Sea and Japan Project Public Relations Office
Good luck “Yasu old man”! 14th lap! We started a garbage-picking expedition around Lake Biwa on “Zero Garbage Day” and held a big cleaning party 2024 with an old man from Yasu!
May 30, 2024 (Thursday) 10:00 – Otsu Lakeshore Nagisa Park Uchide no Mori – ……
The Sea and Japan Project in Shiga Prefecture, a general incorporated association, will hold a large cleanup event with Shiga Prefecture’s popular character “Yasu’s Old Grebe” at Otsu Lakeshore Nagisa Park on May 30th (Thursday), which is “Zero Garbage Day.” It was held at Uchide no Mori. Participants from companies and organizations that support the initiative, as well as Yuru mascot characters, gathered at the big cleanup event to clean up the lakeshore. Also, starting on this day, Yasu’s old man started his 14th lap, a four-month long garbage-picking trip around Lake Biwa, and the gathered participants cheered, “Good luck Yasu’s old man.” It was done.
This initiative is held as part of the marine litter countermeasure project “Ocean and Japan Project – CHANGE FOR THE BLUE” promoted by the Nippon Foundation.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2639/resize/d77920-2639-5fe32f543e2d5f96f598-0.jpg&s3=77920-2639-e28df5319d9d78b283aac95e17ad8cb3-736×486.jpg] Event overview
・Event Overview “Zero Garbage Day” Big Cleanup Party with Old Man Yasu 2024 ・Date: Thursday, May 30, 2024
・Venue: Uchide no Mori, Otsu Lakeside Nagisa Park, Shiga Prefecture ・Number of participants: 100 people
More participants than last year! Big cleaning party with 100 people! Approximately 100 people participated in the event, including companies, organizations, and local residents who support the initiative, even though it was a weekday. Together with Yasu’s old grebe, who acts as a “marine litter PR ambassador,” we conducted a cleanup activity on the shores of Lake Biwa.
Company characters and the mascot characters “Caffey” and
“Chaffee” of WATA SHIGA Shining Country Sports and Disability Sports 2025, which will be held in Shiga Prefecture next year, also appeared and enlivened the cleanup.
We cleaned up the shores of Lake Biwa, from Otsu Lakeside Nagisa Park Uchide no Mori in Otsu City to the festival plaza, picking up a total of 60 bags of garbage, each with a capacity of 30 liters.
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2639/resize/d77920-2639-d151c65b168b327418D8D8-0.png &3=77920-2635D81C261FDF4BC91C00 172Edab-1764X553.png]
The 14th Biwaichi pilgrimage will continue until October.
This is the 14th time this year that Yasu’s old man has gone around Lake Biwa. While cleaning a 200km circuit around Lake Biwa, we will be walking around talking about the environment surrounding Lake Biwa and the importance of the Lake Biwa region, which has been recognized as a World Agricultural Heritage Site.
On this day as well, the old man from Yasu used his special long tongs to grab fallen disposable chopsticks and put them into a garbage bag. We will walk clockwise around Lake Biwa little by little, aiming for the goal in October. You can check real-time information on the pilgrimage from the official Instagram and official X.
[Official Instagram] Yasuno Ossan (@yasuno_ossan)
https://www.instagram.com/yasuno_ossan/
[Official X] Aminchu (@aminchu_pro) https://twitter.com/aminchu_pro/
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2639/resize/d77920-2639-4142c2690b1c586f1e3f-0.png&s3=77920-2639-b913b7ac26c4787a540b6326a5e12a95-1764×561.png ]
Participants’ comments
・It was a road I used to walk on, but I didn’t really notice that there was trash on the ground. If you look closely, you can see that there is garbage washed up on the shore of the lake, and I thought it was a good activity as it would improve the beauty of the city and contribute to the SDGs.
・Lake Biwa has been close to me since I was born, and seeing the scenery again like this made me think, “Lake Biwa is something special.” Through this activity, I wanted to continue cleaning activities.
・Lake Biwa is for everyone, and I’m glad that so many people are doing cleaning activities today and Lake Biwa is becoming cleaner little by little.
・This is my first time participating, but I think it’s a good initiative. I would like to participate again.
・I like Nagisa Park, where you can feel Lake Biwa right next to it, and where I often visit with friends. I believe that the prefecture’s feelings towards Lake Biwa and the way they think about the
environment are reflected in the environment of Lake Biwa. I want to spend time with Lake Biwa while thinking about the environment. -Group Overview-
Organization name: General incorporated association Sea and Japan Project in Shiga Prefecture
URL: https://shiga.uminohi.jp/
Activities: Under the motto “Lake Biwa and the ocean are connected,” we hold awareness events, product development, research and analysis, etc., with the aim of getting people to consider “marine litter,” which is a problem around the world, as their own. We are promoting this in collaboration with local governments, boards of education, experts, and various business organizations.
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CHANGE FOR THE BLUE
As part of the Nippon Foundation’s “Ocean and Japan Project,” the 2018 This is a project that has been underway since November. We will work with stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and the public to create a marine litter reduction model and disseminate it domestically and internationally.
https://uminohi.jp/umigomi/
[Image 5: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2639/resize/d77920-2639-df8e53bb0df9b3937d58-3.png&s3=77920-2639-62fa293ad1679e2496141dc6f151f51a-512×147.png ]
Nippon Foundation “Ocean and Japan Project”
The sea supports Japanese people’s lives in various ways, sometimes giving them peace of mind, excitement, and inspiration. This is an all-Japan project that aims to encourage people across the country, including children, to view the ongoing environmental deterioration of the ocean as their own, and to expand the circle of action to preserve the ocean for future generations. is.
https://uminohi.jp/
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000002639.000077920.html