Hokkaido is surrounded by an ice-cold sea and is famous for its fresh fish and shellfish used in sushis, the most iconic Japanese food trademark. As a kitchen for Japanese food, many tourists are drawn to visit Hokkaido.
Today, I would like to introduce Touru Kanbayashi, who is: a member of YAMAtune athletes, a famous trail runner in Hokkaido and the third generation of traditional fishers.
Today, I would like to introduce Touru Kanbayashi, who is: a member of YAMAtune athletes, a famous trail runner in Hokkaido and the third generation of traditional fishers.
"Every day, I go fishing early morning and run in the evening"
He enjoyed running from an early age, and while a university student, he was nominated as a member of the Hakone Ekiden from the Hokkaido selection. Ekiden is a type of ultra-long-distance running race, where a team of runners work together in a relay. The name ekiden comes from the words "station" and "transmit", taken from an old transport system used to transport government documents.
Fishers require core and a sense of balance to survive the rough seas. A strong upper body is a must to draw heavy nets. Since the fishing season is in the winter, the daily routine of Touru consists of early morning fishing at 5 am and 10km run by the seaside or cross-country in the evening. Due to Covid-19, many races were cancelled last year. This year, the races are maintained yet reduced in scale for safety reasons. Touru mainly participates in Hokkaido races and will run as an invited special guest at the "Karikachi Trail Race" in Shintoku-Cho, Hokkaido, next month.
Hokkaido fishers like the motto "not trying is a failure". Accordingly, Touru will continue to train in the snowy northern lands while absorbing Hokkaido's charm and mysteries.
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