In swimming from the north to south, and from east to west of Japan, I have learned a lot about the Japanese society, culture, and language.
From swimming around numerous islands in Okinawa (including Yonaguni Island, Ishigaki Island, Iriomote Island and Tatetomi Island) to across the Tsugaru Channel, Lake Biwa, and the Five Lakes of Mount Fuji, as well as doing the logistical planning required for Swim Shikoku and Swim Shodoshima, I have traveled to every prefecture and many remote communities and rural towns throughout Japan.
Many Japanese words are interesting and have no direct translation into English, but I can relate to them as an open water swimmer – especially when I become ravenously hungry, are as follows:
Kuchisabishi (口寂しい) that literally means “lonely mouth” in Japanese. Whether I am trying to maintain my weight during heavy training, or I am sitting on an escort boat during a long channel swim, I seem to get a lonely mouth. It describes the act of eating out of boredom, stress, or habit, rather than actually being hungry.
Momijigari (紅葉狩り) literally means red maple or autumn leave hunting or enjoying beautiful fall foliage. For me, as the leaves start turning into beautiful yellow, orange, and red colors, it is a sign that the water temperatures are dropping and the possibility of larger waves become greater. I find the vibrancy of the fall leaves turning colors is mirrored by the vibrancy of the ocean dynamics.
Komorebi (木漏れ日) literally means tree leaking sunlight or more understandably “sunlight filtering through trees” in Japanese. While I do more swimming in oceans than hiking in a forest, I love the view of the rays of the sun piercing through white fluffy clouds towards the ocean surface. These are defined in the Japanese language as hakumeikousen (薄明光線) or sunlight piercing through the clouds or alternatively koubou (光芒) which is slightly different and describes sunlight piercing through breaks in the clouds.
Betsubara (別腹) that literally means “separate stomach” in Japanese that refers to my ever-present appreciation for and desire to eat dessert, even after I feel completely full from a deliciously hearty meal.
Nekojita (猫舌) literally means “cat tongue” and describes people who cannot tolerate or like very hot foods or drinks. I always have to wait a bit when I am served hot tea or hot noodles in Japan and am always in awe of others who start drinking the hot beverages or noodles right away.
Ikigai (生き甲斐) literally means life worth and is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being”. My ikigai is sharing my passion and interest in open water swimming.
Ishin denshin (以心伝心) literally means “what the mind thinks, the heart transmits” and is a Japanese concept of communication without words through an unspoken mutual understanding. Out in the ocean, during a lake swim, or sitting on an escort boat, many experienced coaches, kayakers, and open water swimmers inherently employ this form of communication. Because the means of communication is limited during marathon swims and channel crossings, many times information between coach and athlete must be conveyed in unspoken or unwritten ways. This nonverbal, mutual understanding between a coach and an open water swimmer is something special and must be cultivated over time.
When open water swimmers and their coaches communicate through a nod, a smile, a thumbs up, a wink, a wave or a “look” (seen through a pair of goggles or sunglasses) while in the ocean, lake, sea, bay or river, this concept of ishin denshin is commonly used out in open bodies of water. Swimmers communicate what is necessary. Both the coach on board an escort boat or kayak and the athlete in the water understand the communication and internalize the information being relayed from coach-to-athlete and from athlete-to-coach.
These implied communication skills, that may be unfathomable by others onshore or on the escort boat, are one reason why many people in the open water world understand the concept of ‘what the mind thinks the heart transmits.’
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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