!♪”
escapes your lips.
You don't need vocabulary.
Good is good.
Just sticking your feet in cold water, surrounded by trees, listening to the brook, is enough.
Sandals are out of the question. I strongly recommend marine shoes
And if you play in a stream, there's something KAZUKIN strongly wants to recommend.
Marine shoes.
Sandals?
Out of the question.
The current is stronger than it looks.
You think a shallow spot should be fine and step in, and you end up going
“Wh, wh, whoa...”
You can honestly get your feet swept away.
And the riverbed has stones of all sizes.
Slippery.
Painful.
You get carried away.
Sandals get carried away too.
Nothing good about it.
In that respect, marine shoes that cover your feet securely and grip are very dependable.
Of course, wearing marine shoes doesn't make it safe. The basic premise is to look at the water volume and current and not push yourself.
Set up a pop-up tent and it feels like camping
Arriving at the riverside, I spread out a pop-up tent.
Take out a table.
Set down a chair.
Set up the cooler box too.
Good.
It's camping.
...Well, it's a day trip.
No campfire.
No BBQ.
I don't even light a fire.
It's a tent, but I'm not sleeping in it.
Thinking calmly,
it's just a picnic.
But in KAZUKIN's mind it's camping.
To be precise, its position is probably
“a camp-ish picnic.”
Details don't matter.
If the person feels like he's camping, that's enough.
And lunch is a convenience-store Shinshu soba taken out of the cooler box.
Calling it camp food is a bit weak on punch.
I didn't cook anything.
I just took out what I bought.
But it's good.
Shinshu soba eaten in cold air while listening to the brook.
Eaten normally in a convenience-store parking lot, it might be ordinary soba.
But eaten by the stream,
“Wow, that's good.”
Nature as a seasoning is powerful.
その手にチェーンソー持ってますよね？
Summary
Bears are a little scary.
There are bugs too.
The footing is bad.
The water is colder than I imagined.
And the river's current isn't to be underestimated.
Even so, I want to go again.
Clear water.
Wind coming through the mountains.
The green of the trees.
And the constant sound of the brook.
I don't need expensive camping gear.
A pop-up tent, a chair and a cooler box.
Add a convenience-store Shinshu soba and that's enough for KAZUKIN.
Well, I really hope no bear shows up.
My forester relative says,
“They don't do anything.”
...
Still, could you lend me that chainsaw just once?
Mountain streams are great, right?
KAZUKIN Rating
- 💧 Water transparency — ★★★★★ (the stones on the bottom in plain view)
- 🐻 Caution toward bears — ★★★★☆ (can't fully trust the forester's words)
- 👡 Courage to take it on in sandals — ★☆☆☆☆ (marine shoes only)
- ⛺ Skill at staging a camp feel — ★★★★☆ (really just a picnic)
- 🍜 How convenience-store soba transforms — ★★★★★ (nature as a seasoning)
This stream is inside a campground. Playing in streams can be dangerous depending on water volume and weather. When you go, follow local government and facility rules and enjoy it within your limits.
This article is a personal opinion and experience record. Conversations in this article are based on memory and may differ in detail from what was actually said.