The race begins in Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido, themost northerly of the four main islands of Japan. To reach thefirst checkpoint in Nara City, the teams face 1,600kilometres through one of the most expensive countries whereonly a small percentage of the population speak English. With amyriad of routes to choose from, they must use all theirskills, ingenuity and determination to make it off the islandand to the checkpoint.
