| Sailing with Mr. Kyokuta |
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The President of Matty's, Mr. Kyokuta, is an adventurous and generous man
and he happily takes Matty’s teachers on his sail boat. The following
is a recount of a long distance sailing trip over the 2008 summer vacation
to Shikine Shima. Mr. Kyokuta and I sailed along with two
friends: Takesan and Nanamisan.
The trip began on a Wednesday morning with a sunrise that
illuminated the sky with gold and dark blue.
Matty’s Director, Mrs. Kyokuta, met us at the dock, wished us a good
trip, pointed at the sunrise, and remarked that it was a good omen. We motored out of the port and into Tokyo Bay
at about 5:00am, as the sun brightened the sky and the water. As is common over the summer, there was no
wind, so we relied on the motor for the majority of the day.
The skies were clear overhead and graced with white cloud puffs in
the distance and the waters were sparkling in the sun. We all took time to take in the
beauty.
As we moved out of Tokyo Bay, the waters changed from sea blue to a deep
turquoise. Mr. Kyokuta told me it
was called a “black current” and flowed throughout the area. The “black current” was stunningly beautiful
under the clear sky and housed flying fish that jumped out of the sea and
flapped their wings in the air for a distance. At one point, the fishing line tightened and Nanamisan reeled in a huge
golden scaled fish named ｓhira,
or mahi mahi by the Hawaiians. A s it took its last
breaths, the fish’s scales turned silver.
Quickly, Takesan cut off the meat on the deck and stored it in the
icebox.
In the afternoon, we slowly approached O Shima, a large green
volcanic island. After some uncertainty
with parking, a kind 82 year-old man in a white bucket hat waved us into a
docking slot. Soon after, we were driven to an onsen, or public bath. When we
arrived, we removed our sweaty clothes, squatted down under a low showerhead to
clean our bodies and descended into the warm waters. As we sat, Mr. Kyokuta recounted that
traditionally Japanese men and women would share the same public bath and that
such was the practice in his youth. We left the bath rejuvenated, bought some ice cream and hiked back to the
boat. That night we ate the shira and slept
well.
The next morning we awoke and tarried in the port in search of fuel
and water. As we motored out to sea,
Nanamisan set the breakfast table and we ate under clear skies. Mid-morning we passed To Shima, an
uninhabited volcanic island. I was
praying at the time and as I looked up, I was overcome with awe. The island’ｓ steep slopes were smoking and its greenery was glowing in the
sun. Glorious Speech!
After lunch we put up the jib sail, turned off the motor and moved
with the sounds of the waves in our ears.
We caught several fish and stored them in ice. In the late afternoon we arrived at Shikine
Shima and set anchor in a cove with light turquoise waters. As fast as I could, I jumped into the cool
refreshing waters and explored the area.
There were caves, beaches and rock islands covered in coral. The water was so clear that I could see the fish and coral without goggles. I found
a secluded spot, with an open view over the western waters and sky, and sat for
sunset. It was wondrous,
complete with multiple colors in the sky, glowing clouds and a view of Fujisan to the north. That night Takesan
took out the fish, sliced off the meat and put them on the table raw, as sashimi. They were soft in texture and
delicious.
The next morning we awoke, cleared the barnacles off the bottom of the
boat and went snorkeling. I saw
many species of multicolored tropical fish, an eel, an octopus and much
coral. After, I sat on the deck, gazing
upon the sun-illuminated turquoise waters, grey rocks, blue skies and green
trees. It was all very pretty and
brought serenity. Soon after, Mr Kyokuta
motored us to the port and I said goodbye to the group. I was to spend the next two days on the
island and the group was going to sail back to Tokyo Bay. The trip was filled with learning and fun and we all returned home safely.
Written by Mark Silver, August 2008 |