Back to Taiji: One for All and All for One

There are so many things about the villages of Taiji and Kii Katsuura that i care so much about..the people, marine life...and the beautiful raw environment these villages are surrounded by...

Everything seems to stay the same here...the hotel put me in to the same room...same breakfast each morning...the bike with the little basket that I rode last year is in the same spot where I left it. And the same faces around town....with no one seeming to age here. The only change since returning is that they switched the women's cave onsen with the men's .... And i found myself in the men's onsen! (a warning to the ladies). And now the joke some guys are asking me around town is "when will you be going to the onsen!?".

Nice to hear the people who live here refer to each other as family...and most have a way of making you feel at home.  The mentality here is.... one for all and all for one as a Muketeer would say.  But that same positive mentality is a double edge sword. To go against the grain and speak out could threaten one's support base and livelihood in small towns like Taiji and Kii Katsuura. The lack of employment here underscores how important it is for the villagers to have that acceptance and support from each other. It is my hope that by more jobs being created through eco-tourism and wild dolphin tours.. that real changes will happen in dolphin protection.  And when this does happen, the towns will realize how much more valuable the dolphins are alive, wild and well.

When Typhoon Talas killed 30 people here, a while back, my heart sank...And I was even more devastated to learn that my sweet friend Saki had been taken along with  her mother by the surging waters from the river and mudslide. This tragedy...leaves me with a deeper sensitivity and bond to the well being of this place.  

 

Walking along the river i passed ripped t-shirts, jeans...dvds...a remote control...and a shoe. I kept thinking of my dear friend each time i came across a belonging...

Next to this river was a little swimming pool, I once swam in..

This river stream tore through Kii-Katsuura a few months ago taking 30 lives.  As I walked along the river, saw many lingering reminders of  the disaster.  The town works hard day and night in cleaning up the memory.