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82|SMILEOFJAPAN|TRAVELVOLUNTEERPROJECTNATUREOITATRAVELLINGINJAPANFORSOLONGASNATIVEENGLISHSPEAKERSWE’VEFOUNDOURMOTHERTONGUESGETTINGPROGRESSIVELYWORSE.ASENTENCELIKE:“MUMANDDAD’SGARDENBECAMEBIGGEROVERTHEYEARS,”CANDEVOLVETOSOMETHINGCLUNKYLIKE:“THEGARDENOFMYMOTHERANDFATHERHASBECOMEMOREBIG.”IT’SPARTOFMAKINGYOURSELFMOREUNDERSTOOD,BUTWHENYOUSUDDENLYBUMPINTOOTHERENGLISH-SPEAKERS–INTODAY’SCASEFELLOWBRITS–THENTHEDIFFERENCECANSOUNDUGLY.WHENPAULCHRISTIEANDNAOMIADDYMANOFWALKJAPANPICKEDUSUPTHISMORNING,WEFOUNDITESPECIALLYHARDTOFLIPBACKANDFORGETTHATWEWERESPEAKINGTOFOLKFROMOUROWNCOUNTRY.PAUL:“SOWHEREAREYOUFROMKATY.”KATY:“OHTHESOUTHEAST[OFENGLAND]”PAUL:“YES,BUTWHERE?”KATY:“NEARCANTERBURY.”PAUL:[KNOWINGTHECANTERBURYAREAALREADY]“YES,BUTWHERE?”KATY:“OH,SORRY,ASHFORD.”PAUL:“AHRIGHT,I’MWHITSTABLE[32KMFROMASHFORD].”ITTAKESAWHILETOOVERCOMETHISKINDOFTHING–I’MSUREEACHTIMEWERETURNHOME,TOOURFRIENDSANDFAMILYWESOUNDLIKEFALTERINGROBOTS.BUTAFTERWEGOTPASTTHATTODAYITWASARARE,PLEASANTTREATTOBEABLETORELAXOURMOUTHSANDJUSTCHAT.ATLEASTWHENWECOULDFINDTHEBREATHTODOIT;CLIMBINGUPTHROUGHATHICKWOODWITHNAOMI,CAMERAGEARONOURBACKS,ITWASHARDTOFINDTHEPUFFTODOMUCHOFANYTHINGOTHERTHANRELENTLESSLYPUTONEFOOTINFRONTOFANOTHER.ITSEEMEDLIKEONLYAFEWMOMENTSAGOTHATWEWEREDOINGTHISKINDOFTHINGINYAKUSHIMA(SEEELSEWHEREINTHISSECTION)YETWEWEREOFFAGAIN,SCALINGANOTHERJAPANESELANDSCAPE.THISONETHOUGH,COULDHARDLYHAVEBEENMOREDIFFERENTFROMTHESODDENCONDITIONSONTHEKAGOSHIMANISLAND,WITHALARGELYDRYPATHLEADINGACROSSROCKSANDOUT,AGAINANDAGAIN,TOSTUNNINGVISTAS.ALTHOUGHWE’VEDONEITTWICEINTHELASTWEEK,FORACOUNTRYTHATISDOMINATEDBYMOUNTAINS,TREKKINGINJAPANSEEMSAFAIRLYRAREPASTIME.ONACOUPLEOFOCCASIONS,WE’VESEENJAPANESETOURISTSDECKEDOUTINSOMEINCREDIBLYEXPENSIVEHIKING/SURVIVALGEARTOGOONWHATISLITTLEMORETHANANAMBLEINTHEBACKTOTHEWILDDAY83DECEMBER6THKUNISAKI,OITACOUNTRYSIDE.THERE’SNOTBEENASNIFFOFAGAIJINDOINGIT.IT’SABIGCONTRASTTOOTHERCOUNTRIES(ARGENTINA,NEPAL)SOSIMILARLYBLESSEDWITHHIKINGOPPORTUNITIES.PAUL,NAOMIANDTHERESTOFTHETEAMATWALKJAPANREALISEDTHATTHECOUNTRYWASUNDER-SERVEDINTHISAREASOMETIMEAGO,WHICHISWHYWECOULDENJOYTHECHALLENGINGKUNISAKITREKTODAY.HEREINTHEEASTOFKYUSHU,WEWERESCRAMBLINGUPTOARIDGE,THENNAVIGATINGALONGTHESPINEOFAMOUNTAINRANGE,WITHHUNDREDSOFMILESOFVIEWSONBOTHSIDESOFUS.ATTIMES,WEHADTODRAGOURSELVESUPROCKSWITHROPES;ATOTHERSWEWEREABSEILINGWITHCHAINS.ITWASTOUGHGOING,BUTWORTHEVERYSTEP.LIKESOMANYAREASOFJAPAN,OITASUFFERSFROMAHUGEAMOUNTOFURBANISATION.IT’SAPROCESSTHATSEEMSIMPOSSIBLETOSTOP:PEOPLEABANDONINGTHISRURALLIFE,BEAUTIFULASITIS,TOCHASEHARDCASHTHEMEGACITIES.THERESULTISANABSENCEOFYOUNGPEOPLE,ANDARAPIDLYDECREASINGPOPULATIONTHATISLARGELYMADEUPOFRETIREES.IT’SAPROCESSPAULISTRYINGTOREVERSEWITHWALKJAPAN’SCOMMUNITYPROJECTS.ONEOFTHEMAJORDRAWBACKSOFSOMANYABLEBODIEDPEOPLELEAVINGISTHATFORMERLYTENDEDLANDQUICKLYBECOMESOVERGROWN–ESPECIALLYINTHEFERTILEGROWINGENVIRONMENTOFKYUSHU.ITMIGHTSOUNDLIKEACHILDISHLYSIMPLEPLOY,BUTBYMAKINGTHELANDMOREAPPEALING,PAULHOPESTOGIVEPEOPLELESSREASONSTOLEAVE.THINGSLIKETHEKUNISAKITREKWILLSHOULDHELP,TOO–OPENINGOLDHALF-FORGOTTENROUTES,GIVINGITGREATEREXPOSURE.ONEDAYTHEREMIGHTEVENBEAKINDOFCOMMUNITYTOURISM,WHEREPEOPLECANGETAWAYFROMTHETRAPPINGSOFTHEURBALSPRAWLANDCOMEDOWNHERETOLEADASIMPLELIFEFORACOUPLEOFWEEKS.IT’SAMBITIOUS,ANDAHUGELYLABORIOUSPROCESSWHENTHERE’SAGROWINGTOURCOMPANYTORUN;ANDESPECIALLYWHENSOMEPEOPLEARESUSPICIOUSOFTHETALLGAIJIN’SMOTIVES.BUTLISTENINGTOHIMTALKABOUTHISVISIONWITHSUCHENERGYANDPASSIONWEWERETOTALLYWONOVER(THEFACTHESAIDITALLWITHASONOROUSENGLISHACCENTPROBABLYHELPED,TOO).MUCHTOKATY’SDELIGHT,ITSEEMSAPPROPRIATETOENDWITHAQUOTEFROMHERHERO,THERECENTLYDEPARTEDSTEVEJOBS:“HERE’STOTHECRAZYONES,THEMISFITS,THEREBELS,THETROUBLEMAKERS,THEROUNDPEGSINTHESQUAREHOLES...THEONESWHOSEETHINGSDIFFERENTLY.”
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