Masana Izawa believes in open-air defecation and returning nature’s bounty to the soil.
“Poopmaster” Masana Izawa entering his forest in Sakuragawa, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Photo: AFPWhen nature calls, Masana Izawa has followed the same routine for more than 50 years. He heads out to the woods in Japan, drops his pants and does as bears do.
“We survive by eating other living things. But you can give faeces back to nature so that organisms in the soil can decompose them,” the 74-year-old said.
Called fundo-shi, meaning “poop-soil master”, Izawa is something of a celebrity in Japan.
People flock to his “Poopland” and centuries-old wooden fundo-an, “poop-soil house”, in Sakuragawa, north of Tokyo. Visitors get tips for open-air best practices.
Noguso, as it is known in Japanese, requires digging a hole. Also needed are a leaf or two for wiping, a bottle of water to wash up and twigs to mark the spot.