Kuhmo’s long tradition of log driving gained remarkable international attention this summer. Yuya Tegoshi and Daisuke Miyagawa, stars of the popular Japanese TV show ITTE Q!, visited Kuhmo, Arctic Lakeland Finland, during the Finnish Log Driving Championships. The programme attracts audiences of up to 20 million viewers in Japan.
Tegoshi and Miyagawa trained in traditional log driving skills under the guidance of Jori Mikkonen, one of Finland’s leading log drivers. Tegoshi also took on the rapids at Pajakkakoski, riding a log along the same course where Finland’s best log drivers competed for the national championship.
Their adventures in Kuhmo were broadcast on Nippon TV in Japan on 26 July. The programme also featured the Finnish Log Driving Championships and Kuhmo’s living log driving heritage.
Log driving heritage lives on in Kuhmo
Kuhmo has a long history shaped by forests, waterways and log driving. Finland’s first-ever Log Driving Championships were held in Kuhmo in 1949.
In summer 2026, Kuhmo also became the first town in Finland to receive international recognition as a Log Driving City. The recognition connects Kuhmo with an international network of historic log driving regions across Europe and North America.
Pajakkakoski rapids are located close to the centre of Kuhmo. Here, forests, waterways and the skills of log drivers have been part of local life for generations.
Discover Kuhmo’s log driving heritage and the places where the adventure seen on Japanese television was filmed: Log Driving Tradition in Kuhmo
Would you like to try log driving yourself?
Log driving experiences are available for groups.
Please contact matkailu@kuhmo.fi for more information.
