Fujiyama Scavenge

I participated in a Fujiyama Scavenge Tour last month, and it was a shocking experience.

Mount Fuji, as most of you may know, is the highest mountain in Japan, drawn in many traditional arts as a symbol of the country. However it is a big issue that the foot of Fujiyama is a mecca of illegal industrial disposals. When we talk about how Japan is eco-friendly with foreigners, illegal dumping is usually the major reason of disagreement. Yes it is true that not everybody is acting like a saint.
So this tour conducted by a NPO Good Day, was about cleaning the forest of Mt. Fuji. Over fourty volunteers went from Tokyo, and we scavenged for about two hours. We picked up a bed, mattress, car, tires, iron scrap, batteries, cans, and all sorts of trash...a truck became full.
Illegal companies collect trash and just dump it in the mountains to make money, and it is quite cinical that these days there are less dumping because trash is valuable for recycling due to price increase of resource.

Illegal dumping itself is a problem, but you know what, our society of mass consumption and mass disposal is a bigger problem. Scavenge is a "good" thing to do for sure, but "treatment" won't be solving the problem. I really felt the importance of creating a society with low emmition, a preventing approach to the root of the issue.
The second day we had a chance to wander through the beautiful part of the woods. It was just beautiful, and the woods isn't growing naturally by itself, but people living around are helping. This coexistence with nature is another reality of Japan.