Message II / Satoru Yahata / Rough seas will help you become tougher: Adventurer

 

The Japan News This is the seventh installment of the “Message II” series, in which marine adventurer Satoru Yahata describes his epic journey by kayak in stages from Australia to Japan and what he learned through encounters with fishermen.

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I’ve spent about 20 years of my life with the sea, traveling around Japan and other Asian nations by sea kayak and working in Okinawa Prefecture as a guide to help people have real wildlife experiences.

When I was a novice kayaker in my mid-20s, my kayak sank in rough seas between Iriomotejima and Haterumajima islands in Okinawa Prefecture. It was the most dangerous moment of my life. I had to swim for about six hours to reach land. The accident was caused by my own immaturity. I did not closely check the weather forecast and the kayak’s condition. In rough seas, it is pointless competing with other people in a kayak. Everyone is weak. Under such severe circumstances, people are forced to think seriously about how to ...more