Just the same as New York or London, Tokyo is a fast-paced place. Filmmaker and Tokyo local Alex Lee has slowed down the hustle and bustle, artfully showcasing some of his favorite parts of the Japanese capital’s most quintessential activities. The short video takes viewers on a trip through the city by foot, train and car, stopping to check out crowded trains, conveyor sushi restaurants, blinking arcades and even a baseball game. Stop and take a few minutes to see the vignettes Lee has captured – it might just inspire you to hurry up and book a trip to Japan.
Journey To The Gyre: A Trip Into The Heart Of The Pacific Garbage Patch
The Pacific Ocean has been an active topic here at Gadling lately.
First there was the “Ghost Ship” found adrift off of Canada, then Dave Seminara’s brilliant April Fool’s Day report on the island of Nauru, and last week I waxed philosophical in Vagabond Tales about plastic bottles and what they mean for the people who inhabit the Pacific islands.
Now, to follow up on this topic, I was very pleased to be able to sit down with a woman about to head out on an incredible journey into the heart of the Western Pacific Garbage Patch. Her name is Cynthia Matzke, and starting on May 1 she and a team of researchers are going to sail across the western Pacific to document the marine debris situation. They will also maintain a constant lookout for rogue debris, which may have drifted off course from the Japan tsunami. While sifting through one of the world’s largest aquatic landfills may not seem like your dream vacation, for people like Cynthia and myself who relish traveling into some of the stranger places on the planet, this is kind of a big deal.
As part of an expedition led by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, the 5 Gyres Institute and Pangaea Explorations, Cynthia is going to be sailing where few humans have ventured before. It’s a place with no passport control, no customs and immigration – just a lot of water and trash.
In a word, this is fascinating.
So Cynthia, first off, who are you? Why have you been chosen to head into the Gyre?
I was recommended by the Mayor’s office here on the island of Maui to take part in the expedition. Over the last 14 years on Maui, I have been involved with such projects as the Great Whale Entanglement Response Network and research related to stranded green turtles. I’ve worked as an underwater videographer documenting coral reef disease as well as the head of Trilogy Expedition’s monthly Blue ‘Aina reef clean up campaign. I also was once embedded for nine months with the Makah tribe in the state of Washington as an environmental liaison during the aboriginal whaling issue of 1999.Whoa. So you’re kind of an environmental badass?
Ha. Something like that.
Ok, so tell me what you’re going to be doing
Well, in conjunction with all the organizations above we are going to be collecting and analyzing samples of plastics and marine debris found in the Western Pacific Gyre. This area hasn’t been properly studied in 25 years and very little is known about the size and density of the debris that’s out there. We’re also going to be looking for any debris from the Japan tsunami, which may have drifted off of its projected course, and providing data on the scope and contents of the drift.
Once we get to Japan, I am going to be presenting at the Symposium on Plastic Pollution and the Marine Environment to show footage from the journey and discuss the latest findings. I am so unbelievably excited.
Is radiation a concern?
There is some very mild concern that some of the debris may have traces of radiation, but not enough to keep anyone from going. I still may try to borrow a Geiger counter though. I think testing radiation levels of debris could be a way of either confirming or dispelling people’s beliefs or what you may have heard about it.
According to this NOAA fact sheet, there could still be 1.5 million tons of debris floating out there. I’ve heard reports of perfectly good sailboats, which are adrift and unclaimed. Anything you secretly hope to find?
Not particularly. There may be a lot of sensitivity that’s needed because what is found in the tsunami debris might range from the personal to the gruesome. There’s a lot of cultural sensitivity which could revolve around this issue.
Hmm. Good point. Well, now I feel like a jerk. What type of a boat are you doing this on anyway?
Fourteen of us are going to be sailing from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands to Japan on a 72-foot sailboat named the Sea Dragon. I’ll be at sea for three weeks sleeping in bunks that are four people high and sharing a kitchen only meant to accommodate eight. This isn’t exactly what I’d call a ‘pleasure cruise.’
A sailboat huh? So you know how to sail?
I guess that was one of the factors in my being chosen. I work on a sailboat here in Maui and am expected to take part in full sailing duties.
Do you head back home to Hawaii after Japan?
Actually, after the symposium in Japan, if I raise enough funds I’m going to be traveling to Seoul, South Korea, to talk about my findings and show the footage from the garbage patch. Korea is one of the world’s largest producers of plastics and my hope is to convince businesspeople that there is money to be made in biodegradable and compostable materials. As consumers we really are able to vote with our dollars and speak to what is important.
You said if you raise enough money. What does a trip like this run, even as a researcher?
It’s about $9500/person, so I’m in the middle of a mass fundraising effort as well. Silent auctions, corporate sponsorships – that sort of thing. The boat company I work for in Hawaii (Trilogy Excursions) has thrown down some money, provided me with a huge amount of fundraising support, and they are currently the largest corporate sponsor of my seat on the expedition. As much of a challenge as fundraising can be it really is the most effective way of raising awareness and spreading the word about your message. During the fundraising effort I spoke to a group of fourth grade students on the island of Lana’i (population: 3,300) and I was introduced to a video they made which was inspired by this very expedition.
So they wrote that song themselves? That’s awesome.
Yeah, everything about this is really inspiring and the trip hasn’t even started yet.
Would you call it the trip of a lifetime?
Let’s just say that everything in my life has been building up, in some way, to this very moment right here.
[Images via: DVIDSHUB on Flickr; Cynthia Matzke]
British Woman Prepares To Row Across The Pacific
Last April we posted a story about Sarah Outen, an adventurous 26-year-old from the U.K. who had set out to circumnavigate the globe using nothing but her own power. Sarah called her journey the London2London expedition and over the past 12 months she has traveled by kayak and bike across Europe and Asia. Now she is preparing to embark on the next stage of her journey, a solo row across the Pacific Ocean.
Sarah is currently in Choshi, Japan, where she is busy making the final preparations to her 21-foot rowboat named Gulliver. That boat will be her home for the next seven months as she undertakes the physically and mentally demanding task of crossing the Pacific. If all goes as planned, and the weather is right, she’ll set out tomorrow on a 5179-mile row that will eventually end in Vancouver, Canada.
This isn’t Sarah’s first ocean crossing under her own power. Back in 2009 she rowed solo across the Indian Ocean as well. That expedition took more than four months to complete and covered approximately 3100 miles of open ocean. The Pacific will provide a similar experience, albeit on a much grander scale.
After setting out from London last year, Outen paddled down the Thames River and crossed the English Channel in a kayak. Arriving on the shores of France, she climbed aboard a bike and began peddling east, crossing through numerous countries in Europe and Asia along the way. She arrived in Japan last October, but the Pacific is unforgiving in the autumn and winter so she has waited until now to start this stage of the journey.
After she completes her row across the Pacific, Sarah will once again return to her bike and continue her round-the-world adventure. The next stage will involve riding across Canada and the U.S. Finally, she intends to cap the journey by rowing across the North Atlantic and back up the Thames River, finishing where she started under the London Bridge.
I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
[Photo courtesy Sarah Outen]
Wine: The New Drink Of Asia?
No, there aren’t vineyards suddenly springing up along remote portions of the Great Wall, inside the DMZ or on the upper slopes of Mt. Fuji. Of that much I am certain. There are, however, many people who live in these areas who are developing a notable penchant for wine and, all of a sudden, the big name wine growers are starting to take notice.
A recent news release discusses that although European wine exporters have seen a decline in their traditional markets in North America and Europe, the expanding palates of Asia are proving to be a welcome change of direction.
Evidence? The article uses the example of a South Korean wine importer perusing the stalls of a massive wine expo in Verona, Italy, who admits that Italian food and Italian wines are becoming more favorable in South Korea.
Also, according to statistics cited in the article, there was a 10% increase in wine consumption in Asia in 2011 bringing it to 5.5 billion liters, whereas estimates run as high as the continent being able to quaff a record 6 billion liters for 2012.
Meanwhile, in China, Benjamin Chau, deputy head of the Hong Kong trade development council believes that as a growing number of Chinese markets prosper, so too do their imbibing habits change. Historically drawn to strong liquor, Chau argues that as quality of life improves for many Chinese citizens wine is becoming a fashionable and more health-conscious drink of choice, which is often imported from vineyards in the West.
So how much emphasis is being placed on Asia as an emerging wine market? Enough that new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti was told to be peddling a list of “Made in Italy” products while on a recent visit to Japan, South Korea and China. Seeing as Italy was the world’s largest exporter of wine in 2011, I am sure multiple vintages and varietals were offered as part of the touring menu.
So is it time to trade in the sake for the syrah the next time you’re in Tokyo? Should we swap the soju for sauvignon blanc while nibbling on kim bap in Seoul?
I’m not sure if I would go that far, but if this is a trend that continues to gain steam, it may not make for a far-fetched future.
Tsunami powered ghost ship closes in on Canadian shores
When last year’s earthquake and resulting tsunami rocked Japan, the destruction of property and disruption to travel plans were immediate. Minor quakes after the initial tremor did little more damage. But a Japanese squid-fishing boat has been drifting across the Pacific Ocean all year and is now closing in on British Columbia’s north coast.
“It’s been drifting across the Pacific for a year, so it’s pretty beat up,” said marine search coordinator Jeff Olsson of Victoria’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in a Times Colonist article.
The 150-foot tsunami ghost ship was sent out to sea by the weather event and first found drifting right-side-up about 140 nautical miles (260 km) from Cape Saint James on the southern tip of Haida Gwaii, an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia. A Canadian Coast Guard plane on a routine surveillance patrol spotted the ship on March 20, causing them to issue a warning to all vessels that the ship is an obstruction to navigation.
“The ghost ship is probably going to be pretty much worthless – nobody’s going to want to have anything to do with it because of the huge costs that are going to be incurred [towing it to shore],” said Gray, senior captain with the Vessel Assist towing company reports the Times Colonist, adding “All that garbage, it’s going to hit Alaska, it’s going to hit B.C. and it’s going to hit Washington.”
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Flickr photo by elmas156