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Hachirogata, Reclaimed Lake
The main road entering Ohgata Village from the west is lined with trees which have grown successfully in the former river bottom. 99.11.3/Temperature: 10C/ Weather: Partly cloudy / Wind Direction: NW
Start: Kado, Kotooka / Latitude: 40 02 21N / Longitude: 140 05 37E
Destination: Funakoshi Station / Latitude: 39 54 16 N/ Longitude: 139 59 55 E
Distance Traveled: 25 kmToday I walked across what used to be the bottom of the second largest lake in Japan. As part of a huge land reclamation project, the 22024 lake was dried up, land was made suitable for farming, and then divided up.
I crossed over the fresh water moat, which surrounds the entire reclaimed area, onto the former lake bottom. I could see straight ahead for approximately 20 kms to the southwest where the former lakeshore meets the mountains of the Oga Peninsula. The lake bottom did not resemble a lake bottom at all. Some trees reaching 15 meters lined the roadside, a tree-lined canal stretched across the middle of the reclaimed area, and large rice paddies extended as far as my eyes could see. The broad open space is perhaps the largest I have passed through thus far, including the large fields in Hokkaido. To my surprise there were many birds and grasshoppers flying and jumping in the cool autumn sunshine. Since the rice harvest has ended, there was not a soul to be found.
Hachirogata is the name of the former fresh and seawater lake that was dried up in the Japanese government's experiment to carve a new landscape and create an area for large scale industrial farming. The idea to drain the lake was sparked by a food shortage in the early 1950's. Industrial farming was assumed to be the answer to the problem.
Rice field stretch on and on across the reclaimed river bottom. Fields stretch all the way the mountains seen in the background. Hachirogata was dammed-off from the ocean, water was pumped out of the river basin, and the soil was dried. Embankments were built around the newly reclaimed area in order to keep water from flowing back into the lake as well as to create a fresh water canal which would supply the new plain with enough water for agriculture. According to a local I spoke with, "the land was divided up amongst farmers using a rigorous testing process; most of the people selected were either wealthy or very capable. They agreed to the governments guidelines." Large-scale farming got its start in Ohgata Village, the village created by the reclamation, in the mid 1970's. The land has successfully provided space for growing food, however the success of the reclamation seems to still be in debate.
Unfortunately, by the time the reclamation was complete in the mid 1970's, the food shortage in Japan was over and new problems arose. In fact, Japan was starting to produce more rice than it could consume. The government's answer to this was to decrease the total area of rice farming. Farmers with dreams of endless rows of rice paddies in Ohata Village were shocked. After huge investments to purchase land in Ohgata, the government requested farmers to limit the amount of area used to farm rice.
Ohgata Village is an experiment in shaping the landscape to human needs. According to the several people I spoke with, its success is questionable. "The dried up the lake and with the lake went all of its fish and shellfish. Boats no longer set sail in the lake either. The nature of the lake is gone," said a former Forest Agency employee. A rice farmer commented that the area has just increased the competition of selling rice in a market which is too full of rice. Additionally a former fisherman complained, "fishermen all had to sell their fishing rights to the lake. Those who didn't sell are now facing problems because the fish that remain in the fresh water mote are becoming extinct."
The scenery crossing the giant lake bottom was strange to say the least.
Unfortunately I was unable to speak with someone who has benefitted from the reclamation project. I will see if I can over the next few days.
Please share your opinions! Also if you have additional information on Ohgata Village please share it with the rest of us at WSN.
Greg
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