"The people in our town, they died without ever seeing the ocean."

Strange words to hear on an island. They are spoken by an 80-year-old woman we have met at a bus stop just after arriving at the port of Akadomari on Sado Island. She has the signature stoop of many elderly rice farmers after decades of constantly bending over, her torso leaning from her waist at a 90-degree angle even when she stands. But she seems vigorous for her age and, as she talks, it’s clear her mind is still sharp.

The town she speaks of is Hamochi, tucked away in the mountains. “My ancestors labored in the fields there for many generations,” she explains. “We didn’t have cars back then and at the end of a hard day, we never had any reason to walk the several kilometers to the sea.”