This is a village which I have been watching fade for many years. It has always been a quiet place since I first discovered it in 1996. I've met several residents who are all very old, very kind and exceedingly welcoming to anyone who chooses to visit. One old man once ordered me into the back of his little pickup truck for a wild ride through the mountains so that he could take me home to meet his wife and have tea in their beautiful farm house. He gave me a natural stone Daruma statue (photos below) which sits now on my desk. The community boasts a very small onsen hot spring resort at the far end of town though business seems quite bad and I expect the facility will close within the next few years. Over time I imagine the entire village will sadly fade away. The village is called "Kuchisakamoto" and can be seen on Google maps at these coordinates: 35.182753,138.273575
Out past a certain point the villages in these mountains are all dying, and there are a few villages I am certain will become ghost towns within the next decade. Faced with this reality I've heard some pretty extreme cases where the remaining villagers band together to try and sell their property in order to escape before they are too old and frail. In one newsworthy case a waste disposal company bought an entire village in order to convert the valley into a landfill. The payment to the residents was lifetime care in a old age home. This might seem extreme yet I have met some oldsters who are seemingly stranded nearly all alone in the deep mountains. Unable to drive and with limited funds they live a pretty desperate life. The beauty and serenity of these beautiful mountains is understandably lost to those who face growing frailty and weakness of body and mind. With no impetus for the young people to return the fate of these communities and the humble yet proud lifestyle of their residents seems destined to pass away before the end of our lifetime.
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My name is Kurt Bell and I am delighted that you have taken some time to share a little of the experience of life with me. I'm available on social media at the links below and can be reached via email at
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THE PATH OF WILDNESS
The Path of Wildness is easy to find
The course of a stream
Leaves blown in the wind
A beast's track through the brush
And the direction of our first inclination
The Path of Wildness is an answer and response to a prescribed way of life which may leave some individuals with a sense that their living is little more than a series of pre-determined, step-like episodes between birth and death. The stages of living between these events: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, parenthood and senior are themselves natural and in accord with the needs of the species and most individuals. Many find their satisfaction in living this course and to these individuals I have little or nothing to say. Others though long for something more; something innate, genetic and seemingly calling. Adventure and change can give a degree of satisfaction and relief yet even these may seem too tame. To those who feel drawn to something beyond the entertainment and stimulation of senses I offer a walk along The Path of Wildness. Don't bother penciling the event in your schedule, preparing a pack with goodies and supplies or even inviting a friend along, for this experience is along the course of your first inclination and you must surely always go alone.
Learn more about The Path of Wildness here:
http://wp.me/P5A2F-As
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CHANNEL CREDITS
"Japanese Falls" image by the artist Lane Brown. See more of Mr. Brown's work at the following URL:
http://lanebrownart.blogspot.com/p/portfolio.html
Channel Theme Music "Song For Kurt" used with permission by Nowherians. Discover more about the artist and their music here: http://nowherians.bandcamp.com/
