Hikes around Sakurae

To the sea by dragon boat.
August 15, 2004

My village, Tanijyugo, lies about 18 kilometeres from the sea upstream from the Japan Sea on the Gono river. Since moving here I have always wanted to canoe down the river, and finally an opportunity arose. The town at the mouth of the river, Gotsu, is celebrating its 50th anniversary of being classified as a city, and as part of the celebrations they are sponsoring a Dragon Boat ride down the river. Not exactly sure what Ive signed myself up for, but it sounds like fun. Dragon boats originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, and were introduced into Japan about 300 years ago from Okinawa. At 10 in the morning we assembled on the rocky beach opposite Tanijyugo. There are 10 dragom boats, and each will carry 12 people, mostly kids. Nothing takes place in japan without beginning with a sequence of speeches by various representatives of authority, so after they finish speaking we pile in the boats and begin paddling downstream. Last night there was a big thunderstorm, and 100 metres upstream from our embarkation point, the Yato river is emptying brown silt-laden water into the main stream. The left half of the river is a dirty brown-green, while the right half is its usual deep green color. Its an overcast day which means we wont fry in the sun all day.
The dragon boats are basically fairly large flat-bottomed fibreglass canoes, the river is shallow in most places, so only flat bottoms can navigate. 10 brightly painted boats, strung out over 500 metres slowly drift and paddle downstream. On the inside of the bends rocky beaches have been formed. Isolated farms and the occasional hamlet drift by behind screens of giant bamboo. Suddenly, something bright green emerges from the water under the far bank and begins jumping and splashing. Its a Kappa! Kappa are a rarely sighted water creature that looks like a cross between a monkey, tortoise, and platypus. Its defining feature however is a cavity on the top of its skull. This is kept full of water at all times to stop its brain from overheating. The kids on the boat shriek as the Kappa beckons to them. Later, on the bus home, traces of green paint on the drivers face lead me to believe it may not have been a real Kappa after all. After an hour, we turn a bend and pass under Kawahira bridge, the only bridge between Sakuare and Gotsu. Around the next bend is the village of Matsukawa where we pull in for lunch.
Matsukawa is having its summer Matsuri (festival), and very festive it is too. A digger has carved a temporary jetty in the beach, and people are taking high-speed boat rides in the traditional narrow boats used on the river, and other are playing in kayaks. The digger has also created a water slide and pool for the kids. A dozen awnings protect the stalls selling various foods and drinks ( most commonly squid and beer), and on a stage a non-stop sequences of performances take place, Yosakoi dancing, Kagura, Taiko drumming, etc. Most matsuri in Japan will have a stall with goldfish that you scoop up with a net. Here its a completely different kettle of fish ( pardon that)... a large pool is filled with eels and Ayu (sweetfish), and you have to get in the pool and catch with your bare hands. Its all very enjoyable. So many matsuri are done with the intent of attracting visitors and milking them for as much money as possible. This one is a festival by the community for the community.
After lunch we pile back in the boats and start the second half of the trip. Around the first bend we meet up with 2 boats from Gotsu, a motor cruiser and a fishing boat. From here to the sea it is navigable. 6 of the dragon boats tie on to the boats and are towed for a few kilometres.... being purists, our boat refuses, and the kids paddle harder. We pass a few more hamlets and the occasional distinctively-shaped temple roof towers above the trees Around one more bend and the bridges at Gotsu are visible just 2 kilometeres ahead. The sun starts to shine and the last leg is quite hard as there is an onshore breeze making the river a little choppy.