Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
August 19, 2022 at 14:23 JST
Hikers gather on a sandbar of the swollen Kanzakigawa river in Omi, Shiga Prefecture, on Aug. 6. (Satoru Iizuka)
Although Japan is an island nation, swimming in the sea did not become a popular activity until the Meiji Era (1868-1912).
Most people were not particularly familiar with the ocean. That was where fishermen and sailors made a living and pirates sometimes roamed, according to the book “Kaisuiyoku to Nihonjin” (Sea bathing and Japanese), by Akio Kuroyanagi.
Initially, sea bathing was introduced as a health care and medical practice based on Western medicine, and the purpose was said to be to expose the body to the waves.
As time elapsed and people came to enjoy swimming, drownings followed.
Brutal heat waves of this summer have caused notably tragic accidents. I am especially pained by news of young children drowning.
Calls for preventing drownings include ensuring there are lifeguards nearby, or better yet, requiring everyone to wear a life jacket when going into the sea.
Although this latter requirement has yet to be enforced, it appears to have become fairly established at rivers.
The dangers of fast-flowing rivers that suddenly become deep can never be stressed enough.
Unlike swimming in the sea, splashing around in the river was always a popular pastime from time immemorial. This probably has something to do with the abundance of folklore around the nation about the “kappa” river imp.
The dire warning--that these monsters, lurking in the water, will grab unsuspecting humans--may well have prevented many drownings.
A haiku by poet Ontei Shinohara (1872-1926) goes to the effect, “A large hat for sea bathing/resting on the beach.”
Resting enough in-between dips in the ocean is a good safety measure. With the school summer holidays drawing to a close, I hope youngsters will go back to school with happy memories of their seaside activities.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 19
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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