Hello everyone, it’s Eri. Are you all enjoying the summer?
Although the blistering heat in Tokyo is reaching temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius, the hot summer is when we should all enjoy being active! At least that’s what outdoor guru Toshi believes, so he proposed that we all go to Tochigi Prefecture to visit Nikko City’s Lake Chuzenji for a kayaking tour! We also planned to set up a day camp by the lakeside after kayaking. This was going to be a pretty exciting day.
So with much anticipation for the vast natural beauty and the unpredictable things that were bound to happen, we set off with our Everio and backup battery at six in the morning!
For this shoot, I decided to use the Bluetooth-compatible Full HD Memory Camcorder GZ-HM550.
GZ-HM550 Full HD Memory Camcorder
Arrival at Nantai Mountain View Spot!
After driving for about 2.5 hours from Tokyo, we arrived at the Akechidaira Station drive-in, which has a wonderful scenic view. On stepping out of the car we were showered with positive energy from the overwhelming Nantai Mountain view! This is also the station where the Akechidaira Ropeway, which travels up to the observatory, makes its way back and forth. As such, I was able to capture the ropeway as it traveled downwards with Nantai Mountain in the background.
Everio GZ-HM550 Nantai Mountain and Akechirdaira Ropeway (Nikko City)
Kayak Experience on Lake Chuzenji!
After a light meal, we headed toward our goal of Lake Chuzenji.
Since it is Japan’s highest-altitude lake*, even in the heat of the summer it is relatively cool and quite comfortable to visit.
The kayak we were trying out is actually a type of canoe. It looks like a banana with a hole carved in the middle of its body and is equipped with a double-blade paddle on both of its sides, which makes controlling it a bit of a tricky task. First, we learned how to paddle while on dry land, and then we prepared to shoot some video on the kayaks.
For this occasion, I brought with me a special clip-on type pod and it was so easy to secure to the kayak! As soon as I was ready, I jumped in the kayak and off I went!
*Among natural lakes larger than 4km2, excluding man-made lakes.
I immediately began shooting with the kayak-mounted Everio. Although it was a bit unfortunate that I was not able to capture the mountains in the background (since I couldn’t adjust the pod’s height), I had however positioned the camcorder at the front of the kayak, so I was able to capture a very dynamic video that looks as if it’s cutting right through the ocean! Since we were on a two-man kayak, my partner was also shooting video from behind to capture me paddling from a very different and interesting perspective. In the beginning it was difficult to move straight ahead, but I was still able to experience a feeling of having the entire lake to myself!
Everio GZ-HM550 Kayak Onboard Camcorder and Kayak Paddling (Nikko City)
GPS-Recorded Kayak Route!
Once we began getting a handle on maneuvering the kayak, we set off to adventure further into Lake Chuzenji! The location from where we set off was now just but a speck, so from here we were really heading into uncharted waters. We were excited about what awaited us next! As I was shooting with the Bluetooth-compatible GZ-HM550, I was able to record our Lake Chuzenji kayak route on the GPS! What a feeling of wonder to be able to leave tracks in the middle of the lake. As my canoe route has been converted into a kmz file for Google Earth via the Everio MediaBrowser, you can download using the link below and check it out on Google Earth.
The greatest appeal of kayaking is that it enables you to reach small hidden attractions you can’t normally get to. Our tour guide took us to the Akaiwa rock wall, where the bottoms of these enormous rocks were scraped away, and the portions in the lake were shining in a beautiful emerald color.
Truly a moment of encountering the mysteries of nature!
Everio GZ-HM550 Beautiful Emerald Lake Chuzenji and Akaiwa (Nikko City)
Castaway on an Uninhabited Island? Landing on a Beautiful Beach!
As soon as we became a little tired from our very first paddling experience, we landed on a beautiful beach with a short rest in mind. This is a beach that can only be accessed either by foot or from the lake. As we got closer to the beach, the water below became ever clearer and the bottom of the lake could be seen crystal clear! Just listening to the gentle waves hit the shore provided a feeling of liberation.
Everio GZ-HM550 Beautiful Beach at Lake Chuzenji (Nikko City)
Shooting with the Majestic Nantai Mountain in the Background!
After resting on the beach, we headed back the way we came, towards Nantai Mountain. There’s no predicting the weather on a mountain. The lake was gentle and quiet when we came, but on our way back the waves were getting a bit rough and so our kayaks were bobbing up and down, making paddling a little bit more work.
Nantai Mountain, which can be seen from Lake Chuzenji, is a famous landmark of Nikko. As such, I used the wide conversion lens to shoot a still photo. By using the wide conversion lens, I was able to capture Nantai Mountain in its entirety within the picture frame!
Without the wide conversion lens (GZ-HM550)
With the wide conversion lens (GZ-HM550)
During the kayak experience at Lake Chuzenji, I was able to shoot a bunch of beautiful scenery that captures the ‘hunting’ spirit of the Everio Video Hunters! So much, in fact, that I cannot begin to show all of it here. Aside from what I shot here, next week Toshi will introduce video and photos that he took using the marine case, and we’ll also show some of what we captured during the day camp. I hope you’re looking forward to it!
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