LIHUE — When 51-year-old Duke Kaneko of Nagasaki, Japan wants to connect with Mother Earth, he paddles — often hundreds of nautical miles at a time.
In fact, a voyage earlier this month on a six-man outrigger canoe took him and a team of paddlers from Maui to Oahu and on to Kauai. Each portion of the trip demanded more than 14 hours on the water, with one day of rest in between.
Kaneko’s hope is that his journeys, under his newly established project “Paddle for Mother Earth,” will allow him to connect others around the world in the same way, and ultimately raise awareness about the declining condition of the world’s oceans.
“People don’t pay much attention to the ocean,” he said during his visit to Kauai. “The ocean is the original source of life, and we all came from the ocean. That’s what I want to tell everybody.”
Every time he grabs an oar, Kaneko’s connection to the Earth and ocean grows deeper.
“Right now, most people are disconnected,” he said. “That’s the main reason I’m doing this.”
Kaneko’s future plan is to organize a voyage from Pearl Harbor, Oahu to Hiroshima and Nagasaki — approximately 6,000 nautical miles, including several well-deserved stops at islands along the way. The crew, he hopes, will consist of 24 paddlers from around the world, including Hawaii, rotating in teams of four in the six-man outrigger, with a no-emissions escort boat following behind for support.
“I don’t want to use gasoline,” Kaneko said of the escort. “We are trying to heal the ocean, right?”
The trip, likely three years out, aims to not only raise awareness for the ocean but also connect the two areas of the world and their dark, war-torn histories in peace and love, according to Kaneko.
His idea for Paddle for Mother Earth was born in the aftermath of the Japanese tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. That same year, he paddled 1,800 miles by himself from Minamata, in southern Japan, up the coast to just outside Fukushima, as he was not allowed near the evacuation area.
“It took me four months to do that,” he said. “I paddled every day and prayed on the beach … for harmony, the ocean and the people.”
Kaneko said the radiation resulting from the Fukushima nuclear disaster is not just Japan’s problem, but a worldwide problem that must be address. Following the disaster, he thought the Japanese people would change their thinking. Instead, its been more of the same, he said.
“We need to heal, we need to talk to the ocean more,” Kaneko said. “We need to know what we are doing.”
When asked what he enjoys about paddling in a six-man outrigger, Kaneko said it is just like the planet and universe.
“You have to be balanced, in harmony, and sharing,” he said. “No ego. You have to paddle for other people. You have to care about your neighbor.”
There are many negative things happening in oceans around the world, from declining fish populations to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Scientifically, Kaneko said he can’t do anything.
However, he believes he does have an opportunity to bring attention to the issues which will change things for future generations.
“Awareness is the most important thing,” he said. “We’re going to keep paddling to change the world. I want people to know the ocean needs help.”
For more information about Kaneko’s project, call Kauai resident Tom Woods at (978) 360-1435. Kaneko’s website, which will soon be set up in English, can be found at paddleformotherearth.com/oceanclean.html.
• Chris D’Angelo, environment writer, can be reached at 245-0441 or cdangelo@thegardenisland.com.
