MONTHLY NEWS
May 2002

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud!

If somebody said to you "We have a sports ground on the sea," what image would come to mind? Well, at low tide on the shores of the Ariake Sea in Saga Prefecture, on Japan's southern island of Kyushu, there is a vast area of mud that serves as a rather special kind of sports ground. When the tide goes out the water level drops a whole six meters (nearly 20 feet), uncovering a tidal mudflat. This muddy "sports ground" is enjoyed by local residents and visitors, including students from nearby schools. The Ariake Sea has created a unique environment here, including some unusual marine life.

Many seaside places in Japan have a special event to mark the opening of the bathing season, called umi-biraki ("sea opening"), but the Ariake mudflat has a gata-biraki ("mudflat opening") instead. The event was held on April 11 this year, and it was not only local people who took part in the fun but also middle-school students from Yuzawa in Akita Prefecture, who were on a school trip to Saga. Everyone enjoyed events like "mud skiing" and got completely covered in mud.

When you step onto the mud there is a slurping sound as you sink in up to your knees. Once you’ve sunk, it isn't easy to get out again. What's more, it's difficult to keep your balance. People who have never been on a mudflat before are often amazed at how powerfully the mud sucks you in. On the day of the gata-biraki, dressed up in shorts and T-shirts, the kids were all set to enjoy the fun. They had never in their lives set foot on a mudflat. What adventures were waiting for them?

Mud "skiing," which is actually more like surfing on a board 2 meters long and 20 centimeters wide, was the main activity arranged for that day. The boards were the same as those traditionally used by local people at low tide to catch mudskippers (types of goby fish). To move forward over the mud, you get on the board and paddle with your hands, making sure you keep your balance. When an experienced person is gliding along on the boards it looks easy and seems like a lot of fun. But just try it! You'll soon find out how difficult it is! The students were covered in mud from head to toe almost as soon as they started. One commented later: "I loved the slippery feel of the mud!" They seemed to be really enjoying themselves.

The mudflat opening is one of the events organized by a local community group. Trying out mud skiing and observing mudskippers and other marine life unique to mudflats are some of the activities organized by the group every year so that people can learn about mudflats firsthand and understand what a precious part of our environment they are. The number of people who come to experience the mudflat is growing every year. Last year over 14,000 people participated in the group’s activities. The mudflat season lasts until the end of October, and already this year 12,000 reservations have been received.

Another event that takes place on the mudflat in May every year is a "Mud Olympics," called the Gata-lympics in Japanese. The events at the Mud Olympics are quite unusual. Over 2,000 people take part, watched by more than 30,000 spectators. The mudflat bicycle races are particularly interesting for the spectators, but very tricky for the competitors. The cyclists have to race their bikes along a 60-centimeter-wide track made of planks placed on the mud. If a bike slips off the track even by just a centimeter . . . Splat! Bike and rider end up in the mud. On top of that, the bikes have no brakes, so the only way to stop is to jump into the mud! The question for the riders is whether to dive in headfirst or fall sideways.

As Japan is co-hosting the 2002 World Cup with Korea, this year there is a new competition: a soccer penalty shootout on the mud. It promises to be a really gripping . . . I mean slippery . . . event!