Cast:

* Shota – Enthusiastic but clumsy dad. Always overestimates his stamina.

* Ria – Realistic, calm mom. Excellent planner. Deathly afraid of bugs.

* Evelyn – Curious, smart, and always ready with a sharp comeback.

Chapter 1:

5 AM: Somewhere Deep in Yakushima

“Wait—meet at the trailhead by 4:45 AM? That’s a joke, right?”

Shota blinked at the hiking guide, hoping for a punchline.

“I’m serious. It’s a 10-hour round trip to the Jomon Cedar. If you want to be back before dark, this is standard.”

Yakushima’s ancient forest didn’t care about tourists’ sleep schedules.

The family’s breakfast was simple: rice balls, a sour plum, and a quiet sense of determination.

As they strapped on their headlamps and stepped into the still-dark woods, the adventure began.

Ria marched with a steady, confident pace.
Evelyn bounced behind her like an excited puppy.

And Shota?

He was already panting 15 minutes in.

“God… air is such a blessing… we take it for granted…”

“Dad, we’re still on the paved part. The real trail starts ahead.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Chapter 2:

A Deer, a Drop, and a Dead Phone

Two hours passed, and sunlight began to filter through the forest canopy.

Suddenly, a wild Yakushima deer peeked out from the ferns.

“Amazing! A real deer!”
Shota reached for his phone to capture the moment—

Plop.

“Noooooo!”

The phone landed squarely in a muddy puddle.

“Ah—screen’s dead! I think it’s fried!”

“Didn’t I tell you to wear that waterproof lanyard?” Ria sighed.

“Yeah, and you said all the trip photos would be on your phone, Dad,” added Evelyn, calmly unwrapping a chocolate bar.

Shota whimpered. “It’s okay… I’ll store the memories in my mind… my brain’s JPEG format…”

“Pretty sure your cloud storage is full, Dad.”

“Don’t rub it in…”

Chapter 3:

Lunchtime and the Looming Crisis

Around noon, they reached a small rest area about 30 minutes from the summit.

They munched rice balls and bananas on a wooden bench.

Evelyn looked at her dad. “Your face is all red. You look like a boiled tomato.”

“It’s not red… it’s passion… hiking spirit…”

Ria narrowed her eyes. “Shota. You’re fidgeting.”

“…I might need a bathroom.”

“In this forest?”

“I might be able to hold it… but that ‘might’ is hanging by a thread…”

Chapter 4:

Off the Path, Into the Wild (and Panic)

Fifteen minutes from the summit, the trail narrowed and the moss grew thicker.

Then it happened.

Shota slipped off the path and rolled dramatically into the underbrush.

“WaaaAAAHHH!!”

Thud.

“DAD!!” Evelyn screamed.

He stood up, miraculously unharmed—except for his pride.

“…I can’t… I can’t wait anymore. It’s… it’s happening.”

“Are you seriously going to—here?!”

“I have no choice! Nature calls… and this forest echoes!”

Evelyn whispered, “Is this what they meant by a spiritual encounter?”

Ria groaned. “Shota. Did you bring tissue?”

“…No.”

“...You're dead to me.”

Chapter 5:

Finally, the Jomon Cedar

Somehow, the family regrouped, emotionally scarred but still functional.

And then, towering in front of them, stood the Jomon Cedar—thousands of years old, magnificent in its presence.

“Wow… it’s alive…” Evelyn whispered.

Ria nodded silently.

Shota, now covered in dirt and shame, stared up with teary eyes.

“I’ve… lost to nature… but I’m still standing. That’s something, right?”

Click.

Evelyn snapped a photo with Ria’s phone.

In the shot:
Shota’s hair frizzed out from humidity, face sunburned and exhausted.
Ria looked pale and over it.
Evelyn? Perfectly fresh. Beaming.

“Everyone’s gonna say, ‘Wow, forget the cedar—look at Dad.’”

Chapter 6:

The Long Way Down

The hike back was quiet.

Shota chewed the rest of Evelyn’s chocolate bar in silence.

Then Ria spoke.

“Next year, let’s go somewhere flat. Like rice paddies.”

“…No. We’ll come again. With tissue.”

“Are you planning to repeat that performance?”

“It’s about the journey…”

“Not the bowel emergency.”

Evelyn giggled.

“Next time, I’m packing three rolls of toilet paper in Dad’s backpack.”

“That’s not kindness. That’s passive-aggressive preparedness.”

“It’s love, Dad.”

Epilogue

Back home, the cedar photo was posted to the family group chat.

Uncles, cousins, even Grandma chimed in:

“Shota’s face LMAO”
“Did nature mug him?”
“Evelyn looks like a Disney princess next to two lost hikers.”

Shota stared at the comments and smiled.

“…Family trips are chaos. But the good kind.”

A week later, Ria silently ordered a waterproof phone case and emergency toilet kit on Amazon.

Just in case.

The End