Photography by Yoichi Watanabe (POW JAPAN)
Text by Ryu Okawa
On Sunday, August 21st, snowboarders, skiers, and nature lovers living in the Niseko area gathered to hold the POW Meeting, with the aim of deepening their understanding of climate change, "considering what they can do," and "creating an opportunity to spark a local movement originating in Niseko."
The event was a great opportunity for many people to deepen their connections, with talks centered around Shoma Hasebe, Niseko Town's Eco-Model City Promotion Officer, and Arata Matsumoto, who is working on plans to build a large-scale wind power plant in the Date no Otaki area. Ryu Okawa, who helped out with the event and attended with his family, reports from his perspective
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The short summer in Niseko was coming to an end. As if to cherish the last day of summer, I spent the morning at the beach with my family, and at dusk on Sunday, I headed to an event space converted from an old stone warehouse in Niseko town. I
was there to help out and participate in POW's first event in Niseko.
If you're a snowboarder, you've probably come across the organization "Protect Our Winters" (POW). It was founded in 2007 by Jeremy Jones, a top big mountain snowboarder
Currently, the group has expanded to 13 countries, and in 2019 it expanded its activities to Japan as POW Japan. The group's mission is to "support fellow members who are passionate about outdoor activities and take action to protect their fields and lifestyles from climate change."
An hour before the event started, a friendly pre-meeting began with representatives from POW, supporting companies, and organizations.
Everyone had strikingly healthy tans and toned physiques, giving off the vibe of people you often see in the mountains or by the sea—people who seem like they've grown up but retained their elementary school-like innocence.
I myself was captivated by the snow of Niseko, started visiting regularly, and before I knew it, I was living here. I instinctively felt that being around these people would be interesting.
While enjoying catering from Organic Cafe POW BAR (the name is the same as the POW in this case, which can be confusing, but it's a Niseko company that manufactures energy bars and runs a cafe. Both the coffee and energy bars are incredibly delicious. If you come to Niseko, you should definitely try them), we introduced ourselves and confirmed the schedule for the rest of the meeting. I apologize for my preconceived notions, but I had expected an environmental protection group meeting to be serious and tense. However, they were just as friendly as I had initially thought, and it made me want to spend more time with them.
I was assigned to be the parking attendant, directing the participants' cars. Cars loaded with campers, surfboards, and fishing rods kept arriving. There were over 100 participants who were truly passionate about outdoor activities. The large number of participants spoke to the high level of interest
When I returned to the venue from the parking lot, I was greeted by an explanation of the current state of climate change caused by POW. It explained how climate change is being caused by human activity. What will happen to the Earth if things continue as they are? It made me feel anxious
At this point, my daughter, who had come to visit with my wife, began to get bored. I didn't want her making noise in the venue, and it was certainly not an interesting story for a three-year-old. I took her outside.
I was suddenly pulled back from the big theme of the environment to the theme of family. As I walked hand in hand with my daughter, I remembered. My wife had been reluctant to attend the event that started at 6 pm on a Sunday.
The next day was Monday, and she had work and daycare. If we stayed out late, the morning would be difficult. I had no words to say in response to that.
I imagine that for many residents, attending a meeting is a significant hurdle. They would likely prioritize their own immediate problems, spending time with family, or work the next day.
I myself probably wouldn't have attended if I hadn't been invited. I'm truly impressed by everyone here, as they've all managed to make time for this despite their busy lives.
Before I had a family, I was interested in environmental issues, though not to the point of being passionate about them. However, once I started a family, I naturally drifted away from such events.
My daughter and I strolled around outside the venue before returning. Near the entrance, children, bored with the adults' presentations, were playing happily in the dim light.
Seeing these children, who will likely live for many more decades than I will, I felt a sense of guilt for making the Earth an even more uncomfortable place to live. Family problems and environmental problems are not separate issues; they are deeply interconnected.
Group work had already begun at the venue. Participants were divided into groups of four or five, and each group discussed what they were doing and what their thoughts were. In the preliminary meeting, it had been said that if any group was not very active, we should help them out, but all the groups were lively, so there was no need to worry.
Common topics were discussed, such as "not buying plastic bottles," "using locally produced goods and products as much as possible," and "using energy efficiently." We thought we knew all of these things, but it is these small things that we can actually take concrete action on. It is really important to move forward with what we can do, rather than waiting for a big decision or technology that will turn everything upside down, and that is what will lead to big change.
Being easily bored and lazy, I often drifted towards the easier path and felt somewhat detached from the project. However, participating in the meeting revived my fading motivation for this small endeavor.
The message from CEO Goro Komatsu, "Never give up. I will not give up," was very encouraging.
Next, Shin Matsumoto of the fly and lure fishing area BIG FIGHT Matsumoto gave a presentation on the construction plan for a large-scale wind power plant in the Otaki district of Date. He explained that while large-scale wind power plants and mega solar power plants are built under the guise of renewable energy, their construction itself has a significant impact on nature and creates new problems in an attempt to solve existing ones. The development in the Otaki district is a prime example of this, and local residents have great distrust of ORIX Corporation, the construction company (online petition site here).
When Matsumoto first heard about wind power generation, he thought it was a good idea because it seemed environmentally friendly. However, since it was close to his fishing spot, he looked into it and discovered significant contradictions and problems.
At this point, environmental issues, which had previously seemed like someone else's problem, became his own. I was impressed by how he emphasized the importance of this change.
The two-hour session was packed with dense and insightful content. When I was feeling lost and wondering, "So, what should I actually do?", Shotaro Takada of POW JAPAN kindly and with a friendly smile told me, "That's fine. I think it's important to keep thinking." It
might be difficult to keep thinking alone, but if I share my thoughts with someone like this, even someone as lazy as me feels like I might be able to manage it. My
initial impression that "being with the people at POW seems like it would be fun" became even stronger.
The POW JAPANwebsite features information about this event, as well as various other information related to snow and the environment.
Writer
Ryu Okawa
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1984, currently residing in Rankoshi Town. In winter, he works as a ski instructor for FAR EAST SNOWSPORTS. This company is attracting attention as a service that creates an unprecedented Niseko and snow vacation experience, neither a ski school nor a concierge.
Instagram:@ryu_okawa