Nature's Faucet and Japan's Declining Population...obviously

Man does the water flow in Nachi, home of Japan's largest waterfall and the destination of this last weekend's travels. Due to a national holiday, Respect for the Aged Day, this past weekend was three days long. Not a holiday familiar in the States, but one that makes some sense considering that a disproportionate percentage of Japan's population is elderly. Which leads to an interesting point: the sluggish growth in population, the large numbers of elderly and the economic impact that these factors combined have on Japan. I have briefly discussed this issue with some Japanese friends and all of them have non-chalantly and often jokingly commented on how many old people there are in Japan (this is especially noticable in the countryside). In fact, the 2000 census in Japan reported that from 1995 the population had only grown 1.1%, falling below the previous low (since the census began here) marked right after WWII. In contrast however, households with elderly couples above the age of 60 for women and 65 for men (okay, "elderly") rose 32.5%. Being in my shoes and working with young people all the time in this town, it is hard to grasp the facts, but on further inspection while keeping in mind the percentages and setting aside my constant contact with kids, it is very obvious that there are a lot of older people here. Chalk it up to the strong Japanese genes, they are everywhere; working in the fields, riding their bikes, zooming along on their scooters. I can only hope that I have their agility when I am their age. Both my great-grandparents, on my mother's side, lived well into their nineties, so maybe there is a chance. But despite the sillyness coupled with speaking about the subject, it is a fairly serious issue. Junko, a woman I have dinner with every week, expressed the anxiety felt by many people her age (around 35) who pay in to pensions now, but may not be able to collect their due amounts when they get older. Not an all too unfamiliar issue. She mentioned some incentives offered to families with multiple children, but I have not done enough research into the subject to relay them to you. However, if you care to know more, this paper is very informative and interesting in that it explores the causes and ramifications as well as possible solutions to Japan's low birth rate and declining population: http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/discussionpapers/Chapple.html...turns out there is a governmental office assigned to the issue, ‘Anti-Low Birth Rate Measures Promotion Headquarters’.

Either way, respecting our elders made it a long weekend, so the itinerary conveniently called for a camping trip in Southern Wakayama. We were originally supposed to go kayaking as well, and I was excited for this new adventure, but due to the mad rush of people taking advantage of both the long weekend and the end of summer, we were not able to reserve any boats. Still, the weekend was a good time. The highlights included a trip to the falls (ofcourse) and the adjoining temple. The spot that the Fall, falls in (haha) is part of the Kumano region an area that was the desitnation of many pilgrimages. There are three sacred Kumano Shrines, two of which I have now visited; the Kumano Hongu Shrine, which I carelessly mentioned earlier as the Shrine of the three-Legged Crow and the Nachi Kumano Shrine.

The drive up to the Waterfall was windy and the slight drizzle that day, created the feeling of embarking upon some hidden jungle location. In fact, the Fall sneaks up on you. Before I knew it, it was to our left, no roaring water sound to warn us. And to be honest, I was not as amazed at the Fall at first as I thought that I would be, for although it is the highest waterfall in Japan, it is narrowly poured. Not that I expected Niagara, but my first glance did not illicit a "wow". A tree-lined set of stone steps led to an opening at the base of Nachi Falls and the out-of-the-car, in person, base-view of the fall, did summon the awe that I had anticipated. Something about water falling from high places, as simple as it seems, draws people in, and I am as magnetized as the rest. And in a land of mountains (Wakayama means Peaceful Mountain) it is bound to happen in many places, so tis a lucky thing that I enjoy this water flowage. Paths and stairways leading into the hillsides around the Falls, led to a landing where the Nachi Kumano Shrine sits along with a large laughing Buddha begging for a belly rub.

We spent the night at a beach near the southernmost point in Japan, chased giant spiders (Huntsmen) from our cabins and cooked Yaki Soba on camping grills…when in Japan camping, do as the Japanese campers do. And despite the wet weather, it was a lovely time and the nearly full moon made it ideal for night swimming.

The next night, we were lucky enough to discover that the well-known, well-toured Taiko group, Kodo, was in the area. It is one thing, a great thing, to listen to Taiko, but to see it live is spectacular. The strength, stamina, rhythm and coordination exhibited by the men and women of Kodo is unbelievable. My mom says that they live on an island off of Japan to train. And train they must, because their bodies are incredibly sculpted. I know because one of the pieces was performed nearly naked, back to the audience. Hot damn!

The trip back to home base on Monday was filled with pit stops at rivers and rock formations, treats of the land. I will let the pictures tell the story.