Wow, Wild World

Ride horses, steam in saunas and spot wildlife in Japan's remote 'last frontier' in Hokkaido's far eastern region

- Toh Ee Ming

HOKKAIDO - The first man slips on a bright green frog hat and, one by one, the rest of the five middle-aged singers follow suit.

Then it begins: He croaks out a low baritone tune, the next man joins in an octave higher and, soon, the chorus is squatting and leaping, palms splayed like webbed feet, mouths open wide in synchronized harmony.

Each note brings bolder gestures, their exaggerated frog-like expressions growing more animated with every beat.

This might be the strangest choir performance I have ever witnessed. Yet, around me, the rest of the audience watches, impassive.

The rest of the set, performed at the Nitay To Shibecha Museum, unfolds with more classics — Christmas carols and theme songs from animated films and TV shows My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Doraemon (2005) and Anpanman (1988).

We are in Toro, a tiny town deep in Hokkaido's far eastern region that is often described as Japan's last frontier.

This wild landscape is known for its vast national parks, the sprawling Kushiro Marsh and its iconic inhabitants, including the endangered red-crowned cranes, revered as "gods of the marsh" in the indigenous Ainu language.

In October 2024, my companion and I touch down in Kushiro city, a former fishing powerhouse now grappling with economic decline and a greying population, and make our way to Toro.

Despite the beautiful climate and scenery, tourists — both international and domestic — are few and far between. But change is in the air. The community is fighting to preserve its traditions, alongside a wave of newcomers eager to breathe new life into the rural area.

EQUINE IMMERSION

A friend had connected me with Ms Rika Tatsukawa, founder of Heart Ranch. Now, I am here for a 12-day stint as its first international volunteer.

Ms Tatsukawa, 36, and her father Junichi Tatsukawa, 64, bring their global entrepreneurial backgrounds to Heart Ranch.