“High Five Outside” - Kyusyu-born, Outdoor Event Community for Enriching Your Time in Japan
"How can we let more people know about the wonderful nature in Kyushu?"
"How can we create more encounters through outdoor activities?"
Those desires brought about a unique outdoor event community in Kyusyu.
In this article, we will uncover the background story behind the launch of "High Five Outside", a unique community that runs events in the beautiful nature Kyushu offers, and above all, aims to enjoy them with a diverse participants - from outdoor freaks to total beginners, from freshly arrived foreigners in Japan to Japanese people who have never been abroad.
Videographer Who Has Fallen in Love with Hiking in Kyushu
Kyushu, the third largest and southernmost of the four main islands of Japan, has many attractive nature spots, such as Aso, a volcanic mountain area where you can enjoy the dynamism of the earth, and Kujyu, where magnificent nature spreads out endlessly like a landscape painting.
The charm is also the easy accessibility of these areas, which can be easily accessed by car from well-developed urban areas such as Fukuoka City without much traffics.
High Five Outside is an event organisation and a community founded by videographer Kazuki, who loves such natural attraction of Kyusyu.
A former firefighter, Kazuki established a video production company in his hometown, Fukuoka, in April 2021.
On the side, almost every weekend, he has been climbing mountains in various parts of Kyushu, producing videos and sharing them on various SNS platforms.
Kazuki's videos are not only about the breath-taking landscapes. What's unique about his videos is who's in them - his friends of different ages and nationalities.
Kazuki makes new friends in mountains, introduces different friends to another, and always welcomes friends of his friends to join their climb. Kazuki has dragged many people into his outdoor life and its attractions - by his nature, he has always been a community builder.
Profile (Kazuki)
Born in 1989 in Fukuoka City, he retired from the Kitakyushu Fire Department at 31 after working for nine years. After learning photography and filmmaking while travelling overseas, in April 2021, he established a video production company in Fukuoka. He shares his outdoor activities like hiking and camping on various SNS.
◆YouTube @kaz-uoutdoor7540
◆Instagram kazukisoutdoorlife
Building upon such activities, the idea for High Five Outside came about in 2022 when Japan was gradually coming out of the pandemic.
There were two main aims.
Outdoor Activities as International Exchange Opportunity
The first aim was to create international exchange opportunities.
Kazuki's frustration at not being able to speak English while traveling overseas drived him to volunteer at a Japanese language school after his return to Japan. He then continued studying English and travelled many countries in search of new places and diverse cultures.
This experience has moved his mindsets, his activities, and altimately, his life - as in the case of starting his own business and this High Five Outside initiative. He started to think he wants to create more of those international exchange opportunities that enriched his life - this time, for the benefit of others.
On the other hand, while getting involved with the foreigner community in Japan, Kazuki was shock how "invisible" Kyusyu was in comparison to other popular destinations such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
He started taking his friends to various places around Kyushu to show them its charms.
He wanted them to enrich their time in Japan by learning more of Japan through people they meet in Japan - well, it's said, there is no better way to learn about a new place than to ask the locals.
Again, he was looking for ways to increase opportunities for the two communities - the local and the global - to meet.
His life work, outdoor activities, seemed the perfect way to realise such international exchange opportunities. There is walking together to the top of a mountain, being amazed by the wilderness together, and even perhaps teaching each other the names of plants and animals found on the way in each other's language - there is no other activity that brings people from different backgrounds closer together as quickly as outdoor activities.
What's more, while climbing a mountain or preparing a BBQ, a Japanese person may broaden their worldview by conversing with someone with different background. They may then introduce people and information to help with the work or living problems a foreigner may face in Japan. The best part of enjoying the outdoor activities together is such give-and-take that happens naturally.
High Five Outside aspires to create more and more opportunities for such international exchange through hiking and camping events. We hope that the new friends you meet at the event who share similar values and interests will enrich your time in Japan - and your life!
Being in Nature Helps You Challenge Yourself
The second aim was to provide opportunities for individuals to stretch their potential.
As well as international exchange, Kazuki has become to believe in taking small first step and accumulating small actions as important means to enriching one's life.
Outdoor events are, in a sense, a blank canvas, and easy to accept different roles and activities - he saw a high potential to provide opportunities for small challenges.
Experienced campers can provide a selection of equipment and their skills.
A food lover can be the chef and introduce a speciality dish of their own country.
If you are into photography, you can capture the best moments and share.
A yoga instructor may organise morning yoga lessons to help people shake off their post-camp hangover.
How do you feel about try offering something you like, or you are good at, at our events?
Above all, the outdoor events and the time we create together are - just really fun. Just like how school events were fun because everyone did their own bits to contribute rather than hiring professionals. All you need is a team effort and the desire to make it a fun event together. If you want to do something but haven't found the opportunity to take the first step, we hope you will at High Five Outside.
Please don't feel this as a hurdle though - of course, you can "just join".
(There will always be setting up and cleaning up that need your help!)
Through our events, you might realize you were actually interested in something. You may have moments thinking, I might be good at this - and something may grow inside you during your self-reflection walk through the magnificent nature.
Meet the Community
Based on this "receipe" - outdoor activity to allow international exchange and self-challenge - High Five Outside is officially kick starting its journey this year.
The motivation for participation, however, is not limited to international exchange and self-challenge - in fact, it can be anything. We welcome those who are interested in the outdoors but haven't had the chance or friends group for it, who are looking for an opportunity to practise their Japanese, or those who want their kids to have hiking / international exchange opportunities.
Please give it a go and spend a fun weekend with us. We believe there will be something that will help enrich your time in Japan and your life in general!
We also welcome people who want to collaborate in this project - please do contact us by DM etc.
Holding 2-day hiking and camping events
We plan to hold hiking + camping events for around 20 people every two to three months (event announcements will be sent out via Instagram).
The basic format of the events will be:
Day 1 morning to afternoon: Hiking
Day 1 evening: BBQ and overnight camping at a nearby campsite
Day 2 morning: clean-up and return
To get an idea, watch these amazing videos created by the participants of our past events, @mikie0307 and @MarisAroundtheWorld!
Both hiking and camping are done with a certain number of people with experience, so don't worry if you are beginners. The organisers also provide detailed advice on what to bring, information on insurance, etc. via email and Instagram. Also, food and other supplies are provided by the organisers, so the burden of preparing gear and supplies is minimal - another point that makes it easy to participate.
In the next article, we would like to share some scenes from our first trial event, hiking and camping at Mt Kuju, Kumamoto, to give you a closer look at our events.
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