To the mayor of Kamakura: please do not build a municipal incinerator near the Buddha Trail.
There are a number of reasons why this should not happen:
Nature Preservation A municipal incinerator is an industrial facility. In addition to incineration there will be various entities that recycle or otherwise process waste, and the facility will attract a daily stream of municipal garbage collection trucks and other commercial traffic. Clearly it belongs in an area designed to accomodate industrial activity, i.e., an industrial estate. The woods in this area, home to a wide variety of mammals, reptiles and birds, are a precious resource, and should not be compromised unnecessarily.
History and World Heritage The incinerator would to be built
literally adjacent to the remains of the Hojyo Tokiwa residence that once
belonged to the ruling dynasty during the Kamakura era, a site
recognised by the government as being of special historic interest and
for which the Kamakura government has requested World Heritage status.
In fact the incinerator's proposed location falls within the triangular
region - an area of less than one square kilometer - defined by these
remains and two other sites for which World Heritage status has been
requested: the Keihaizaka Pass and the Daibutsu pass. Building an
incinerator at this location, then, would likely preclude any future
prospect of World Heritage status for these sites.
Tourism According to the Kamakura City Tourism Association 20 million people visit Kamakura every year. Although no official figures appear to be available, a large number of people, both from within Japan and abroad, as well as many thousands of Japanese school children, walk the Buddha Trail every year. Neither their health nor their pleasure should be compromised by the smell of large volumes of municipal refuse, incinerator emissions, and diesel exhaust fumes.
Culture and Religion Locating an incinerator at such close proximity to the trail that leads to one of the most famous Buddha statues in the world is simply inappropriate on cultural and religious grounds.
Unproven Need There is also the wider issue of whether a new incinerator is needed in
the first place. The city of San Francisco is aiming to reach zero waste by 2020. In contrast a new incinerator will commit Kamakura to waste incineration for decades. There really ought to be an extensive, informed, public debate on this very important question.
In signing this petition you will be registering your opposition to this plan and helping to stop it. Thank you sincerely.
For more information and updates please visit my blog at:
alongthebuddhatrail.blogspot.jp