Goodbye to Satoyama

(9 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Satoyama

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/na…


Radiation leaks from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant will force people in Iitatemura to abandon satoyama–natural woodlands near human communities. Residents of Nagadoro district in southern Iitatemura have been devoted to preserving the picturesque satoyama woodlands. A gentle stream burbles through the landscape, where residents grow vegetables.

Hatsuo Sugishita, 61, who left his company to operate a stone processing and sales business in the town after he inherited a plot of land there, has cherished the satoyama with his wife, Takiko.

“We haven’t decided anything–where we’ll go or how to earn a living. If nobody lives in the satoyama, this place will soon be ruined. Even if we can come back, the satoyama can’t be returned to its original state,” Sugishita said. “I want people in the Kanto region who received the benefits of the nuclear power plant to understand our feelings.”