"It was an extremely relaxed and rewarding trip. Great weather helped, but it was the Conovers, their impressive talents, their beautiful wood canoes, their great sense of history and zeal to preserve north woods ways that made this trip special indeed. Equally impressive was their sensitivity to individual needs while gently holding to essential routines. To be guided in such a fashion was a real treat."
Steve Simonds, St. John 1982
Japan
North Woods Canoeing in Japan At the end of March and in early April, North Woods Ways was invited to Japan to teach at a Wooden Boat Center on Lake Biwaka, and later to travel on the Shimanto River. Thanks to one of our hosts, Koji Matano, who was awarded a grant to make the exchange possible, Alexandra was able to conduct a paddle making workshop; we both taught North Woods Paddling technique, and Garrett presented a slide lecture. After that we traveled to the Island of Shikoku to spend some time on the Shimanto River with three fabulous guides who were also chefs, and who had done the cooking at the Wooden Boat Center. During that trip it was discovered that green bamboo poles can be cut at river edge, which are just the right flex and weight, and we soon had an impromptu canoe poling clinic under way. The Shimanto has plenty of shallow cobbly riffles perfect for the art of poling, and it wasn’t long before the already expert whitewater paddlers, were poling up and down shallow rapids with all the grace and abandon of otters. Please enjoy the sampling of images, a tiny fraction of what excited and attracted our eyes and cameras: Wood and Canvas Canoes made by Koji Matano and Takumi Suzuki from instructions in The Wood and Canvas Canoe by Jerry Stelmok and Rollin Thurlow. |
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| North Woods Paddles # 507, and #508 by Alexandra Conover (loon drawings by Garrett), presented to Yoshiko and Takumi Suzuki. |
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| Paddle making students closing in on finished products. (next 7) |
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| Interpreter Rikka translating during an interview, photographer in the background. |
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| A sampling of many fantastic meals. (next 4) |
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| Images en route to the Shimanto River. (next 4) |
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| Alexandra in Koji’s canoe on the Shimanto. |
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| Yoshiko and Takumi running a pitch in a canoe built by Takumi. (next 2) |
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| Poling practice on the Shimanto. (next 3) |
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| Over the course of two weeks, Cherry Blossom season started and peaked in various parts of our travels. |
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| Classic Geisha in Kyoto. (next 2) |
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