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Documentary, Ben Fogle New Lives Wild S21 E2 mountains of Japan
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00:00Any time I can stick it to the man and in a small way I do could you start your life all over again
00:08Leave behind everything you know for something completely different
00:13It's like I guess we live in a bit of a pressure cooker
00:16I'm Ben Fogel and over the next few weeks. I'm going to live with the incredible people who've done just that
00:22Did you ever feel like abandoning the property? No?
00:25It's my home would you say you enjoy the companionship of animals more than people probably?
00:32Yeah in some of the most remote places on earth
00:36This is why I love the wilderness. I'll discover their motivations for me was just yeah
00:42You're born you go to school you work all life, and then you die the challenges
00:47There's no way that I was gonna put
00:49My wife and my children in that house the condition that it was in
00:52Just make sure there's absolutely no electrical current down there and find out what it takes to make a new life in the wild
01:09This week I'm heading to the land of the rising Sun
01:14To meet Yorkshireman Rupert would you like a cup of tea whose search for a simple life led him to the mountains of Japan
01:22Am I right in thinking that you've fully embraced Japanese culture the hundred percent maybe more than your average Japanese person?
01:32I'll see firsthand the contentment this new life has brought him I come in my field. I just feel energized in like a child
01:41But learn how it's also pushed him to breaking point you're getting emotional now
01:46Yeah, cuz I'm think I can remember it all it almost feels like you're you're still traumatized by it
01:52Yeah, because it'll it'll probably happen again
01:59My journey takes me nine and a half thousand kilometers east to Japan and the southern island of Kyushu
02:06I've been to this country before and it never fails to totally captivate me
02:25If you love travel as I do this is the ultimate destination
02:29It's so wildly culturally and geographically different from
02:35Anywhere else and I still get so excited to get back here
02:40I'm just an hour's drive from the nearest city, but right now it feels like I'm the only person here
02:48Which is remarkable given that there are?
02:50One hundred and twenty four million people living in Japan
02:54What's really interesting for me is that over the last century or so there's been a huge urban migration?
03:00I think I need ten percent of the population live in its rural areas
03:04So what an earth a Yorkshireman is doing as part of that ten percent?
03:09Well, I hope to find out
03:15I soon join up with a tarmacked road and spot a small village ahead
03:20You live somewhere around here
03:28Where is he?
03:32Rupert?
03:32Oh, hey-o!
03:33Hey-o!
03:35Oh, that is the most unexpected welcome here in Japan
03:38Well, you can't take the Yorkshire after the Yorkshireman
03:40I love it
03:41But this is a slightly different environment to the one you're used to
03:45I mean, look at this
03:45A little bit, yes
03:46Can I have a look around?
03:48Yep, go on
03:49Oh, it's so good to be here Rupert
03:51In fact, you've just won first prize
03:52Yeah
03:53As the first Englishman to visit me
03:56Really?
03:57Yeah
03:57I take a great pride in that
04:0057-year-old Rupert grew up in the small town of Ilkley near Leeds
04:08A keen runner and cyclist
04:11He attended art college before moving to Singapore at the age of 24 to work in graphic design
04:17Over the next two decades, Rupert worked in photography, making good money
04:22But as city life took its toll, he began to yearn for a fresh start
04:28In 2013, Rupert moved to Fukuoka City in southern Japan
04:34But soon found himself drawn to the surrounding countryside
04:38It was in 2022 that he relocated to a remote village of 20 people
04:45Purchasing a traditional Japanese house for just £20,000
04:50It's been his home ever since
04:57Wow, here we go
04:59Wow, Rupert
05:02This is amazing in here
05:05Yeah
05:06Wow, it's incredibly atmospheric
05:11So what state was this in when you moved in?
05:13How much work have you done here?
05:14Actually, it's in quite good condition
05:17Because the house is a relatively new house
05:20What's new here in Japan?
05:22Well, this is 60 years old
05:24So that's quite new for this style
05:26Very traditional, which is why we bought it
05:29We?
05:30Oh, I'm married
05:31Where is your wife?
05:32She's at work now
05:34I'll meet her later
05:36Yes
05:37Looking around, I don't see a huge amount of evidence of Yorkshire
05:40Apart from your face and your head
05:42That's kind of it
05:43So you...
05:44Am I right in thinking that you've fully embraced Japanese culture?
05:48Yes, yeah
05:49I mean...
05:50Yeah, maybe 100%
05:52Maybe more than your average Japanese person
05:58You can see just how much Rupert has embraced the country's aesthetic in his home
06:03While the house is connected to the mains and a local water supply
06:07It relies on a small wood-burning stove for heating
06:11And it's definitely needed
06:13It is cold though
06:15You like the cold?
06:16Yeah, I love it
06:17I'm from Yorkshire, so it's in my blood
06:19No insulation
06:20Well, I can show you
06:21No underfloor heating here
06:23So...
06:24What's under that?
06:26Wait...
06:27Dirt
06:28Dirt?
06:29That's straight outside?
06:30Yep
06:31And actually, you can feel the wind coming
06:33Well, I can warm you up a bit if you're feeling cold
06:36Would you like a cup of tea?
06:37Yeah, I have a tea plantation
06:39Of course you have a tea plantation
06:43This is all very surreal
06:45And very charming
06:46It's atmospheric and beautiful
06:48But so unlikely
06:50To be met by a Yorkshireman on the side of a Japanese hilltop
06:54So it's like I really am treading in two parallel universes here
06:59But I've got a lot of questions to understand more about his very simple life
07:05But what I do get a sense of is he's very happy
07:12Because the village is so isolated
07:14Rupert bought a small van for just £150 to get around
07:18His other prized possession can only be accessed by ladder
07:23His very own rice field
07:26Is this going to pass health and safety?
07:28I think that looks okay
07:29I think it'd be banned in England
07:31I'll follow you up
07:33Okay
07:38Ice security
07:40Paddy field
07:41It's like a castle
07:43Not much rice going on right now though
07:46Yeah, I harvested in November
07:48Yeah
07:49That's a pretty good view
07:51Yeah, when I saw this rice field
07:54I thought it was like love at first sight
07:58I can see the smile on your face glowing
08:02You're obviously really proud of this
08:04You love the rice
08:05Yeah, I'm proud of my rice
08:07So how on earth does a Yorkshireman know where to begin when it comes to growing rice?
08:13Was this all through local knowledge?
08:15Local knowledge and self-taught
08:18I've experienced how they grow it the modern way
08:20And it's just, I don't know, disillusioned me
08:23No one does by hand anymore
08:25What do the locals make of this?
08:27I mean, I can see they're quietly impressed
08:31But they also...
08:32I spoke to one farmer the other day
08:34He looked horrified when I said I didn't use insecticide
08:37It's called no-yako in Japanese
08:40So no insecticides, mu-no-yako
08:43So I like using that word a lot
08:45So you're healthier, economically, are you pretty stable?
08:50Well, rephrased, I don't really like money
08:55And living where I live, I don't need much money
09:00My wife works on a minimum wage
09:04And we live on very little
09:06Would you say this is an idyllic life?
09:08Oh, yes
09:09I come in my field, I just feel energised
09:11And like a...
09:13You know, like...
09:14Like a child
09:15I see what he means
09:21I sense an almost childlike giddiness about Rupert
09:24When he talks about his life here
09:26On top of growing tea leaves and rice
09:29He also has a vegetable garden to supplement his meals
09:32And as his wife Asaki is away for her job in education
09:36Tonight's dinner will be a traditional Japanese meal for two
09:41Wow, look at that
09:43Wow
09:45That's not artificial colour, really
09:47Wow, that's amazing
09:49Natural
09:50And almost everything on the table comes from Rupert's land
09:53Or the surrounding area
09:55I'm the cook in the house, my wife doesn't really cook
09:58Our roles are kind of reversed, she goes to work
10:01And then I cook
10:03Did you always cook when you were back in Yorkshire, for example?
10:06Always, yeah
10:08Back when I lived in London after college
10:13And Singapore...
10:14How did you end up in Singapore?
10:16There was a recession in England in 1991
10:20And I got retrenched
10:22And then I was offered a job in Singapore
10:25Yeah, it seems such an exotic place
10:27I was 24 years old
10:28You know, that's quite exciting, isn't it?
10:30And sometimes you can get drawn into things
10:32And then you can't see the...
10:34What is it?
10:35You can't see the wood for the trees
10:36Mm-hmm
10:37Do you think that happened to you?
10:38Yes, yeah
10:39And then...
10:40Maybe after...
10:42Ten years...
10:44I just steadily got disillusioned
10:47Mm-hmm
10:49And...
10:50And with the expense
10:51And yes, it was so money-based
10:53That I got in a taxi one day
10:55And he said, how much do you earn?
10:57That's the first thing he said
10:59And I think I said...
11:02I have nothing
11:04I mean, that was the reason I was leaving Singapore
11:07It was impossible to live there
11:09To live there
11:10And I actually didn't want to live there
11:11I didn't want to...
11:12Pay...
11:13To exist
11:14And there was a point with work
11:16Because I was having to work very hard
11:18To pay...
11:19The rent
11:20It was like...
11:21Three thousand dollars a month
11:22Uh...
11:23And I developed a...
11:24Like...
11:25A nervous twitch
11:26It was terrible
11:27It was like...
11:28Really bad
11:29It was like an open prison
11:31Ha...
11:32Ha...
11:33For me
11:34Right
11:35So at what point did you decide to leave the open prison
11:38And come here?
11:40That was...
11:41Actually, I was there way too long after 18 years
11:44Just a long...
11:45Long time
11:46Uh...
11:47I think when you...
11:48Well, you get older, you get wiser, don't you?
11:51Ha... Ha...
11:52You start thinking more
11:54I was changing as a person
11:56And more spiritual
11:58And the more I learn about Japan
11:59Japan was always on the list
12:01So that's where I ended up
12:03No money, but happy as
12:08He's a fascinating individual
12:10He looks like...
12:12He belongs here
12:14But it's been a very circuitous journey
12:16And I'm looking forward to finding out a little bit more about
12:19You know, how that's impacted him
12:21Whether he is as eternally happy
12:25And zen as he has sort of alluded to
12:28I've just spent my first night in a traditional Japanese house
12:43My host, Rupert, moved to rural Japan after spending almost two decades in Singapore as a photographer
12:59His wife, Asaki, is now the breadwinner
13:03And works in schools throughout the country
13:05So it's down to Rupert to forage food for the couple's three goats
13:10Do you like the goats?
13:14I like them
13:15They're more, for me, fertilizer, farm animals
13:18But they're my wife's pets
13:20She loves them, loves walking them
13:22I mean, who walks a goat?
13:25Well, in her absence, it looks like we do
13:29Okay, so...
13:31Where's she going?
13:32As they need to be moved into their field
13:34Yes, yeah
13:35Come on, no, over to this one
13:36Here, look, this pile here
13:37If I drag some food here
13:38Oh, she's already gone, she
13:40While they're eating, they're pooing
13:42It's just a machine
13:43Which leads me on to the next thing that you can help me with
13:49And that's muck out their shed
13:51Oh, yeah
13:53Do you get much help around here?
13:55No, it's just me and my wife
13:57And my rice field, that's a solitary thing
13:59I do that all myself
14:01To some people, that's a negative connotation
14:03Yes, yeah
14:05What does it mean to you?
14:06For me, it's a meditative
14:10Do you enjoy being alone?
14:12Yeah, I enjoy it, yeah
14:14But I'm not a hermit
14:15How do you find having me here?
14:17Yeah, well, it halves the work
14:19I love that
14:22Free labor
14:24Free labor
14:25Well, I do need to cover my board and lodgings
14:29Stinky
14:30It looks like this is also salvaged
14:32Was this a hen house?
14:34It was a hen house before
14:36But the snakes were able to get even through the wire mesh
14:40I'm wondering what other sort of difficulties you face here in Japan
14:44You obviously get earthquakes
14:45Earthquakes
14:46But we're actually in a landslide red zone
14:49So I think a lot of people wouldn't want to live in this house
14:51Probably why it was so cheap
14:55But I take my chances
14:57I mean
14:58You're laughing, but is that a big gamble here?
14:59Like, is there a real threat?
15:00This could be swept away?
15:02You just never know
15:03I mean, with climate change, the rainfall is getting worse and worse
15:07And so after a big rainfall
15:09I mean, literally the hill here that we're on
15:12Could just slip down to the valley
15:14Because it's very, very steep
15:16And when you say big rainfall
15:17I assume we're not talking about English rainfall
15:19We're talking
15:20Do you get typhoons here?
15:21We get typhoons
15:22Oh yeah, that's the other one
15:23They're quite scary
15:24I love the fact that
15:25It's just one you'd forgotten about
15:27The risk of typhoons
15:28Well, I shouldn't, but I enjoy them
15:31It makes you feel really alive
15:34Typhoons, landslides
15:37There are a few more hazards here than in Yorkshire
15:45It makes me wonder if Rupert ever yearned
15:47For the moors and villages of Northern England
15:49When he first moved abroad
15:54When you left the UK to go to Singapore
15:56Did you miss England?
15:57I did, but I didn't miss the reason why I left England
16:02And what was that?
16:03I was in a kind of a very toxic relationship
16:08So you had to get away?
16:09So I was offered this job in Singapore
16:11And I was like great escape
16:13And then in Singapore I went into a good relationship
16:17With a local girl
16:19And ironically she left for college
16:22To go to college in England
16:25Oh really?
16:26So she went to England and then I stayed in Singapore
16:28Things happen that keep you there
16:31And you get new friends
16:33So I ended up staying
16:35Staying far too long
16:36Is Yorkshire still home?
16:38I mean it's my roots
16:40I can't seem to take the Yorkshireman out of me
16:43But definitely Japan feels like my home
16:47I've always wanted to go to Japan
16:49And there was just all these distractions
16:51And things that allow me to kind of follow that
16:56Well it was a dream for decades
17:00And then meeting my wife was another significant thing
17:04When I arrived in Fukuoka City
17:07Both of us wanted to live in nature
17:10If you had never left the UK
17:12What do you think you'd be doing now?
17:13Where do you think you'd be?
17:14Oh god I don't know
17:16And that thought scares me actually
17:18I don't know whether I can answer
17:20Japan is destiny
17:25When there's destiny there isn't another option
17:27It's just this one
17:28This is where you were meant to be?
17:30Yeah it feels like it
17:35I've met people all over the world
17:37Who weren't necessarily born where they
17:40Or even I think they belong
17:43But Japan, it was like he was drawn to it
17:47And Japan was not necessarily the goal
17:50But perhaps it was the destiny
17:52So I think he's found happiness here
17:55That he wouldn't have found elsewhere
17:58Amidst these stunning natural surroundings
18:02It's clear why Rupert feels so at home here
18:06Wow this is amazing
18:10So peaceful in here as well
18:11Oh yes, I like it, I love coming here
18:14This bamboo forest has a rainwater channel flowing through it
18:18That leads to Rupert's rice field
18:20But it needs clearing
18:24Seeing my host at work
18:26I can't imagine him living any other life than this one
18:32I'm wondering what it was like when you first arrived
18:34Did you feel like a fish out of water?
18:36I suppose first few years
18:39But adapted fast
18:42I mean there were issues with money
18:44Language barrier of course
18:46Because Japanese is not an easy language
18:47So even if you're in a crowd of people
18:49But if you can't communicate with them
18:51You're kind of all alone
18:53Because I'm wondering how you went from this
18:55Urban dwelling individual
18:57Who'd come from
18:58You know, capitalist
19:00Singapore
19:01Living in an apartment in urban Japan
19:03To now being a rice farmer
19:04Yeah, it's a ridiculous transition isn't it?
19:07Yeah, I'm not sure what to say to her
19:19I'm not sure what's caused this sudden change in Rupert
19:29It seems there's more to his Japanese story
19:31That I've yet to discover
19:33We all have a tendency to try and show off our best side
19:37And given 12 hours, 24 hours
19:40We can all give the very best edit of who we are
19:44And it then takes a few days to start uncovering
19:47Perhaps not necessarily the negatives
19:51But more of the authentic side of that lifestyle
19:55And I think slowly I'm just picking beneath the surface
19:59Of who Rupert is
20:13The next morning
20:14We drive to another remote village
20:1630 minutes away
20:18Where Rupert wants me to understand more
20:20About what led to his reaction yesterday
20:23Wow, look at this
20:29This is beautiful
20:31It turns out
20:33This was the first house Rupert and his wife bought
20:36When they decided to move to the countryside eight years ago
20:39It cost just £5,000
20:42But while they still own it
20:44It's now totally abandoned
20:47So the first couple of years
20:49It was just wonderful
20:50And then
20:52Yeah, I guess still quite difficult to talk about
20:58This is in flood zone
21:01So
21:02They started work
21:04After two or three years
21:05Of us being here
21:06They started work on the river
21:08And then the dream started turning into
21:11Like
21:12It was just hell
21:14They remove the original river
21:17As in beautiful, pure nature
21:20Demolish all the rocks
21:22And then just fill it with concrete
21:24So it was kind of
21:27Having to suffer
21:29Ten ton trucks going
21:31Backwards and forwards
21:32Past the house
21:33So you can imagine these
21:34On full throttle
21:36Full of soil
21:37This ten ton truck
21:38And the diesel fumes going in the front door
21:40It sounds to me like it really, really impacted you
21:45More than just the kind of inconvenience of the trucks going past
21:49And when they started dynamiting the rocks
21:52You can imagine the noise
21:54Because it's a narrow valley
21:55And what was your overriding sentiment?
21:57Was it anger?
21:58Was it sadness?
22:00No, it was sadness
22:01Yeah
22:08Yeah, I used to go and cry in the forest
22:10You're getting emotional now
22:11No, I am
22:12Thank you, Emerson
22:13Yeah, because I think I can remember it all
22:18It almost feels like you're still traumatised by it
22:21Yeah, because it'll
22:23It'll probably happen again
22:24So if I
22:25If I wanted to come back to
22:27My dream house
22:29It'd be alright for a few years
22:31And then same thing will happen again
22:33Because I know it's not the first time
22:35They've done that to the river
22:37Did you react?
22:39Yeah, I did a few maybe silly things
22:43When the trucks were so bad
22:47I actually
22:49I did a protest and laid in the road to stop them
22:52It was a big reaction to lie down in the road
22:55In front of
22:56Yeah, in retrospect
22:57But it was just a re-
22:59It was a reaction
23:00It was better than hurling bricks at the trucks
23:03And my wife
23:04Well
23:05At one point, yeah
23:06It was too stressful
23:07Her
23:09Being with me
23:10So upset
23:11So
23:12She started looking for a house
23:14And actually
23:15We were so lucky
23:16With the other house
23:17It was the first one we saw
23:19So
23:21And we
23:22We kind of decided to buy it
23:24There and then
23:25And moved
23:26Really fast
23:27She thought of selling this
23:29I said, no way
23:30We've just put our heart and soul into this
23:32So
23:33We keep it
23:34Even if it's just
23:35It's a museum
23:36Sounds like it's almost like a bereavement for you
23:40This
23:41That whole experience
23:42The loss of
23:43A dream
23:44Yeah
23:45Yeah
23:47Yeah
23:48Instead of losing my house in an earthquake
23:50Which is possible
23:51I just
23:52I just had to leave it
23:54Couldn't live in it
23:55Forced out of my home
23:57It's quite unexpected really
23:58For all the reasons to be driven from your house
24:08A construction site
24:11Was not what I was expecting to hear
24:15But it's interesting
24:16His reaction
24:18Was
24:19Pretty big
24:20To lie down in the road
24:22And stop the trucks coming
24:24But the trauma obviously
24:25Ran
24:26And runs
24:27Really deep
24:28And I'm wondering whether
24:30There is something
24:31Deeper within
24:33That
24:34Led to such a
24:36Huge reaction
24:38To what was obviously
24:40A pretty
24:41Awful
24:42Period
24:43I'm in the mountains of rural Japan
24:58Three years ago
25:00Rupert and his wife
25:02Made the decision
25:03To leave their old home
25:04For a fresh start in this village
25:06And while he tends to keep to himself
25:09It seems he's known to his neighbours
25:11So what have we got here?
25:14We've got old shrine wood
25:16In our local community
25:18We have a shrine just up there
25:20So they built a new one
25:21And as usual
25:23Everyone knows Rupert likes wood
25:25Yeah
25:26So they said I could have all the wood
25:27Yeah
25:28Looks a bit too big for your vehicle
25:29It's a bit too long
25:30Yeah, so
25:31I've got a saw
25:32Okay
25:35You're getting good riddance
25:36It's quite fast
25:37Yeah, you finish it off
25:39About half way
25:40Yeah
25:41There you go
25:46There we go
25:52I can see the pleasure you get out of
25:54Using this
25:55If I offered you a chainsaw now
25:57Which would you use?
25:58I'd say no
25:59Because
26:00Well I got
26:01I got tinnitus
26:02For a start
26:03So it's too noisy
26:04Too smelly
26:05So I much prefer this
26:12Happy with all that?
26:14Yeah, very happy
26:15I did it in twice the speed
26:17So it saves a bit of time
26:19I've been wondering
26:21You mentioned
26:22You know
26:23The trauma
26:24Of all the trucks
26:25Passing your house
26:26And how it made you feel
26:28And you were just mentioning there
26:29About
26:30You know
26:31The fact that you would choose
26:32An old fashioned saw over
26:33A chainsaw
26:34You don't like the sounds
26:35I'm wondering whether you've ever
26:37Explored
26:38Whether your sensitivity
26:40Perhaps
26:41To environmental noises
26:42And things
26:43Maybe
26:44Is something bigger or deeper?
26:46Yeah
26:47It's funny you should
26:48Touch on that
26:49Because I do have
26:50Well I'm dyslexic
26:52For a start
26:53Ditto
26:55Me too
26:56Yeah, yeah
26:57And
26:58Actually my wife
27:00Worked it out
27:01I didn't really
27:02Know too much about it
27:03I have ADHD
27:04Yeah
27:05Ditto
27:06Really?
27:07Yeah, me too
27:08I think
27:09What's interesting
27:10Obviously as you'll know
27:11There's like a spectrum
27:12Of ADHD
27:13Where do you think
27:14Where have you found yourself?
27:15Yeah
27:16And it's impacted
27:17On quite a few things
27:18Because I am
27:19Very sensitive to sound
27:21Which makes complete sense now
27:23Why are all those trucks
27:24Rumbling past your house?
27:26Yeah, so it's worse
27:27Than maybe for a normal person
27:28I think
27:29Well my wife was
27:30Kind of
27:31Sort of
27:32Didn't really affect her
27:33And
27:35For me
27:36It was just like
27:37I was thinking
27:38When you were saying
27:39How one of the things you did
27:41When all those trucks
27:42Were rumbling past
27:43Was just to throw yourself
27:45In the road
27:46Almost in protest
27:47Because that's quite
27:48That's quite a dramatic
27:49Reaction
27:50But I would have done
27:51Can I say
27:52I
27:53I could
27:54See myself
27:55In a mirror
27:56I would have done
27:57Exactly the same thing
27:58You almost can't control
27:59How you
28:00React
28:01To certain things
28:02Yeah, my wife
28:03She bought a book
28:04So it's all in there
28:05And
28:06It's like a comic strip
28:07Of all these things
28:08That affect ADHD
28:09Stuff for us
28:10And it's just
28:11Me, me, me, me
28:12And doing things
28:15Half way as well
28:16Which I can
28:17Can be
28:18Famous for
28:19It's the story
28:20Of my life
28:21Can I say
28:22Drives my wife
28:23Up the wall
28:24Even though
28:25I now understand
28:26Why
28:27I do those things
28:28The way I do
28:29It can still
28:30Be annoying
28:31For other people
28:32And for myself
28:33To be honest
28:34Yeah, yeah, yeah
28:35For sure
28:36Wow
28:37Well, thanks
28:38Thanks for sharing that
28:42I think what is
28:43Maybe surprising
28:44Is that
28:45He actually
28:46Knows
28:47Why he behaves
28:48The way he does
28:49The fact that
28:50He actually
28:51Got a diagnosis
28:52Of ADHD
28:53Because a lot of people
28:55Just roll their eyes
28:56Back in
28:57In the UK
28:58And I kind of get it
28:59It's kind of
29:00It's something that
29:01A lot of people talk about
29:02But I think sometimes
29:03Especially when you hear
29:04About hypersensitivity
29:05To sounds
29:06And to lights
29:07And things
29:08I think
29:09It can
29:10Explain a lot
29:11And I think
29:12It's done that
29:13For Rupert
29:14And it's
29:15I think
29:16It's always nice
29:17To meet someone
29:18Who you can share
29:19With
29:24It's now clear
29:26Why Rupert
29:27Made the decision
29:28To embrace
29:29The life
29:30Of a quiet
29:31Rice farmer
29:32We can put it
29:33Just here
29:34It's fine
29:35As the evening
29:37Starts to draw in
29:38We get busy
29:39Processing rice
29:40The traditional way
29:41And it feels like
29:43This is the life
29:44My host may be
29:45Always yearned for
29:46And it feels like
29:47This is the life
29:48My host may be
29:49Always yearned for
29:50I think this is the most contented I've seen you in quite a while
30:01Wow
30:03Wow
30:04No one else to answer to except my rice
30:07I say
30:08I love it
30:09What makes you happy Rupert?
30:11Rice
30:12And my wife
30:15I think it should be the other way round though
30:18Wife and then rice
30:20I'm dyslexic
30:21I'm dyslexic
30:22Don't forget
30:23I know Rupert's joking
30:25But it does feel strange that I've not met Asaki yet
30:29Especially as she played such a big role in bringing him to this village
30:33And it sounds like Asaki has been more than just a wife
30:37She's kind of really helped you through some difficult periods here
30:41Yeah without her
30:42Yeah I'd probably be
30:43I don't know why
30:45Yeah I mean I'm very grateful to her
30:48Yeah
30:50Yeah I couldn't have achieved this without her
30:52She's helped you through some dark times
30:54Yeah
30:55Yeah
30:57Yes
30:58Especially the other house
31:01Yeah
31:02I want her to be more in a farm
31:05Like as much as me
31:07And I do a bit more work
31:10But if I make money
31:11I don't want to go back to be doing photo assignments
31:14Commercial work
31:16If I make any money it's from selling small amounts of what I produce
31:21Is that how you see your kind of financial security in the future
31:26Through the produce that you actually grow and make here?
31:29We don't live on much so I can
31:31It should work
31:33That's the plan
31:35Do you think you could have done this?
31:37Do you think you'd be doing this without her?
31:39No
31:40Impossible
31:41I'm glad that he recognizes what Asaki has done for him
31:51And I'm really glad that not only does he recognize it
31:54But he wants to kind of you know change their lifestyle together looking forward
32:00So that they can live the life that they want to here in rural Japan
32:05After another chilly night
32:20I come downstairs to finally be greeted by the elusive Asaki
32:24Asaki
32:25Ah
32:26Asaki
32:27Hello
32:28Hi there
32:29Very nice to be here
32:30I'm Ben
32:31Konnichiwa
32:32Asaki
32:33You've been working hard
32:34Yeah I've been busy this week
32:36Asaki works as a teaching coordinator
32:39Which sees her having to travel throughout the country
32:42Now she's home
32:43I'm intrigued to learn more about this couple
32:46I've finally met
32:48Asaki
32:49This is great
32:50Yeah
32:51I know
32:52How did you guys meet?
32:53We were in Fukuoka city
32:56And my student, English student, introduced me
33:02Who was actually a photographer?
33:04Oh really?
33:05And he lived in England as well, that student
33:08So they go on at a bar or something
33:11Yeah, international bar it was called
33:13So a lot of foreigners went there
33:16And it's quite a good place to meet people
33:18Mm-hmm
33:19So if I hadn't have met him
33:21I would maybe not have met
33:23So
33:24I must admit
33:26I did wonder if I was ever going to meet Asaki
33:31And witness her take the goats out for a walk
33:34Okay, we're off
33:36So which way are we going?
33:38Going downstairs
33:40Downstairs
33:41Careful, they're going to run
33:43Are they going to run?
33:44You can let her go
33:45Oh
33:46Oh
33:47Oh
33:48The goats have their own idea of what they want to do
33:54Yeah, they just go to where the food is
33:57Where the food is
33:58Yeah
34:03Asaki, this is so beautiful
34:06Yeah
34:07I'm wondering
34:08I've obviously been to visit
34:09The home that you lived in before this
34:12Where you had all the noise
34:14Do you miss that home?
34:15Not really
34:17I feel quite comfortable here
34:20Mm-hmm
34:21But yeah, it was a shame at that time
34:24When we had to leave
34:26Mm-hmm
34:27It sounds quite stressful
34:28Obviously Rupert had a specific sensitivity
34:32To all the noise and all the trucks
34:35Were you surprised by his reaction?
34:39At first, yes
34:42He
34:43Yeah, he was
34:45Not like a Japanese person
34:47And the decision to ultimately leave
34:49And find this place
34:51Was that mutual?
34:52Did you both decide to look for elsewhere?
34:55I took the initiative
34:59Because
35:00Yeah, he was
35:02Out of his mind
35:03Mm-hmm
35:04So
35:05He didn't
35:06Look for
35:07Another place
35:08But I did
35:09Mm-hmm
35:10Yeah
35:11And then I
35:12Brought him
35:13To this place
35:14And then he liked it
35:16Obviously
35:17You're the main breadwinner
35:19Right now
35:20You're earning
35:21The main income
35:22Do you think that will always remain the case?
35:24Or do you hope to be able to alter or change that?
35:27And hopefully Rupert will start earning some as well
35:31Mm-hmm
35:32I mean Rupert kind of said he doesn't like money
35:34Talking about money
35:35Yeah, but also he like
35:37But he likes spending
35:39He on like
35:41Yeah, good food
35:42Mm-hmm
35:43Quality things
35:44Always cost some money
35:45Like we can produce everything
35:48Like soy sauce
35:49Oil
35:50Cooking oil
35:51Things
35:52Have you got goals or ambitions?
35:55Hopes for the future?
35:57Uh
35:58More vegetables
36:00Yeah, more time for me to farm and spend outside
36:07Yeah
36:08This is the place to do it?
36:10Yeah
36:11Look at this
36:12I'm so glad I finally met Osaki
36:21And they're very well suited on the face of it
36:23They're both a little bit socially reserved
36:25They're both, you know, a little bit shy
36:27I think it was really hard for her
36:31Seeing Rupert's reaction at their old house
36:35When all those trucks were rumbling past
36:37And he flung himself in the road
36:39But behind the scenes Osaki has done a huge amount of work
36:43To get him to where he is today
36:46And I think perhaps they're just reaching a crossroads
36:49Where it's time for Rupert to give Osaki a chance
36:53To actually be able to kind of share the beauty of this lifestyle
37:00For the past few days
37:15I've been staying with fellow Brit Rupert
37:18In truth
37:19I've seen very little of Japan beyond his daily life here
37:22So today we're exploring more of his adopted homeland
37:29First stop is a natural beauty spot
37:32That looks like something out of a Japanese film set
37:39It's so peaceful here
37:41The water, sometimes it just makes you shut up
37:45Just...
37:47The water's doing the talking
37:49Yeah, I love it
37:51I mean, it's in Japan
37:53It's linked to the Shinto religion
37:55It's purification
37:58So you come here
37:59You can kind of, you know, clean your mind
38:02Is there anything you miss about the UK being out here?
38:05I'm guilty of not missing much at all
38:10My family, because I've been away from England for over 30 years
38:14Are you close with them?
38:15Yeah, I'm close, yeah
38:18I keep in contact with them
38:20Yeah, I've only been back twice in 20 years
38:23And this summer
38:26My wife
38:27Despite in the middle of rice growing season
38:31My wife literally forced me to go back to England
38:34And see my mother and father
38:37And brother and sister
38:39Because it's been seven years
38:41And little did I know
38:43If I hadn't gone back this summer
38:47I would never have seen my father alive
38:49Because three months after that trip
38:54In November
38:56He died
38:57Oh, I'm so sorry
38:58Yeah, that was quite a surprise
39:02What kind of man was your father?
39:05Happy man
39:07Very happy man
39:08Mm-hmm
39:11And I think, yeah
39:14After my dad's passing
39:15I've come from places like this
39:17Just to sit there
39:22And these places are so beautiful
39:24And look, it's just us two
39:26Nobody
39:27Nobody
39:28What does that mean?
39:30Nobody here
39:31But everything is here, I think
39:34Right
39:36I think one of the things I have found
39:48Over the last decade of spending time with different Ruperts all around the world
39:54Is you can find your dream place
39:58You can create your dream lifestyle
40:01But there are some things that are much harder to escape
40:05And bereavement
40:07Neurodiversity
40:08But
40:09Hopefully
40:10And what I've certainly experienced in the past
40:12Is that
40:13Nature can be a great tonic
40:15For those things
40:20In fact, nature has been Rupert's remedy
40:23For almost every challenge he's faced since moving here
40:26Wow
40:28I'm in Japan now
40:31For my final experience of this country
40:38We're heading to another place of special significance for my host
40:44And from the view alone
40:48I can see why
40:50This is a pretty magnificent spot
40:56It is
40:57When I first found it, it was like, wow
40:59And the best bit, no one comes here
41:02Except me
41:04When the trucks and the river problem happened, it was my
41:09I could just escape it all
41:11It's your refuge
41:13Yeah, refuge
41:14Retreat
41:15Is that strange being here with me then?
41:18Uh
41:19Actually
41:21No, I don't mind
41:23I'm wondering
41:24Why
41:25You opened the doors to your house and your life to me for a week
41:30What you hoped you'd get
41:32I thought my
41:34Journey
41:36Is good to share
41:38Because
41:39I mean
41:40I've achieved like a dream
41:42So it's pretty optimistic
41:45And hopefully can inspire other people to maybe think
41:49Of doing a similar thing
41:51In whatever situation they're in
41:54It's like a blueprint
41:56It's like a blueprint
41:57So
41:58Try and apply that
41:59And then you're
42:00Happy as me
42:01So now
42:03Yeah, my new place is here
42:08A pretty beautiful place it is
42:10Yeah, thank you
42:11And thank you for visiting
42:12No, it's been everything
42:13It's been good
42:14Yeah, good to share
42:15It's been fun, hasn't it?
42:16Yeah
42:17Yeah
42:20Yeah
42:21Well, I should take a record of you being here
42:22Yeah
42:23Best place to be here
42:25So I could take
42:26You stood there
42:27Here
42:33I genuinely had no idea what to expect when I first came here
42:38All I knew was that I was meeting a man who left Yorkshire
42:42But Rupert has definitely defied any sort of assumptions I may have made upon first meeting him
42:51Because it's taken him on a 17,000 kilometer journey around the world to a part of the Japanese countryside that most people are leaving behind
43:04And him embracing technology that's hundreds of years old to actually find the happiness that he has been searching for
43:13But it's almost like he's been looking for that sense of belonging
43:17And he's finally found it here
43:19And it's not on his own
43:20It's with Asaki who has been his kind of crutch throughout many of the harder periods of his life
43:28I have to say I'm going to miss this place
43:39I'm going to miss Japan
43:40I hope you've had a good time
43:43I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed getting to know you both
43:48In just a few days
43:50Yeah
43:51I've actually got to learn a lot about myself as well
43:54Oh, I'm really glad you've taken something away from it
43:57So listen, thank you so much
43:58Good luck with everything
43:59Thank you
44:00Thank you
44:01Come on, give me a hug
44:02Good luck
44:03Thank you
44:04Yeah, keep up that rice farming
44:05Oh yeah, not stopping that
44:07Yeah, make sure you take enough time for yourselves to enjoy all of this as well
44:11I'll be back
44:12Yeah, see you all again
44:13How do you say it? Sayonara
44:15Sayonara
44:16Sayonara
44:17Sayonara
44:18Sayonara
44:19Sayonara
44:20Rashi
44:21Yeah
44:22That was nice
44:32Next time, I'm in Thailand
44:34It really is magical here
44:35To meet a woman whose memories of a youth spent in nature
44:39That was the happiest time of my life
44:41Have inspired her to start over again in the wild
44:45What's fascinating is that it's kind of come full circle
44:47People are now returning to this simplicity from the complications of urban life
44:52It does give me balance and freedom
45:17To have been wLEY
45:18High to people
45:19Let'sồnara
45:24To have Wait
45:25Quar
45:26Alive
45:27Sort of
45:28Kate
45:29Married
45:30Deer
45:31Be
45:31Arrogej
45:33Pass
45:34To have
45:35To地
45:36Park
45:37At
45:38To
45:38Park
45:40retrieav
45:41In
45:42Arrog
45:43In
Recommended
45:11
44:41
42:46
44:41
44:40
44:39
44:41
44:58
45:09
44:20
42:42
42:42
59:00
53:14
46:21
46:04
25:36
22:30
46:03
42:56
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