Wednesday, May 08 2024 @ 11:28 PM JST
Alaska
Shishmaref
United States
| Country name | United States, Alaska |
| Population |
600 people Eskimos |
| Access |
Kansai-Vancouver 9 hours 35 minutes Vancouver-Anchorage 3 hours 25 minutes Anchorage Gnome 1 hour 30 minutes Gnome Shishmaref 40 minutes |
| Currency | US dollar (1 dollar 109 yen as of November 2007) |
Lightly carry two people's luggage at Shishmaref Airport
Richard's daughter Stacy
Shishmaref
Men who dream of getting rich
Gnome dog sledding race
1200km dog sled race goal point from Anchorage to Gnome
Gnome
Caribou horns are Eskimo medals
Straight road from the airport
Kotetsu taking a commemorative photo at the entrance of the Richard family home
As I approached the Island, I could see the blue sky
Sand buggy in summer and snowmobile in winter
Richard's entrance
Cessna heading from Gnome to Shishmaref
Shishmaref
It is only 200km to the tip of Russia.
It is 100 km from Wells at the northern end
and is visible to the naked eye.
I learned about the Islands of the Arctic Circle
where the photographer Michio Hoshino spent,
and wanted to go and see whatever he wanted.
There are no accommodation or dining rooms on the Island.
Responses from all travel agencies are also "NO".
I am curious about what kind of life
is waiting for life in the Arctic Circle.
A pick-up truck and a Japanese-made sand buggy were waiting at the airport,
which had only a runway.
The first person I met on the Island was Richard's third daughter,
Stacy (26), who had a strange connection.
That person is a beautiful Eskimo who was waiting for the Cessna
to go to Gnome on the same flight.
There was a 6-hour waiting time at the transit
which allowed me to explore the town.
Cessna took off at 5:30 on time.
The visibility is zero due to the rain that has begun to fall.
It is the beginning of a lonely journey.
However, as we approached the sky above the Island,
the weather recovered and the Island appeared.
Travel requires a heavenly ally.
34 years ago, in 1973,
a Japanese experienced a three-month life with an Eskimo.
Winter is a world of minus 40 to 50 degrees Celsius,
and the sun does not set in the midnight sun from April to August.
In September in the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees north latitude,
I visited the Island without knowing that strong winds would blow.
I was informed locally that the best season is from June
to August and the temperature rises to around 15 degrees Celsius.
Japanese people who visit should bring a sleeping bag
We stay in gymnasiums and churches.
Twice we were fortunate and had the opportunity to live with the Eskimos.
The usual route is Kansai-Narita-Seattle-Anchorage-Nome-Shishmaref.
From Kansai, I had a bad connection at Narita
and went through Vancouver, Canada.
Mr.Kato, who runs a B & B in Anchorage, was the only one who connected his hopes.
He is an experienced visitor to the Island as a media guide.
The accommodation where the good news
finally arrived Just say "Richard family".
Located in the western part of Alaska near the Bering Strait on the US-Russia border,
it suddenly came into the limelight as an Island sinking
due to global warming and became world famous.
"Shishmaref" is Russian.
Character
Richard Edwin Stasenko (65) Accommodation master teacher
Richard Walleck Stasenko (61) wife
Eldest son Dennis (39) tanning factory manager, airport staff, hunter
Eldest daughter Mary (30) Kindergarten teacher Second daughter Kate (29)
Third daughter Stacy (26) Married on September 22
Robbie Ninget (40) Dennis' friend, carpenter, ship owner
Lord Rick (6) Mary's eldest son Harry (2) Mary's second son
Joy Black Principal, the only school (3-18 years old) 185 students
Driving took less than 5 minutes after telling
the names of Richard's son Dennis (39)
and his accommodation Richard (65).
That day is "September 11th",
It was the day when the Twin Towers in New York
collapsed due to terrorism.
Television has shown the images of the Twin Towers
at that time many times.
Prologue
Eskimo old lady
Children shooting birds in the town
Sand buggy is the only vehicle on the Island
Me chatting with the Islanders
Eskimo dog
Island kids and Kotetsu
Me
Indoor shoes with seal fur
Seal meat is naturally dried
Caribou fur
One police officer on the Island, an old police box
Abandoned house
Me riding a sand buggy
Sand road
The family is very close.
She comes to her parents' house for breakfast and dinner.
Children grow up obediently and have the same family love as they did in Japan.
I didn't know that this Island was a dry Island.
No matter where you go,
you can't sell alcohol, let alone beer.
I couldn't even bring it to the Island,
but I brought it without knowing anything.
Portable toilets are kept clean,
but neither water nor paper can be wasted.
Richard carries water and stores it in large tanks until midnight.
Looking at the situation,
I reduced the number of times I used the toilet,
and since I always put up with it,
I feel sick.
The clothes are handmade with seal fur.
The boots are also a little heavy, but the heat retention is excellent.
Seal fur is also used in the shoes.
There are plastic and pottery plates for meals,
but I rarely use them.
Use disposable containers because water is more valuable.
Rainwater for domestic use is used for showers and washing water,
and portable toilets are drained by batteries.
I'm grateful for the hot water,
but I'm reluctant to use the shower every day with precious water.
The vitality and vitality of Eskimos
that survive the world of minus 50 degrees
is amazing.
I'm surprised that one bottle of water (600cc) costs 350 yen.
The Islanders use rainwater as drinking water in the summer.
I rarely drink mineral water.
After all, water is a valuable item.
Twice Large items are shipped by transport ship once a year.
In winter, the Arctic Sea freezes.
It seems that the melting of sea ice has become
several months earlier due to global warming.
For drinking water in winter,
ice blocks are cut out from a lake
on the mainland 20 to 30 km away and stored as drinking water.
Sand buggies (Japanese cars) play an active part
in the summer on a long and narrow Island.
In winter, it turns into a snow boat
and lives at the temperature of the freezer.
Only two supermarkets on the Island
are lined with a few vegetables.
It is natural that prices are high because
it is transported by Cessna from the mainland on the opposite bank.
The Island is destined to sink due to global warming.
It's hard to walk on the sandy road.
The only means of transportation is a sand buggy.
All the Islanders are friendly, smile and wave their hands and run away.
In fact, when I got on the buggy,
I was desperately clinging to it so that
I wouldn't be shaken off instead of raising my hand.
Twice Besides, the cushion is also bad.
Twenty years ago,
there was a problem with alcohol and it has been banned by law ever since.
I didn't know that and brought wine as a souvenir,
but he laughed and received it.
Of course, he didn't drink it himself and was donated to the church.
It's easy to forget that this is the Arctic Circle,
where you can live like a family.
A sand Island on the border between Russia and the United States
Godmother and Kotetsu (wife)
third daughter, Stacy
me and Richard's
wife
Kotetsu
Mega size chocolate cake
Second daughter Kate's handmade chocolate cake
When I thought this was the end, the second daughter, Kate (29),
appeared, and she had a big chocolate cake in her hand.
The children started working on new cakes one after another, as if they had forgotten to eat.
The sun goes down around 10 pm,
and the Richard family's supper with constant laughter continues until late at night.
Bedroom
Eskimo ice cream "Aguto"
Three kinds of luxurious berry cake
Dried seal meat
Rare skin whale
King salmon
In the elementary school classroom
Gymnasium elementary school students
Rodrick playing at school (right)
Junior high school class scene
Mary and her children
Rodrick who loves noodles
Harry (2) and mom Mary
Richard's
Me
Richard's entrance
The other is Eskimo ice cream "Aguto".
Curious about the first dish,
grind three kinds of berries and mix caribou fat
and water to complete.
This tasted strange.
It's a taste I've never eaten before.
It's an irresistible taste for Eskimos,
but we refrained from it for a moment.
Everything is delicious and delicacy for the first time.
Next is dessert.
Eskimo desserts are freshly picked fruits.
The three types of cakes, blueberry,
salmonberry, and blackberry,
have a slightly strong acidity.
Eskimo style sprinkles plenty of sugar on top.
The taste is delicious.
I want to feed my grandchildren in Osaka.
Pray and start a super luxurious meal.
Tonight, "King salmon" is baked in the oven.
The fat ride brings out the difference in umami.
Kotetsu eats a large fillet and smiles with satisfaction.
It's an ingredient that you can't even taste in a first-class restaurant.
The delicacy is "skin whale",
a gem that is not available in Japan.
The pink subcutaneous fat part is soft and elastic.
The more you chew, the more delicious it spreads in your mouth.
Bring soy sauce to a luxurious dining table.
It delicious.
However, washing your face and brushing your teeth is difficult.
All you have to do is put your fingers in the same basin and wet the inner corners of your eyes.
To brush your teeth,
use a glass of water to gargle and wash your toothbrush.
Water is a valuable item, so it can't be helped.
Still, it is a life without any inconvenience.
Supper starts at 6 o'clock.
"YOSHI" is called out from downstairs
when I'm thinking of taking a shower.
Everyone is waiting, so I'm told to come down.
The Eskimo dining table is crowded with natural fish and wild meat.
Breakfast is freshly baked pancakes with bacon and fried eggs.
Bacon is baked in the oven,
so it is crispy.
It's no different from eating at home.
At first, both of them were shy and did not approach.
Rodrick, who is the same age as my grandson,
teaches me how to write his name in Japanese
and he speaks well with familiarity.
He loves noodles and he sometimes eats four instant noodles a day.
We promised to rent only the bed,
but we forced ourselves to ask for a special meal.
By saying that it was the same as my family,
I shared a table with three meals.
Richard (65),
who has six children and twelve grandchildren,
is still an active teacher.
Children come to their parents'
homes to eat on a daily basis.
The eldest daughter, Mary (30),
is the mother of two boys, Rodrick (6) and Harry (2).
Harry is always in the Richard family
because he is a kindergarten teacher during the day.
It's a casual hospitality to us who came from far away Japan.
Encounter is a wonderful drama.
Surrounded by a happy family,
another relative has increased on Shishmaref.
Richard Edwin Stasenko Family
Wetlands on the shores of river cruises
Take a hunting gun and go looking for a caribou
With a duck in both hands
Lobby looking for caribou
Musk ox
Many birds live on both banks of the river
River cruise
Fish net set up
Also load sand buggies
Cross the Arctic Ocean with this boat
Click here for slideshow
The dynamic autumn colors of the meadow change
from summer to autumn as if we were waiting for them to come.
It will soon change to the world of negative freezer.
The boat goes up the river.
Dennis aimed with a shotgun.
He triggers bang at an unstoppable speed.
A duck has fallen into the river.
The lobby grabs it at the right time.
After all, the appearance of wild animals that happen to meet in nature is different.
I didn't want to leave, but Dennis hurried me.
Two people who sometimes stop the boat and look into the binoculars.
Apparently, they are looking for a caribou for today's prey.
A carpet of autumn leaves that extends to the horizon.
The lobby was "all green until last week," he said.
The dynamic autumn colors of the meadow change
from summer to autumn as if we were waiting for them to come.
The Arctic Circle at the western end of Alaska is full of charm to the unknown.
The speed of the boat suddenly dropped.
There are three musk animals in the grassland on the right bank.
Eating grass in the meadow and in the sunlight his coat is swaying.
One head started running.
The dashing appearance is heroic.
The other two with their horns facing each other.
There is nothing to disturb wild animals.
Speaking of enemies, humans are the only ones.
There are no boats going back and forth after departure.
Many birds take off every time they climb the hairpin curve river.
Flocks of swans, seagulls,
and other unknown birds are surprised by the sound of the engine and soar into the sky.
The photo opportunity is my own.
The grasslands that extend beyond the horizon are magnificent and beautiful.
Humans rarely come to the river where so many kinds of birds live.
Although it was a lagoon,
the waves were not quiet, but the weather was good.
The Arctic Ocean is rented out and only one.
A wild adventure with no life jacket.
I don't know what will start, but I'm interested.
Set up a fishnet at the entrance of the river,
the river cruise is gentle a glide down the flowing river.
Suddenly, at 9am Dennis appeared,
"I'm going hunting today."
He hurriedly prepares and heads to the eastern end of the Island in a sand buggy.
It can be seen that the area of the sand Island is being
scraped off little by little due to global warming.
"Lunch box" and two guns.
(Powerful shotguns and animals) Besides,
even the sand buggy is loaded on the boat.
From Shishmaref Island,
take a handmade boat to mainland Alaska.
(The screw is Yamaha's 200 horsepower) The owner of the boat is Robbie Ninget.
(Dennis' friend 40 carpenter) Of course,
Richard's son Dennis (39) is with him.
The typhoon-like wind that has been blowing
since last night is a lie-like good weather.
Serpentime River
The lobby that went up to the shore had another feather hanging in his hand.
One more bird after Dennis points his finger.
We can't see anything, but the Eskimos can see them flapping their wings in the meadow.
One hundred shots and one hundred skills.
The river adventure continues.
Serpentime River AdventureⅠ
Autumn leaves on the opposite bank of Shishmaref
Today's prey
Beautiful sea at 10 pm
Arrived at 10 o'clock in the evening
Fishnet check
Dennis processing duck hair and internal organs
Caribou horn
Kotetsu who endures the cold and waits on the boat for 2 hours
Caribou flesh with blood dripping on the buggy carrier
Dennis throwing half a caribou into a boat
Caribou horns of today's prey
The lobby pick him up with Dennis
Camp hut
I'm tired of waiting and sit down
Shishmaref autumn leaves
Blueberry / BlackBerry Cranberry
Dennis goes looking for a caribou
The wisdom of natural life reminds us of the preciousness of water.
No wonder using styrene disposable containers rather than washing dishes.
The boat finally arrived on the Island when the sun began to set beyond the horizon.
The Eskimo face is very similar to the Japanese ancestors and is very familiar.
Only one of our boats is heading to Shishmaref in the open sea.
The boat speeds up and rushes home.
Don't forget to check the fishnet,
and the fish scales and duck internal organs are treated with seawater.
I'm surprised by the Eskimos who use seawater
with their bare hands even though it's freezing cold even with gloves.
Whether aiming with a gun or a camera,
I would have changed my camera to a gun in order to live in the Arctic Circle,
even if the purpose was different.
He was so reticent that he was so happy that he became obsessed with it.
Two hours and thirty minutes he was exposed to the cold wind on board,
but without any annoyance he shared joy with them.
We came to take a picture of the caribou for a hobby,
but the Eskimos are eaten to live.
Whether aiming with a gun or a camera,
I would have changed my camera to a gun in order to live in the Arctic Circle,
even if the purpose was different.
Nowadays you can get a lot of food,
but in the old days caribou hunting was everything.
Seals are also essential for food and wintering.
We can't see anything, but they can.
Is it an Eskimo's obsession for life?
Feel the vitality to survive in winter.
You can hear the engine sound of the sand buggy from a distance.
A lump of red blood dripping "caribou" on the buggy carrier.
The large horn is cut off from the skull as if it were also a medal.
The empty grasslands of the Arctic Circle
once again feel the size of the earth.
The clock is past 8 pm,
but the sky is as bright as noon.
Three gunshots roared in the distance.
With that as a signal,
Dennis finally receives a wireless contact.
Transfer by boat to the shore near Dennis.
The lobby walked far away while soaking
in the water up to her knees.
I walked up the hill and searched for it,
but I couldn't see any shadows up to the horizon.
If you enter the depression of the hill, the other side becomes a blind spot.
There is no choice but to give up and wait.
The hills of autumn leaves are in full bloom of blueberries,
blackberries and cranberries.
I lay down on a berry carpet and ate a small fruit.
The sweet and sour natural scent
fills the mouth with autumn.
The flow of the river becomes multiple and narrows and widens.
Dennis climbs a hill with beautiful autumn colors
and goes on a sand buggy exploration.
Even though this is the last time,
the sand buggy that ran away over the hill has no sound.
No response to radio from the boat after two hours.
"What happened?"
She has become a little worried.
Ｓｅｒｐｅｎｔｉｍｅ Ｒｉｖｅｒ
The time is about to reach ten o'clock.
The area around the cart that connects to the buggy is filled with seawater.
Seeing the sinking Island, Kotetsu and the two of them
continue to be silent with mixed feelings.
Today's hunting results, 4 ducks,
4 whitefish and1 large caribou.
Sarpentime River Adventure 2
Seabird
Arctic jellyfish washed up on the coast
It's like a cross for an old house
Shipwreck
The day will come when the bird's playground will also be filled with concrete
A type of jellyfish
Kids playing on the sandy road
Truck carrying blocks
Block construction to prevent the sand on the Island from being scraped off by the waves
House relocated to the old airport
Sand road
Mechanical equipment For land reclamation of the coast
All roads are sand
Concrete blocks are piled up on the coast to protect the Island,
and the natural landscape is disappearing even on the Islands of the Arctic Ocean.
It may be unavoidable to protect this Island.
Shishmaref, where polar bears also come to the Island in winter,
is only 5 km away from the mainland.
Even in the middle of summer,
the wind blowing from the Arctic Ocean is cold,
and the abandoned houses remain painful,
leaving the skeleton.
The relocated houses are left on the runway traces of the old airport.
The next period when the sea begins to freeze is delayed year by year,
and the ice melts faster.
As the ice melts and the sea ice recedes,
the waves scrape off the permafrost.
On the Arctic Island of Shishmaref in western Alaska,
Coastal erosion has progressed since around 1999,
and houses have collapsed one after another.
The effects of global warming are also scraping
off the permafrost on the "sand Island."
It was decided to move the entire village to the mainland of Alaska,
but due to costs, the plan remains deadlocked.
It will be the duty and responsibility of each human
being to prevent global warming so that
this Island will not be sacrificed.
The Eskimos who do not show such a dark face
even finely raise their hands from the buggy
and run with a smile today.
Click here for slideshow
Island of victims of global warming
Stacy and Godmother came to see me off
Eskimos are very similar to Japanese
Last evening we took a walk on the sandy road again
Made of seal fur
I got a folk craft as a souvenir
Snowmobile toys
Stacy dancing an Eskimo dance
The third daughter Stacy and her fiancé
Folk crafts made by Eskimos
Eskimo youth eat up to the bones
At my age not eating because I care about cholesterol
Roast beef
Reindeer and Kotetsu make roast and beef from caribou meat
Caribou meat chunks
Musk ox grazing leisurely
Ruins of an abandoned house eight years ago
Eskimo dance practice
Click here for a flower slideshow
September 12-16, 2007
Yoshimasa Ikeuchi, a traveling iron man
In the evening, Kotetsu and the two of us slowly
stepped on the sandy beach and walked.
Without worrying about the rain that came down,
I raised my hand and exchanged greetings with an Islander I knew.
Memories are revived in the traces of the wheels of the running buggy.
Perhaps my ancestor was this Islander.
I stepped on and walked so that their footprints
would be permanently carved into the sandy road.
September 22 Stacy, the third daughter to go to her bride,
is the first Eskimo to meet at the airport.
There is a mysterious encounter with the relationship between people and there is a farewell.
Encounters with people, encounters with nature,
and tomorrow are waiting for another encounter.
The trip is interesting because it is this.
Surrounded by many families, the "Richard family" never ceases to laugh.
I got a glimpse of the cozy Eskimo life on the road
thanks to the many valuable experiences
in my daily life and the family.
A real-faced lifestyle made up of rare guests from Japan.
One of the few experiences of traveling to get a glimpse
of Eskimo's daily life rather than a luxurious meal.
The taste that was cooked for 6 hours was soft,
there was no odor, and the meat was firm.
I thoroughly tasted the loving home
cooking of God Mother "Rachel" (61).
The lean part was like venison,
and Dennis smashed her bones and sucked to her pith.
There is no word of gratitude for the treatment of the Richard family,
who provided a room at a cheap price even though it was not a guest house,
as if it were a family.
A valuable experience must give back
something for the "earth" in the future life.
At the Last Supper,
roasted caribou adorned the table.
The handling of meat lumps is also familiar.
Kotetsu was also surprised at the cooking
that chopped the bones with a saw.
In 8 years has no trace of an abandoned house
and only a part of the skeleton is left.
The Islanders who abandoned the Island have already migrated to the mainland.
Living on the Island is not easy, but Eskimos,
born and raised in Shishmaref, like this Island.
Disposable buggies and snowmobiles become piles of garbage,
and empty cans are littered everywhere
and it's hard to take pictures.
Kotetsu's one word
The autumn leaves on the river cruise were overwhelming. I met many birds and wild musk ox.
A chartered sea that I did not meet with a single ship on both round trips to the Arctic Ocean
I was fortunate to meet when the leaves turned red all at once in a week.
The exhilaration of lying on blueberries, brown berries and crown berries will be a lifelong memorable one.
Trivia
Caribou
Thank you to all the caribou Santa is riding a "reindeer",
a wild reindeer is called a caribou livestock that are bred are called "reindeer".
Caribou has horns for both males and females musk ox although it is named cow,
it is a group of goats and sheep.
5 days on the Arctic Island of Shishmaref,
Eskimos who live in harmony with nature rather than fighting with nature.
The Islands that are being scraped off
by the effects of global warming are screaming.
I firmly confirmed with my own eyes that 14 houses
have already been abandoned and are disappearing where humans can live.
(Thank you) QUAN from the bottom of my heart to the Islanders who wanted to meet sooner.
Shake hands hard with Richard and head to the airport.
Driving is the third daughter "Stacy" Godmother's "Rachel" also saw off.
The feelings of leaving my hometown made my heart warm,
and the faces of the two who were seeing off seemed blurred.
Epilogue
::Profile
Born in 1939 Osaka Japan.
After 59 years playing golf. In June 2014, I had a total hip prosthesis operation.
On August 12th 2016, I challenged to shoot under my age.
I succeeded to do so at the Asahikawa country club in Hokkaido with a score of 74. 37,37 At that time my age was 76 years 11month.
The current,
Free management counselor.
In 2000, he won the Japan Wired Grand Prix Wired Music Award for "Melancholy Ferry" and 2006 for "Sado Route".
2008 Malignant lymphoma developed. After returning, he began supporting the "Lime Green Ribbon" for the enlightenment of malignant lymphoma, and continues to this day. In 2013, at the 22nd anniversary independence concert of the Kyrgyz Republic, he announced "Journey of the Wind" in front of about 50,000 spectators and received cheers, and a letter of appreciation was presented by the Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Information and Culture.
