The variety show "Potsun to Ikkenya" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sundays at 7:54 PM) searches for isolated houses in remote areas using satellite photos as clues. The April 12th episode will follow a couple who have moved to an isolated house in the snow-covered mountains of Niigata Prefecture and live-stream the sounds of wild birds alongside their forestry work. The guests will be Mirai Shida and Mei Hata, who co-star in the TV Asahi drama "Error" (Sundays at 10:15 PM), which also premieres on the 12th.
The satellite image shows a house with a striking red roof nestled deep in the forest, but no fields are visible. A road is discernible, indicating it's deep in the mountains. The search party's vehicle travels along the seemingly endless, snow-covered mountain road. As they ascend, they encounter dangerous, icy slopes. Eventually, the house comes into view amidst the pristine white snowscape.
The person who greeted us was a man in his 50s. He said he currently lives there with his wife. They used to live in Tokyo together, but about 15 years ago they moved to a village at the foot of the mountain and gradually got used to the area and life in a snowy region. Then, 10 years ago, they moved into this house.
Her husband works in forestry and also takes on snow removal jobs with a snowplow during the winter. "I started forestry after we moved here. I'm still learning as I go, but it's really fun. The heat of summer, the snow in the middle of winter... I feel so grateful to have made it home safely every day. It gives me a great sense of being alive and accomplishment," she says, her eyes shining.
However, life was far from smooth sailing. Shortly after moving to this area, his wife fell ill. "For a while after she got sick, I was so depressed that I couldn't even leave the house, but that's when I started hearing the sounds of birds." With the desire to share the sounds of wild birds that healed his mind and body with many people, he spends his days live-streaming the natural scenery and the occasional sounds of wild birdsong, and his followers are gradually increasing.
Watching the couple, who savor the feeling of being "alive" and support each other through their daily lives, guest Shida, who was watching from the studio, said, "It's truly wonderful that you experience a sense of accomplishment every day," and Hata was also impressed, saying, "I was able to feel the beauty of the four seasons, which is something you don't often experience in the city."
