2016-04-26

4/26:Ecuador and Japan - Earthquakes


Mother Earth is shaking…

Our thoughts are full of Ecuador and Japan, but there are few words that can express our feelings right now...

We imagine the panic, the fear and the utter desolation as people walk through the rubble of the streets of their home after the massive earthquakes that rocked these countries recently. 

It brings with it an eery feeling of apocalypse -  the planet trying to shake off these pesky humans who are causing so much trouble…or shuddering in this global warming fever brought upon by our juggernaut of human-centred economic globalisation…

It seems deeply unfair that the earthquake in Ecuador devastated communities that already have a hard life. The areas affected are remote and hard to reach in order to bring help. We travelled along this coast more than once, fascinated by the beauty of the forest, the coastal communities and the rough and wild paths needed to get to them...

It seems that Pacha and Yani’s family and relatives are all ok, and that our friends are not among the over 600 people who have tragically lost their lives. But many of our friends, who have given so much to the community around them over so many years, slowly building sustainable lifestyles, seem like they have to start from the beginning again…

Our friends Nicola and Dario and their children are apparently camped in their tents outside their damaged buildings, virtually cut off. I know they will be working with other community leaders to help others as soon as they can.

And in Japan, in the southern island of Kyushu, where so many of our friends are trying to create a new life for themselves and their children - far away from the ongoing chaos of Fukushima - are facing uncertainty for the future and (I am sure) a new determination to close down the nuclear reactors on the fault line’s path...

The coastal surf town of Canoa was one of the hardest hit...

The main street of Canoa is now rubble...(this photo was taken 3 years ago)
So, what can we do? 

I know there is a fundraising campaign for Nicola and Dario (link here:   https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/nicandfamily )
and there are many, many other campaigns (Red Cross, Unicef http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ecuador.html Medicin San Frontiers...) trying to get help out to communities. I am trying to find out more about how best we can help specifically - especially in getting support directly to the communities that were hardest hit (places like the coast surfing village of Canoa) and we hope to be able to help raise funds for these projects - especially while we are in Japan. 

We pray that in rebuilding what has been lost, just as in the response after the devastating mudslides and previous earthquake in Bahia, there is an opportunity for an ecological revival that nurtures culture and biological diversity and brings the best of knowledge and ideas from communities around the world. 
My greatest hope lies in the resilience of the people - they may be poor in money, but so rich in community and practical knowledge for survival. 


We are happy to hear that Jun and his family survived, but their township is flattened...

It is a relief to hear that Marcelo and all the familia Luque seem to be safe...




2016-04-20

4/11和訳:スローサファリ・ツアー2016



親愛なるナマケモノのみなさん、


パチャ、ヤニ、そして私アンニャは、今年6月・7月と日本に戻ります。おそらく今回は、いつもよりスローで、シンプルで、のびのびとした滞在になるでしょう!

今回、日本に戻りたいと私にせがんだのはヤニでした。ヤニは日本のすべて~人々、文化、食べ物(特に納豆!)、そして温泉~が本当に恋しいのです。

パチャもまた、日本に戻ることをとても楽しみにしています。今回はただ「いる」こと、そして、もちろんサーフィンにもっと時間を使えたらと思っています。

私にとって、持続可能な暮らし方や考え方を紹介するためとはいえ、再び飛行機に乗って、燃料をたくさん使うことに対してもちろん後ろめたい気持ちもあります。その矛盾についてはお詫びします。私自身も学びのプロセスの最中なのです…。


私たちはとってもお得な航空券を買い、寝泊りもできる車を借り、サーフボードや楽器を積んで、東京から宮崎まで旅をします!

旅の仲間は私たち家族の他にもう一人、音楽家でサーファーでもあるジョニー・ドストウが。彼の音楽や国際的な広がりをみせる「ヴァンライフ・ムーブメント」についてみなさんとシェアできるのも楽しみです! (http://vanlife.com.au).ジョニーの音楽はこちらで聞けます! Jonny Dustow music 

ヴァンライフ・ムーブメントとは、車1台分のスペースで、シンプルに、そして自由に暮らしながら、愛とつながりを基盤にした世界的なコミュニティをつくっていこうという取り組みです。

私たちが日本でしたいことは、サーフィン、歌うこと、みなさんとの再会を通じてスローでスモールでシンプルな暮らしについて知恵をわかちあうこと、旅の途中で出会うであろうポジティブなムーブメントや人々を応援し、つなげていく役目を担うこと!旅の途中でみなさんにお会いできたらうれしいです。

コンサートやトーク(テーマはディープ・エコロジーやスローライフなど)、あるいは、ただぶらぶらと一緒に過ごし、海や山や森で愉しむお誘いも大歓迎!ギターやウクレレでのセッションも楽しそう!

◆4/12時点での私たちのプラン

5/27(金) 日本到着
5/28(土)夜 カフェスロー15周年イベントに参加!(国分寺)
5/29(日)午後 自然療法イベントに辻さんと参加(品川)

6/1(水)午後 川崎、夜 関内にてトーク&ライブ
6/2(木)昼間 横浜方面でトーク&ライブ予定

6/3(金) スローサファリツアースタート!
藤野~伊豆~静岡~和歌山~京都~鳥取~四国
~九州(糸島をメインに)

6/22(水)~26日(日) 宮崎滞在
6/27(月)~ 旅しながら東京へ

7/1(金)~ 関東滞在予定
7/13(水) 成田より出国


ご覧のとおり、現時点では私たちのスケジュールはいかようにも対応できます!イベントを企画したい方、サーフスポットの近くで夜、駐車させていただけるスペースをご存知の方…、私たちの旅に関心のある方はぜひ、直接連絡をください。

Eメール light.anja@gmail.com 
フェイスブック https://www.facebook.com/anja.light?fref=ts

日本に戻り、みなさんとディープな時間を一緒に過ごせることをとても楽しみにしています。


愛をこめて
アンニャ、パチャ、、ヤニ

2016-04-11

4/11:Slow Surfari in Japan in June!




Dear Friends, 

Calling all Sloths!


Pacha, Yani and I are coming back to Japan this June/July and this time,  maybe,  a little more slowly, simply and spontaneously!  It was Yani this time who begged me to take him back to Japan, he misses everything - people, culture, food, natty, onsens - everything. Pacha is also so excited to come back - this time to take more time to just ‘be’ and (of course) surf! 

For me, there is a sense of guilt about using to much jet fuel again in order to promote sustainable lifestyles and ways of thinking - I apologise for my inconsistency/contradction...it is an ongoing (learning) process...

Anyway, we bought really discounted air tickets and have hired a ‘bongo’ pop top van (to sleep and move in) and bring our instruments and surfboards along on our journey from Tokyo to Miyazaki and back, starting on the 3rd June until the 28th June.  

This time an extra musician (and surfer) Jonny Dostow will travel along with us and is willing to share his music and story about starting the global ‘van life’ movement (http://vanlife.com.au). He's also a great musician and you can find his music here: Jonny Dustow music This movement is about living simply and freely in small, mobile spaces - creating a global community based on love and (nature) connection. 

Our intention is to surf, sing and reconnect with Japan, sharing the message of slow, small, simple life - connecting and celebrating with all beings and positive movements along the way.
We would love to meet you if you are near our path! 

We could do a concert or talk on deep ecology/slow life, or just hang out with you and have fun in the ocean/forest/mountain, jamming with our guitars and ukuleles…

Our basic plans are: 

Arrive in Japan 27 May

28 May celebration of Cafe Slow 15 year anniversary
29 - 2nd June Tokyo/Yokohama area organised by the Sloth Club

3 June - Slow Surfari to the south begins!
Fujino
Izu area
Shizuoka/Wakyama area
Kyoto (?)
Tottori area
Shikoku (wild surf)
Kyushu (Itoshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto)

Jun 22 Miyazaki 
June 27 return to Tokyo

Jul 1 - 13 Sloth Club events 

As you can see - at this stage our plans are very, very flexible! 

Please let me know directly (by email: light.anja@gmail.com or on Facebook) if you would like to organise any event, or know a good place to park for a night or two (preferably close to a good surf break!).

We are so very excited to be coming back, with more time to connect deeply…

Love, 
Anja , Pacha and Yani