Chura Mura – Saving the Sea Turtles in Okinawa

Our Goal

We are working tirelessly to create the very first marine sanctuary dedicated to the protection of sea turtles in Japan.

With your help, the very first sanctuary will be located right here in Okinawa.

HELP US BY USING THE HASHTAG #makethesanctuary

About

Chura-mura was founded in early summer of 2020. As an after-effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent decrease in tourism to Okinawa, there was a bloom of turtle nesting activity, first noticed along Uza Beach in Yomitan Village.

We erected fences to protect these nests, and the area saw more turtles born than in many years previous, we assume because of the lack of traffic along the beach, and the fact that marine sports in the adjacent lagoon had slowed with the lack of tourism.

The protection of these nests, and our first summer with the turtles quickly evolved into an island wide movement, and the variety of programs that define chura-mura today.

How You Can Help

Sign Our Petition

Please consider signing our online petition indicating your support for the creation of a sanctuary for sea turtles in Okinawa.

Donate

We greatly appreciate all donations made to Churu-mura! Follow us on social media to see how your donation is being spent to protect sea turtles and keep the ocean clean!

Volunteer

We need volunteers for the following: administration, fundraising, and merchandising. All positions can be part-time and semi-remote. Please enquire to set up a time to meet and discuss how you can be a part of the Turtle Ranger Team.

Sign the Petition

Help create the first marine sanctuary in Japan

Click the button to sign the petition at change.org

Sign the Petition

Give a Donation

Help our cause to protect the ocean

Click the button to pledge your donation and tell us your story!

Donate

Mother turtles will return to the beach they hatched from to lay their eggs.

If they cannot return to that beach and lay due to development, or other human intervention, they will not lay their eggs

anywhere else.

Programs & Activities

Coastal Watch Program

Monthly Beach Clean Initiative Hosted in Collaboration with OKILIFE

Each month we target a different local area and, working together with OKILIFE and with support from the American Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainability Committee, we spend the day cleaning the coast. As the beaches of Okinawa are turtle habitats, we need to ensure that they remain clean and free from dangerous debris. Please contact carl@ecojapan.org to find out more about volunteering for this event.

Chura-mura’s adopt a beach program

Consider adopting a stretch of Yomitan coastline. We are desperately in need of patrols to be conducted on area beaches once each morning and once each evening. Our beach patrollers are able to report any signs of nests, or any injury or death of a sea turtle so that we can erect fences around nests, or give assistance in emergency situations. Please contact carl@ecojapan.org to find out more about adopting your own beach.

Chura-mura Education Program

Community Outreach

If your organization would like to know more about sea turtle conservation, our team will be more than happy to visit your company, school, or group to deliver a presentation that will inform your people. Recently we have had the opportunity to deliver our curriculum to several area schools and we are eager to reach more people. Please contact carl@ecojapan.org to find out more about arranging a Chura-mura presentation.

Chura-mura Ocean Rangers

We are now hosting a monthly program to educate youth on the importance of conservation work and being environmentally conscious. Together with our friends at Blue Reef Okinawa, who provide the ocean skills and safety training for our course, we lead an excited group of youth into the wilderness, with education and conservancy as our primary focus. Please contact carl@ecojapan.org to find out more about Chura-mura’s Ocean Ranger Program.

Fundraising Program

Fundraising for a Cause

Learn how to host your own Chura-mura donations drive. We can work with you to give you the skills to present our cause within your community so that you can become a Chura-mura Team Fundraiser. We need all the support we can gather to reach our goal of making a sanctuary for sea turtles here in Okinawa. With your support, we believe we can do it! Contact carl@ecojapan.org for more information.

Meet Our Awesome Team

カール・バスティアン Carl Bastian

マリン保護活動家 Marine Conservationist
オーストラリア生まれ 45才 45-year-old Australian
リュウキュウワールドオフィス代表エコジャパン創立 21 years in Japan in hospitality management and entrepreneurship

Governor at American Chamber of Commerce Okinawa
Sustainability Committee Chairman
NPO Churamura – Coastal Conservation Agency Founder
1st ever ambition: to become a marine biologist
Married with 2 daughters

I enjoy everything ocean-related, golf, reading & traveling.

Favorite quote: “Those with the ability to act have a responsibility to take action.”

Why I fell in love with sea turtles: From the tears that mothers shed when laying eggs, to the frenzy of hatchlings heading to the water to begin their 10,000km life journey across the pacific, these complex reptiles have been around since the dinosaurs, live as long as humans, and help sustain the ocean ecosystem (sustaining all life on earth).

カール　バスティアン

オーストラリア生まれ　45歳

事業家・マリン保護活動家

リュウキュウワールドオフィス代表

エコジャパン創立

第一大望：海洋学者になること

趣味：海のすべてが好き

好きな引用文：行動を起こす能力者は行動をとる責任あり

なぜウミガメが好き：涙を流す産卵する母ガメから　初めて海にダッシュするふ化したばかりの仔ガメまで、恐竜時代から生息し、人間のように長い生きし、生涯に数万キロの長距離に泳ぐ、海の生態系（我々の地球生命体すべて）を支えてくれる不思議で複雑で守らなければならない生き物だから好きです。

ヨギヨシイチ　Yogi Yoichi

５２歳　52 years old
老人ホーム　谷茶の丘.雅　機能回復訓練員　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Functional Recovery Trainer at Tancha-no-oka Nursing Home.
海亀大好き！　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Sea turtle lover

I’m an old man who loves sea turtles. After seeing the hatching of baby sea turtles, I started looking for sea turtle tracks in early spring. I noticed trash on the beach but I didn’t go through it. While researching sea turtles on the internet marine environment while researching on the internet about sea turtles. Learning about the Pacific Garbage Belt that would be addressed by a large organization. I learned about the threat of ghost nets, plastic bags, and straws in a sea turtle rescue video. I do beach cleanup activities as much as I can.

Favorite quote: “The earth is not something we inherited from our ancestors, it is something we borrow from our children.

I want the Yomitan coast to be recognized as a “Hope Spot”.

ヨギ　ヨシイチ

１９６８年（昭和４３年）生まれ　５２才

老人ホーム　谷茶の丘.雅　機能回復訓練員

ウミガメ好きのおっさん　ヨッシー

ウミガメの孵化脱出を見てから、春先からウミガメの足跡を探すようになる。

ビーチのゴミに気づくがスルーしていた。

ウミガメについてインターネットで調べているときに海洋環境のゴミ汚染に気が付く

太平洋ゴミベルトと呼ばれる社会問題に大きな組織が対応するだろうとスルーした。

ウミガメレスキュー動画でゴーストネット・レジ袋・ストローの脅威を知り、

自分が行える範囲でビーチクリーン活動を行う。

「大きなことはできませんが、小さなことからコツコツと」

「地球は先祖から受け継いだものではない。子供からの借り物」

読谷村沿岸を「ホープ・スポット」に認定させたい。

山口有紀子　Yukiko Yamaguchi

旅行と学ぶことが好きです！I like traveling and learning!
自然好き　Nature lover
海のアーティスト Ocean Artist

Coming soon!

クレイグ・ポープ　Craig Pope

教員　Educator
別名　カリフォルニア・クレイグ　a.k.a. California Craig　
一緒に海を守ろう！Help us protect the ocean!

Likes: Yachimun, the ocean, camping, and BBQ

My wife is a potter.

I am a father of two daughters.

I often go to the beach with my family.

Favorite Quote: “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible”

– 14th Dalai Lama

Best regards!

Craig

ポープ　クレッグ

ドイツ生まれ、カリフォルニア育ち、現在読谷に住んでいます。

36歳

教職員

好きなもの: やちむんと海とキャンプとBBQ

妻は陶芸家

2人娘の父です。

よく家族で海に行きます。

好きな名言:

「可能な時はいつでも親切にしなさい。それはいつも可能です。」

ダライラマー１４世

よろしくお願いします！

クレッグ

河辺照之　Teruyuki Kawabe

テルです！I’m Teru!
ダイビングインストラクター　Dive instructor
気象予報士　Weather forecaster for QAB

I’m Teru.

Teruyuki Kawabe, age 50

Born in Yokohama

Lived in Chiba for the longest time, followed by Okinawa

Graduated from the Department of Oceanography, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus

Diving instructor

Weather forecaster

Representative of Nature Guide Double Rainbow

QAB, the evening news program of Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting Co.

QAB’s evening news program, “Q Plus”, has a weather forecast corner and

Occasionally appearing on the program

I like nature and science.

Her favorite things are nature, science, and omotenashi.

I like to watch baby sea turtles

The escape of baby sea turtles from their nests (hatching) is truly mesmerizing.

I would like to offer everyone a chance to see it.

I would like to offer you the chance to see.

I’d like to offer you the chance to see it.

テルです。

河辺照之(かわべてるゆき)50歳

横浜生まれ

一番長く住んだのは千葉、次いで沖縄

琉球大学理学部海洋学科卒業

ダイビングインストラクター

気象予報士

ネイチャーガイドダブルレインボー代表

QAB 琉球朝日放送の夕方ニュース番組

「Qプラス」に、天気予報のコーナーか、

「テルさんのおもしろ自然教室」で

時折出演中。

好きなのは自然と科学とオモテナシ。

ウミガメの赤ちゃんたちの、巣からの(孵化)脱出はホントに心奪われますよ♪　是非皆さんにも見られるチャンスを提供してあげたいです。

宜しくお願いします。

マッチー団長　Commander Machi

年齢不明　Age – Unknown
ミッション：ウミガメを救うこと　Mission – Save Turtles!
好きなアイス：あずき　Favorite Ice Cream – Azuki

I was so excited the first time I saw a mother turtle’s footprints on Uza beach and since that day I’ve been on a mission.

Favorite quote: “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”

Thank you for your continued support of Chura-mura.

宇座ビーチにお母さんカメの足跡を見て大興奮して使命感を感じました。

「すべてができる人は誰もいないけど、何かできるという人はみんな」

今後も美ら村のことよろしくお願いします。

マッチー団長

Nao

２６才　Age – 26
土木関係　Civil engineer
ゆんたんちゅう　Yomitan born and bred

Nao, the beach.

26, civil engineer.

Yuntanchu, a little seasick.

I fell in love at first sight when I saw a sea turtle come up to lay eggs next to me during night fishing. Since being asked to join the Chura Village team, he has been dedicated to sea turtle patrol and beach beautification.

Japan’s first sea turtle sanctuary in Okinawa!

ナウ、ビーチ担当

26才土木関係、

ゆんたんちゅう、少し船酔い気味。

夜のフィッシングの時　横にウミガメの産卵に上がってきたことを見て一目ぼれ。美ら村チームに入らないかと声を掛けられてからウミガメパトロールや海岸美化に一筋。

日本初のウミガメサンクチュアリーを沖縄に！

Our Partners