Land and life, just enough: an interview with Nanao Sakaki - Japanese nomad, environmentalist, and writer - includes three of Sakaki's poems - Interview

Whole Earth Review, Fall, 1995 by Peter Warshall

Yes. This way. Rich and famous now become all over the world young people's vision. So I recommend the other way. Be hermit or hidden into deep mountain village. Just quiet, your own life. It might be good help.

It's very hard for people who are involved with the information highway. On the Salt River river trip, there was so much computer talk as we floated between rapids. Oh really? But everybody has good computer, perfect computer. Our bodies so well organized computer, right? I think so. More than any computer. Why?

Like cars in the 1950s, people like the latest toys. Computers are the hottest toy now. Really? For me, too small. I pay no attention to computer. Without computer I can breathe. I can walk. I can see. I can sleep. I can make love. I don't need computer. That's enough. Why everybody so crazy, computer, computer. One plus one. Always two. But now for me, it's open secret.

Will Japan learn anything from the poison gas attacks? I don't think so. They just afraid more. Depend on own government. So make it worse.

Chernobyl did not affect Japan either? I was helping children of Byelorussia. Thousand children still sick. We brought some of them to Japan. Good American care with doctors, and fresh air. Really good care. So one month later they go back to Byelorussia. Sometimes their mothers didn't recognize their children. So changed. But if they are there, go back their own life, again they become weak. Bad food. No good medical care. But in Japan we can't carry so many people. So every year, every summer, probably fifty or sixty children, coming to Japan. So Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Chernobyl and Manjusri, all related.

When did the environmental movement start in Japan? Probably many hundred years ago, already some movement to save river. But after the war, one group started to save good mountain west of Tokyo. That was the beginning of saving forest and saving river. Big water dam fight was beginning 1949, after the war, and the leader was botanist.

Couple years later, had trouble with forest. I was southern island named Yakishima and there growing very ancient sugi [Japanese cedar]. Right now the most oldest tree's age they say over 7,000 years. But I don't believe. Maybe 4,000. That's my feeling. That's huge. But not so high. So I stayed in this mountain for three months, deep in wood, with a young sculptor. And every day I must look for this bureau cutting ancient trees. So I went to the office. Why you cut these gracious trees? And they said: "It's not our decision. It's governmental decision." So I looked for many ways to beat. And I found nature organization named Nature Conservation Society of Japan. So I could reach this group. So I wrote a letter to them and they quickly answered, "Come to Tokyo. We should talk." So I started to save the forest, 1955. But, too good big business. So ancient tree, good price. Forest bureau never stopped. It was twenty, thirty years. At last, UNESCO came in, they decided World Heritage [site]. But too late. I feel too late. It's nonsense, completely nonsense.