"A House in the Middle of Nowhere" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sunday 7:54 pm) is a variety show that uses satellite photos to find a remote house. In the December 14th broadcast, they visit a couple in their 70s who live in a 160-year-old house in the mountains of Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The search team set out from the port town. After showing satellite images to a resident, he told them, "We're deep in the mountains here. I don't know if there's a road leading all the way to the houses, but the erosion control dam is a landmark," and gave them general directions.
Leaving the village behind and heading into the mountains, the mountain path is covered with thick weeds and piles of fallen leaves. What's more, the road becomes increasingly narrow. The search team gets out of the car to look ahead and finds countless fallen rocks on top of the fallen leaves. Tall weeds have grown, blocking the road, and there is no sign that a car has ever passed through. They get out of the car and remove the rocks and weeds, and proceed slowly, but the road only gets rougher...
Eventually, the steep mountain path gave way to a tranquil mountain landscape, and we arrived at a 160-year-old house. We were greeted by a couple, aged 70 and 78. The husband was a former carpenter, and the wife helped him with his work. Using their skills, they replaced the formerly thatched roof with tiles themselves. When the bridge was washed away in a record-breaking downpour 12 years ago, the couple built a stone fence and rebuilt the bridge.
The guests are actor Yosuke Asari and former BiSH member Atsuko Hashiyasume.
