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    • Spring
      • video

        Finding the Flow from Kansai to Kochi

        Shikoku’s many mountains, valleys and proximity to the ocean has made it a hidden gem for rafting, kayaking and canyoning enthusiasts willing to take a step or two further from the Golden Route of Kyoto and Osaka.

        Solace and Giant Salamanders in Akiota

        Just beyond Hiroshima City is a tranquil outdoor destination home to some of Japan's last remaining oosanshouo, the elusive giant salamander.
        Kyoto Oni Trail Outdoor Japanvideo

        The Oni Trail: Hiking Coastal Kyoto

        The mystical oni is prevalent in Japanese children’s stories, usually as a way to scare kids straight. Adventure Travel Kyoto is shedding a new light on this folklore and developing a new hiking route in the countryside of Kyoto.
    • Summer
      • the nomad pasche family

        The World is Our Playground

        The Pasche family has been cycling and living out of a tent in remote corners of the planet for the past 13 years on four continents spanning 50 countries.
        adventure travel world summit in hokkaido

        Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido

        The ATTA will host their first Adventure Travel World Summit in Asia in Hokkaido, Japan. We caught up with ATTA Director Shannon Stowell to find out more about the adventure travel industry and how it continues to grow and evolve.
        mead brewing in japan

        The Sweet Secrets of Brewing Mead

        Wander into the world of mead brewing and find yourself immersed in a fascinating journey spanning centuries and continents.
        the knights in white lycra

        The Knights in White Lycra

        Each year a group of cyclists head to the deep north towards Tohoku’s vast rice fields and coastal trails to help transform the lives of neglected children.
        sea to table yamagata

        Sea to Table in Yamagata

        An unforgettable way to intimately explore the Shonai Region in Yamagata is a culinary experience bringing bounty of the sea straight to your table.
    • Autumn
    • Winter
    • Near Tokyo
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Near Kyoto
    • All Regions
    • Article Map
    • Ocean and Beach
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • River and Lake
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Mountain and Land
    • Sky
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Snow and Ice
      • climbing mt. fuji off season

        Mt. Fuji: The Path Less Traveled

        Fuji-san is the most climbed mountain in the world. If you are in good shape, there is a way to avoid the traffic for a more peaceful Mt. Fuji experience during the off-season.
    • Travel
      • the nomad pasche family

        The World is Our Playground

        The Pasche family has been cycling and living out of a tent in remote corners of the planet for the past 13 years on four continents spanning 50 countries.
    • Food and Drinks
      • the nomad pasche family

        The World is Our Playground

        The Pasche family has been cycling and living out of a tent in remote corners of the planet for the past 13 years on four continents spanning 50 countries.
    • Races and Events
      • dd4d brewing

        DD4D Brewing

        In nearly e...
        fuji rock japan

        2023 Summer Music Festivals

        Get into the groove this green season while enjoying the great outdoors with family and friends.
        Summer Events Fireworks Festivals in Japan

        2023 Fireworks Festivals in Japan

        Enjoy these fireworks festivals held throughout Japan this summer and autumn.

Small Things in Big Places

Umi wa hiroi na, ookina, tsuki wa noboroshi, hi wa shizumu—“The ocean is wide and big; the moon rises, the sun falls.” Every Japanese knows these words to the children’s song “Umi” or “Sea.” It uses very short words but ones that really convey the image of the ocean.

On that great big ocean, there once was a sailboat (with me on board) searching for tiny turtle babies. A baby sea turtle is only about 10 centimeters long so, looking for one in the vastness of the ocean is not easy.

Loggerhead turtles hatch on sandy beaches in the middle of the night, head out to sea and swim off on a long journey to the seas off Mexico. I figured that, when they’re small, the turtles must hide among floating bits of seaweed or garbage and eat shellfish and other things attached to them.

So my strategy was, whenever I found bits of seaweed or garbage floating by, I would just jump into the ocean and start looking for them. But though I thought there would be a lot of seaweed and garbage floating in the ocean, I looked a lot and found very little.

Finding a single turtle turned out to be hard work. It did not matter how small the junk in the water was; as soon as I found it, I would jump in to take a look. Twenty, 30 times a day—but it did not matter how often I jumped in. I never found a baby turtle.

However, I did make a lot of new discoveries. Around that floating seaweed are schools of small fish which feed on it; around them are even larger fish and, circling below all of them, are fairly big fish.

If you go to catch or photograph the fish, they usually just swim away but, if I simply floated and acted like some new thing making a shadow, they would start to swim in. It was a pretty weird feeling, but it also opened a new world.

After a while, I found a long stretch where the sea currents come together. It was like a path paved by small, floating garbage. After about twenty minutes of swimming along in this area I saw, in front of me, something small and black, with great big feet, flapping in the water, not swimming very gracefully. I had found one—a baby loggerhead turtle. The shutter of my camera got a lot of work that day.

I went swimming in the vast ocean, and I found a little turtle. “If you don’t grow up fast,” I thought, “Some bird or fish is going to eat you. Gambare! gambare!” I was really excited; not something I feel often.

“A boat floating on the ocean; I want to sail off and see other countries,” Umi, continues. Age shio ja, ageshio ja—“it’s a rising tide,” the old saying goes, meaning things are going in the right direction.

Someday I will chase a little turtle all the way to Mexico.

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