Episode 1

Naturalist Steve Backshall and double Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover go on an exhilarating adventure, travelling a thousand kilometres through Japan's northern highlands.

Steve speaks Japanese, having trained in Japan for his black belt in judo. Helen could well face her next Olympic challenge in 2020 in Japan. Together they discover ancient pilgrimage routes, a volcanic landscape and unique wildlife in Tohoku -a region of outstanding natural beauty seemingly left behind by time.

In this episode, they track macaques and serows in the wild, go snow shoe trekking to Japan's largest mud volcano and experience a centuries-old samurai hot spring bath.