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Hard Work and Ancient Mystery Ayumi Kawan and Masahiro Ohama from Japan
The work we did was to dig down in the soil 5 cm at a time and look for something ancient such as earthen vessels, stone implements, and arrowheads. Sometimes we dug down 30 cm at once. We dug down to some layers which could be seen on the soil wall. The different colors of these layers showed what had happened at different ages. For example, there was a layer of volcanic ash from Mt. Kirishima. Also, in a few barbecue places where ancient people cooked, there were the remains of ashes and charcoal. The material that we longed to find was "Kokuyoseki", or obsidian (a clear black stone for cutting meat and making arrowheads, because it is really hard to find and is beautiful. However, excavation is really hard work. From 8:30 to 5:00, we continued to dig in the soil. (Of course, we had a lunch time and a rest time.) Then we had to get rid of the soil which we dug. The cold climate, the cold wind, and the dust made it hard for us. We couldn't open our eyes. Sometimes we measured the size of each stone and our boss drew the shape. It was really detailed work and made us exhausted, but all of it was necessary to carry out the excavation. Now, however, we feel it was a really good opportunity because we were able to feel the ancient mystery and the reality of the work, and also we were able to become friends with the housewives and farmers who were also participating in the dig.
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