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Water of life
Ms. Kagabu, 83, stands healthily along the narrow streets of Shinya. The water here has helped her grown big and strong. 99.11.07/Temperature: 8C/ Weather: Clear / Wind Direction: W
Start: Kawashiri Sousha Shrine, Akita City@/ Latitude :39 42 37 N/ Longitude:140 05 56E
Destination: Matsugasaki, Honjo City/ Latitude: 39 29 59 N /Longitude: 140 02 44 E
Distance Traveled: 25kmWalking out away from Akita City, I discovered that fresh and clean water is the answer to several secrets of Japanese health and culture.
In front of a local sake (Japanese wine) shop was water flowing from a bamboo pipe. Several people stood in line to fill water bottles. A sign posted next to the picturesque fountain of water read, "Fountain of long life; famous water of Shinya". Over the several years that I have lived in Japan I have heard stories about how important good water is for making sake. Drinking a handful of the crystal clear water, I realized how such fresh and clean water might make a delicious batch of sake. As I continued down the street, a man with several 3-liter bottles stocked up with enough water for perhaps a week or two.
"Water is my secret," said an 83 year old women I met only several paces past the "Fountain of long life." She continued to explain how water was very precious in preserving her health. "I drink as much water as I can. I clean my entire house with fresh water. I even splash water all over me after I bath in hot springs; it helps my blood circulate. Water is my treasure." It turns out that the water she uses isn't your everyday average water but pure and clean ground water, which blesses several local sake breweries, miso shops and soy sauce shops which rely greatly on the source.
A local fills close to two weeks worth of bottles full of water from the "Fountain of long life." I was fortunate enough to get a tour of a miso and soy sauce shop, which dates back 350 years. "Our house here was one of the first to be built in this neighborhood," said Mr. Daimon twelfth generation shop owner. "My ancestors knew where the best water was and built a house here. For generations my family has made miso and soy sauce. They couldn't have done so without the water here. You can't make miso or soy sauce without good water. Come to think of it you can't make miso, soy sauce or sake-three essentials to the Japanese diet-without good water."
A local fills close to two weeks worth of bottles full of water from the "Fountain of long life." It became very clear for me today how much water plays a role in both maintaining one's health and producing the foods which support traditional culture. With our bodies being made up of about 70 percent water and most civilizations centering around the availability and quality of water, I felt the importance of protecting water resources more than I ever have before.
Where does your water come from? How is it used? What can be done to make sure you have safe water?
Greg
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