I Survived 24 Hours on Japan’s Abandoned Island | Feat. @CDawgVA

We're going camping on an island in Matsushima Bay, which sounds fun on paper but is far from it in practice. The owner of one of the islands, which is for sale for about $200,000, has kindly let us camp on it. It's going to be cold and remote, with no toilets, just trees. We'll be dropped off around midday and picked up at 11 AM the next day, 'if we're still alive.' We brought a ton of camping gear, including tents and food, but the sleeping bags are 'Amazon Basics' and not suitable for the expected minus 5°C temperatures. The biggest challenge is finding a flat spot to pitch tents, as the island is not designed for habitation and has cliff edges everywhere. We ended up camping on the beach, hoping the tide wouldn't come in too high. It's a 'bloody awesome' experience, living out a 'Treasure Island fantasy,' but also a 'real terror' due to the cold and the lack of proper facilities. You'll need to dig a hole to 'take a number two' and rebury it. The night was freezing, with temperatures dropping to minus two or three degrees, and the sleeping bags were definitely 'joke cold.' I used about 30 hand warmers to stay warm. It's a challenging but memorable experience, watching the sun go down by the fire and chatting with friends.

We took on a challenge to write haikus, inspired by Matsushima's fame for haiku, including the most famous one by Matsuo Bashō. My haiku was about the lack of toilets: 'In dire need I yearn, clenched thy large buttocks become, bidet awaits soon.' Connor's was about his ripped trousers: 'Ripped trousers today, down the cliff side I tumbled, a rip in my soul.' Natsuki's was: 'Island, no toilet, no life, no toilet.' The challenge was 'broken,' but it was a fun way to pass the time by the campfire.

Natsuki, dressed as 'Black Santa,' was tasked with cooking dinner on a 'comedically tiny grill.' He added a bucket of oil to the fire, making it dangerously large. We cooked sausages and steak. Despite the chaotic cooking, the food 'smells decent' and actually tasted 'really good,' especially with 'enough pepper and sauce.' It was a 'journey across Japan food poisoning special' that surprisingly turned out edible.