As we approach the 20th anniversary of Marine Day this year the Nippon Foundation is shining light on the various aspects of the ocean and working with the Japanese government and ocean related companies and groups to create a movement in which the thoughts of the Japanese people are turned towards the ocean. In a world of continual change, there are some things we must preserve: Oceans in which diverse forms of life can live together. With gratitude for the oceans, and involving ourselves with them in a variety of ways, universal acceptance of the idea that we humans must protect the oceans is something that must be passed on from generation to generation.
Selected Papers No.20(p.8)

Beginning in June of 2005, on a small boat of nine meters length, I set out on a solo navigation of the globe that lasted for three years and ten months.My long journey excluded the poles but took me across five oceans. After traversing the Northern and Southern Pacific, the Northern and Southern Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean, I was able to see things that I couldn't before: floating debris in the ocean, the need for improving conditions for yacht voyaging, and the training of young yachtsmen for the Tokyo Olympics.

The techniques of boatbuilding, like many crafts, are shrouded in secrecy and were only transmitted via an ancient apprentice system. As a boatbuilder in America working on a variety of projects, I would like to see a revival of ti·aditional boatbuilding in Japan but the traditional apprentice system is not going to be able to save the craft. There is a need now to record a wider range of wasen designs, and offer opportunities for amateur boatbuilders to be exposed to these techniques.
Selected Papers No.20(p.10)