Niseko Expedition 2025 (38Hr) Champion! Two-time winner! Detailed report!

Japan's largest adventure race, the Niseko Expedition 2025. We won again this year, following last year's victory!

(Below is a detailed report. About 7,800 characters. It's a volume that can be read in about 15 minutes.)

Shunpei couldn't participate this year, and Ryo, a trail runner and Daz's colleague, joined us, making it four: Fuki, Hiroki, Daz, and Ryo, competing as No.4 Fukinoto/KATANA Adventure.

Since forming the team in February, everyone has been busy, but we have gradually improved our team strength through events like the Extremo Nakagawa tournament and the GW team training camp. At the ARJS Minakami tournament, we were able to give our all and finish at the top. While hoping for Ryo's stamina during trekking, the other members would support the less experienced paddling. This tournament is a chance for a consecutive victory, but we will do the same as last year. We will give our all and enjoy some delicious drinks!

・The day before the race

We arrived in Niseko the day before and were the first to enjoy ramen at "AFURI ramen + dumpling Yuki Niseko," a sponsor of the event. It was a great start.

On the morning of the event, I entrusted my daughter to the official event babysitter, Miya. This service started this time, and it was truly a blessing for us with a 4-year-old daughter. It seems she had a very enjoyable time during the event, even though she felt lonely, and I feel like she has grown a bit. I'm grateful.

Although there were some minor MTB troubles, preparations were going well. There was still time until registration. At this point, acupuncturist Fuki began treating her own legs. The men were very interested. Each had their own areas of concern, so Fuki treated Daz's calves and Ryo's knees with acupuncture for the first time. "It's all better!" Fuki said confidently. After that, she quickly repaired the holes in Hiroki's tattered three-quarter pants, and everyone was amazed by Fuki's acupuncture and needles.

Since the registration went smoothly, we took a short nap to prepare for the briefing.

・Briefing 7/4 (Fri) 18:00

There was an early incident with a bear spray misfire, and we evacuated outdoors. I was surprised by the power of capsaicin spreading throughout the large venue, and I felt a sense of security in having such a powerful weapon. Maps were distributed outdoors, and everyone spread out their maps in their own places. First, we all got a grasp of the overall situation.

We collected CPs in order, but there were several CP pros that were not mandatory but would earn us extra points if collected. I wanted to collect them all, but I needed to have a firm grasp of the cutoff times and make judgments on whether to collect them or not.

While considering the route, I checked the required time and cutoff times. First, I thought the difficulty of CP27pro and the 14:00 cutoff at CP28 would be a bottleneck, so I set some self-imposed checkpoints here and there.

Even after getting on the bus, Daz and Ryo were reading the map of key locations, while Hiroki calculated the route and time. Fuki read the rulebook, carefully noting the cutoff times so she could refer to them easily. Finally, Hiroki and Daz set some detailed self-imposed checkpoints, and we all stuffed our faces with rice balls before starting.

・7/4 (Fri) 22:00 Start Leg1 MTB

In the first MTB section, we lined up according to the number drawn during registration and followed the lead vehicle. Luckily, I drew number 3 and was able to start with ease. It took about 20 minutes to reach the next TA.

・Leg2 Trekking 7/4 (Fri) 22:20

The strategy was to collect all, including CPpro. While smoothly collecting behind Chomoranta and East Wind, we got too close at CP4pro and became confused. Shortly after starting, it was dark, and I couldn't gauge the distance. I panicked. By the time I recovered, the surrounding teams had completely disappeared.

However, after that, we found our rhythm and smoothly collected CPs, finishing trekking in about 2 hours and 20 minutes. It seemed Chomoranta had already departed, but we somehow managed to recover to 2nd place.

・Leg3 MTB 7/5 (Sat) 0:40

All mandatory CPs were required for the move to Lake Shikotsu. After departing, we traveled along a monotonous forest road for a while when Hiroki said something felt off and turned back. While returning, we passed a few teams, but he stopped again, saying, "Oh! It was 1:50,000!" A silly mistake. I had been confused because I was using a 1:20,000 map until just now...

After that, we proceeded cautiously. The settings weren't difficult, but there were several route choices. We tried to avoid forest roads as much as possible and attacked from the road with less elevation change, even if it meant taking a detour. We passed a team along the way who said, "What's going on?!" and we felt pleased as we continued.

・Leg4 Packraft (Lake Shikotsu) 7/5 (Sat) 3:45

We arrived earlier than planned. There was no prior information, but it seemed we couldn't launch until it got light. After finishing the paddling preparations, we waited outside the TA. It was said that the waiting time would be deducted after the finish.

An incident occurred here. Since we had time, I thought I could change into bike shoes slowly after preparing the packraft, so I focused on preparing the packraft first. After perfectly finishing the preparations and calling out to the staff, I was told, "After punching at the CP, you can't go back once you reach the lakeshore," so I hurriedly changed into bike shoes and attached them to the bike. Everyone except Hiroki.

After calling out to the staff and punching at the CP, we headed towards the lakeshore, and Hiroki was wearing bike shoes!! Why?!

Hiroki, who didn't quite understand and thought he could change shoes slowly, now had to carry the heavy bike shoes to the MTB section since there was no turning back. The next trekking section was expected to take 13 hours, so I wanted to lighten the load as much as possible... It was completely Hiroki's mistake, but Ryo ended up carrying the shoes. Thank you, Ryo!

↑Hiroki attaching bike shoes to Ryo's bag

Regaining composure, we took a break for supplies until the packraft start at 3:45. Although we had planned to rush to CP19pro during the bus strategy meeting, we arrived faster than expected, so Fuki confirmed with Hiroki if there was really no option to go. After recalculating, we judged that it was better not to go to CP19pro.

The time had come, and the teams that had gathered all started at once. Chomoranta and East Wind paddled towards CP19pro. We headed straight for CP20. I don't know if they could see us or what they thought. In any case, we just had to do our best, as we had decided.

After a while, the two boats started to drift apart, so Hiroki and Fukiko connected our boats by towing Ryo and Daz.

In the morning mist, with no wind, we moved forward rapidly. The following teams were completely out of sight. The tandem boat (MRS Barracuda R2) was indeed fast, and since it was calm water this time, we attached a long skeg for excellent straight-line performance. The location of CP20 was a small cape, but it lacked distinctive features. Hiroki read the map carefully while paddling at the front. We moved straight, efficiently got the CP, and aimed for the next landing at CP21/TA5. We finished the paddling section in just under two hours.

・Leg5 Trekking & Ropes & Canyoning 7/5 (Sat) 5:30

We finished the packraft first and entered a long, long leg. The logistics indicated 9 hours of trekking + 4 hours of canyoning, so we packed our water and food tightly, and with the addition of harnesses and carabiners for the ropes, I felt a heavy weight on my back as we started. Of course, Hiroki's bike shoes were included. By the way, everyone had PAAGO WORKS backpacks. Ryo had the RUSH20, Daz had the RUSH12, and Hiroki and Fukiko had the RUSH11R. I was worried about the capacity, but we each had 2-3L of water, a large amount of food, and rope equipment, with shoes attached externally. It was tight, but the mesh and external rubber were sturdy, so I think it was a good choice as we could pack to the limit.

Since it was a long trekking section, I might get overtaken by teams like Chomolungma, East Wind, BBB, and the Russell team, who have good running power. It's important to keep moving without getting lost or discouraged. (Two years ago, I was exhausted on Raiden Mountain and was overtaken by the energetic Russell team, which taught me a lesson.)

I thought the first CP22 wouldn't be too difficult if we went up the mountain trail or the dry river, but the path was decayed, and huge rocks blocked our way, making it quite challenging.

↑We got CP22 and felt relieved.

CPpro 23-25 and CP26 were on runnable forest roads, and we ran hard, tiring our legs. As the sun rose, the heat increased, but I was worried about running out of water, so I could only sip slowly.

Next is the core CPpro27. Depending on the vegetation, we had planned to go around, but to conserve energy, we decided to go straight with the compass. A long stretch of straight ahead. We crossed countless ridges and valleys that didn't appear on the map. Fukiko was measuring our pace, but her stride was narrower than usual, and we weren't progressing as expected, losing our sense of distance. Counting over 7000 steps made me feel crazy. Hiroki and Daz were just going straight while checking the terrain, but we repeatedly lost track of our location, having anxious conversations like, "Are we in a completely different place!?" and "Did we already pass it!?" After enduring the straight compass route, we finally hit the larger ridge we were aiming for and reached what seemed to be the end of the gorge we were looking for. The angle matched, and all we had to do was go up this stream... please let it be there... I can't just rely on divine intervention. I also had to think about recovery in case it wasn't there.

“Found it!!” We all instinctively high-fived.

We headed towards the next CP28, but we were running out of water. The map showed we would cross several streams, so we hoped to collect water, but they were dry. There was no water until the large river beyond CP28. We held on tightly and continued along the pathless route.

↑CP28 we passed while drying out

And finally, we heard the sound of the river!! Thank goodness! We could collect water. Each of us replenished our supplies and revived. In Hokkaido, I was worried about the parasite Echinococcus, but with the BeFree water filter, I could drink freely. BeFree is essential for adventure racing!!

At the worst timing for dehydration, Hiroki, who had just peed, exclaimed, "It's the most yellow I've ever seen! It's like Dekavita!" We joked about whether we could filter pee with BeFree, but I didn't want to find myself in a situation to test it...

Now, it's a steep ascent. The approach is tough, but it's a direct climbing route. As we started climbing, I thought I had revived after drinking water, but Daz and Ryo's pace didn't pick up. Ryo seemed to struggle with the weight of the water. Hiroki carried Daz's backpack, and Fukiko shared the water Ryo was carrying.

After CPpro29 and 30, the heat and tall bamboo grass slowed Fukiko's cruising speed. When asked, "Shall we do something?" I replied, "I want to stop measuring our pace!" I had Ryo take over, and we progressed using the minutes we had moved as a guide.

Even after taking CPpro30, escaping to the road was not easy. Finding the interrupted forest road halfway up the mountain was harder than getting the CP. Blocked by impenetrable bamboo grass, visibility was almost nonexistent. Since we couldn't progress as we wanted, our sense of distance collapsed. We couldn't go in the direction we wanted, and with no slope, we couldn't make a geographical judgment, losing track of where we were. I wanted to climb to a high place to check the surroundings, but I couldn't climb the trees, and there was no escape. As we couldn't find the forest road at all, we started to debate what to do, and when our feet stopped, Fukiko took the lead, pushing through the bushes and crawling forward. I had experienced the despair of bamboo grass several times. Because I wasn't reading the map, I could only resolve to push forward. Our cruising speed didn't increase at all, though.

After a while, we found a shallow valley. The valley floor was not overgrown with bamboo grass, making it relatively easy to walk. We gave up on finding the forest road and decided to take a detour and just go down the valley.

After a long time of moving through the bushes in a crouched position as if swimming through the valley, we finally hit a forest road and let out a sigh of relief. We checked our current location and proceeded to the rappelling point.

CP31 is said to be in a pothole, a hole in the stream. Although Ryo discovered it, the hole was quite deep, about 2 meters!? It was set up so that you had to dive into the cold water to retrieve the CP. Daz bravely entered the water, but it was too cold, and he had to stop once. Just a moment ago, we were saying how hot it was, and now he dove into the icy water, almost stopping his heart from heat shock while managing to get the flag.

When we arrived at the rappelling spot, we were at the top of a quite high waterfall. The rocky surface of the mountain visible on the opposite side was also impressive. It seemed we were the second team to arrive after the Ezo Flying Squirrel. Hiroki, Ryo, and Daz smoothly descended in that order. They replenished supplies as they came down, taking off their shoes to dry their feet and applying Gurnigoo. Fukiko, who had been waiting above, replenished supplies and dozed off to recover her strength. Then, other teams like BBB, Kamui, and Bob's Soul began to gather one after another.

I sent the heavy, heavy rope (80m long!!) with effort, forgetting my fear and desperately descending. I thought Fukiko was ready to go, but the atmosphere became a bit relaxed, which irritated me a little. (They thought Fukiko would also take a break to dry her feet.)

I hurriedly prepared and started canyoning. At first, I had to descend through gaps between rocks taller than me, making route finding difficult and time-consuming. I'm glad it was still light. I wanted to progress as much as possible before it got dark.

It got dark when there was about 1/3 of canyoning left, so I put on my headlamp. The second night began.

I finished canyoning in about 3 hours.

・Leg6 MTB 7/5 (Sat) 20:15

After finishing the long Leg5 (14 hours and 45 minutes), I took a sigh of relief. I ran for about an hour on the forest road and reached CP32, which had a mandatory 1-hour break. We each took supplies and sleep and departed after 1 hour and 2 minutes. At this point, it was 22:30. After reconsidering, we decided to go for a strategy to take everything except CPpro37. The main routes were forest roads and roads, but you never know what might happen.

We reached CPpro34 on the forest road. I thought this was the place, but when I searched for the flag, I couldn't find it. Since it said "bridge," it might be under the bridge. I searched everywhere but found nothing. Hiroki insisted that the distance and angle of the river were definitely right! So we continued searching. The Ezo flying squirrel also came and searched a bit but quickly disappeared. Did it find it in the thicket and punch it and leave? I searched around where the Ezo flying squirrels had gathered, but found nothing.

After searching for so long without finding it, Fukiko thought the location was wrong and somehow convinced Hiroki to move on. After a while, we discovered a flag along the road.

As we continued to paddle through the subtle ups and downs of the forest road, Daz and Ryo were attacked by drowsiness. Fukiko tried to raise the mood by encouraging them, but they couldn't win against sleepiness.

Daz's sleepiness peaked, and he almost fell several times before arriving at CPpro35. We searched for the triangulation point, but it was in the dark thicket. Ryo and Fukiko charged into the tall bamboo grass. Daz took a nap. Hiroki patrolled around the thicket and charged in at the right moment. Found it!! Is it Hiroki's special ability?

From there, we crossed the long, long Horohoro Pass. The climb continued endlessly. I spotted an Ezo flying squirrel ahead and caught up. Yamamoto and Kitani looked sleepy. I was impressed when Jun came back and said, "I'm going to help with drowsiness" to the two of them.

Meanwhile, Daz and Fukushima, who were ahead, seemed to be rekindling their passion from the former cycling club, and they started to chase together. Hey!

On the other hand, Ryo's drowsiness reached its peak, and he lacked energy when I spoke to him. "No one is helping me" (even though I carried so much gear) he said, feeling exhausted. Indeed. I had thought Ryo, who has more stamina than the other three, would be fine, but I had relied on him too much. Hiroki double-packed and worked hard to catch up with Daz ahead.

Somehow, I managed to climb to the top and sped down the pass to wake myself up. At the bottom, there were many teams resting by the roadside, possibly having taken shortcuts.While heading to CP36, I fought off drowsiness. Fukiko suddenly shouted, surprising Daz, who was ahead, thinking there was a problem. "I want to have a champagne fight!!" Following that, Ryo also shouted, "I want to sleep in a futon!!" expressing his desires.

On the way to CPpro38, I met East Wind. Why are they here?! What happened? I was curious, but we exchanged greetings and moved on. Since I didn't know the movements of other teams, I focused on what we could do.

It was getting a bit brighter, but Daz had been feeling sick for a while and was groggy.Ryo asked, "Is it comfortable?" Daz replied, looking sick, "It's comfortable." Ultimately, he said, "It's gradually becoming less comfortable," which was nonsensical. The strategy was to replace negative words with positive ones to trick the brain, but my brain is also a mess, so it easily gets fooled.

In any case, just a little more. Having come this far, it would be too painful if a fall ruined the race, so I proceeded while checking the situation and encouraging with voices and water. I could see the end, so I somehow pushed through with my willpower.

・Leg7 Packraft 7/6 (Sun) 6:00

It's the same Mashike River as last year. I think I can reach it in about 3 hours, but the logistics said it would take 5 hours, so I was cautious. The checkpoint is at 8:00, but I set my own checkpoint at 6:30. I arrived a little earlier than planned and took a sigh of relief. I prepared a bit more leisurely and started the packraft.

I pleasantly descended through the cool forest. There were some shallow areas and rocky technical spots, but I moved smoothly. I passed a few teams.

At the only CP, the adventure radio team was in trouble. Apparently, the bottom of their packraft had broken and come off. They said they would land from the opposite shore, so I helped pass their gear across and hurried on.

At the last bridge, I received energy from my daughters' cheering squad and quickly finished pedaling.

・Leg8 MTB 9:15

The last 10km. I thought I could easily reach the goal, but the slope was quite steep. I continued to pedal with all my might until the end. Fukiko fell behind, but since we had managed without pulling until now, I stubbornly decided to continue without pulling. I was encouraged by voices as I climbed the hill.

・Finish!! 7/6 (Sun) 10:15

I finished the race in 36 hours and 15 minutes, skipping CPpro19 and 37. We did everything we could! We arrived at the awards ceremony with our phones sealed away. The top two teams were called forward, and the winner was announced. "The champion is... Fukinoto/KATANA Adventure!!" A flood of emotions surged up.

I'm sorry that Hiroki and Fukiko got so emotional that the interview became completely incoherent.As expected, I was able to enjoy delicious drinks. Our created gaiters, compasses, and map boards were a great success throughout the race.

I thoroughly enjoyed the luxurious event created by Tomokazu Ueno's passionate thoughts and hospitality, Masato Tanaka's crazy and journey-like course, and the NEVER SLEEP staff. It's sad that it won't be held next year, but I'm looking forward to the next one in 2027, which will power up to 72Hr.

I plan to participate in the 2026 Adventure 1 Series World Championship (location undecided, Australia?) with an invitation slot. I think it will be a serious expedition race (about 5 days?), so I'm already feeling anxious and excited.

Go to the next adventure!!