Mr. Antarctic, Hiroshi Ikeda - Terminal Cancer Patient of Japan
[Lifetime Guardian of the Icebergs Spreading the Antarctic Stories]
 
In the pure world of Antarctica, every white iceberg is like my wife, and every penguin is like my child.

- Hiroshi Ikeda

Taking iceberg as his wife, penguins as his children
Japanese photography master, Hiroshi Ikeda dedicates himself to the Antarctic for life. Not married, he thinks that each Antarctic iceberg is his wife, and every Antarctic penguin is his child.

At the age of 85, Hiroshi Ikeda, who loves photography, participated in the Antarctic expedition for the first time in 1966. Since then, he has been devoted himself to the magical work of the Antarctic and determined to use the lens to protect the pure land of this life.

Despite life in danger, he visited Antarctica 24 times and the Arctic 15 times successively for 53 years. He spent all his money by holding a series of public welfare “In Love with the Antarctic: Photography Exhibition” around the world.

Hiroshi Ikeda said that the Antarctic sea surrounding the Antarctic continent is like a super-large sea art gallery, created by the God of nature using the wind and superpower to transfer the ice flowing from the Antarctic continent to the Antarctic sea to create pieces of magnificent artworks.

Said goodbye to life, bid farewell to the Antarctic journey
The most valuable thing is, Hiroshi Ikeda was diagnosed with the fourth stage of prostate cancer in March 2018. From the beginning, he asked himself: “How could it be me?” After thorough examinations, I asked myself: “Why not? Why should terminally illness be someone else? What privilege do I have to be exempted from this illness?” He promptly started to bid farewell to life and bid farewell to the Antarctic journey. He especially cherishes every cross-border sharing event: Shout every second your have - everyone is responsible for guarding the South Pole to protect the Earth. For penguins that maintain monogamy system for life is an everlasting model for humans.

Whereby, Hiroshi Ikeda put the life and death aside, placed the South Pole at the center, loved the last minute of life, showed the treasures of the Antarctic world, and guarded the last pure land with the penguins and icebergs for life. He dragged his old cancerous body and said the last words: I’m urging all walks of life around the world to save energy and reduce carbon, and jointly protect the South Pole - the last pure land of this world. He deserved to be praised as “Mr. Antarctic, the Terminal Cancer Patient,” and stood out among 2,723 recommended candidates from all over the world and earned him the “22nd Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2019” from Taiwan’s Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation.

The Foundation welcomes all walks of life around the world at any time to recommend candidates of life warriors who possess the contexts of endeavors, love, braveness, and achievement.
 
The Fervent Global Love of Lives Medal - Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation, Taiwan
Recommended hotline: 886-2-29178770
Fax: 886-2-29178768
Address: 3F, No. 52, Mingde Road, Xindien District, New Taipei City 231, Taiwan
Website: http://www.ta.org.tw
Email: ta88ms17@gmail.com

Considered as a genius by the photo studio owner
Hiroshi Ikeda was born on August 2, 1934, in Tokyo, Japan, and graduated from the Waseda Law School, Waseda University.

To date, he had traveled to Antarctica 24 times and the Arctic 15 times. The icebergs and penguins were his lovers, and he dedicated his entire life to this last pure land of the world.

Hiroshi Ikeda was a recognized travel writer and photographer in Japan. He was a lecturer at the JR Tokai Career Foundation and a member of the Japan Travel Writers Association. He was also an expert on nature and environmental protection in the Antarctica and Arctic. He concentrated on the study of cruise travel and seniors issue. He had served in TV Asahi in news reporting and program photography.

“Originally, my father brought back a camera for my brother,” Hiroshi Ikeda said.

The 6-year-old Hiroshi Ikeda used the camera as a toy. The photo studio owner was shocked when he saw the developed photos, calling him a genius.

At the age of 12, Hiroshi Ikeda was not very interested in studying, but as long as there were anything related with photography, such as school magazine editing, competitions, etc., the photos he shot were highly recognized.

“I graduated because of those,” Hiroshi Ikeda said with a smile.

Outstanding photos had let him successfully enter journalism as a reporter. Due to work affairs, the 32-year-old Hiroshi Ikeda boarded the Argentine naval ship to advance towards the Antarctic along with 53 crew members.

At that time, little did he know that he encountered a lifetime love for the icebergs and penguins of Antarctica.

Not married, he treated the Antarctic as his home
“In the purest world, every white iceberg is like a beautiful woman; quiet though, you can be attracted by it at a glance.”
Someone asked Hiroshi Ikeda: “Isn’t it very healing when you go to the Antarctic?”
He said: “Oh yes! The Antarctic is full of beautiful women.”
In addition to the beautiful icebergs, what make Hiroshi Ikeda reluctant to leave are the adorable Antarctic penguins.

Discovery of sea gallery besides the snow
For Hiroshi Ikeda, the Antarctic Sea that surrounds the Antarctic continent is an endless stream of the sea art gallery.

Nature’s wind and waves have carved the icebergs that flow from the Antarctic continent to the Antarctic sea into pieces of art, creating a natural art museum that allows you to snap endlessly.

In one of the photos taken in the Antarctic Peninsula in 1996, it shows several people passing through a heart-shaped ice cave in a boat, which seems to flow into a paradise. That was the inspiration of Hiroshi Ikeda when taking that picture.

While flipping through his collection of photographs, Hiroshi Ikeda said that the average people have an impression that the Antarctic is just a massive piece of white snow. The giant icebergs floating on the Antarctic sea may sometimes present in pink or golden yellow when reflected by the sunlight, giving off a dreamy, romantic atmosphere.

Expertise in shooting the ice land
For life in the Antarctic, Hiroshi Ikeda mainly lived on the ship. When photographing, it was necessary to wait sometimes.

“At the moment when the wind blows, your body temperature will probably be at -23°C.”

While experiencing the heavy snow in the cold polar region, Hiroshi Ikeda suggested: “In addition to the warm clothing on your body, you must wear a quality hat. Besides warmth retention and waterproof, I’ve another magical weapon that most people can’t think of, that is, a waist protector which is very practical to use.”

Hiroshi Ikeda explained the benefits of the waist protection: “The most basic function is to keep warm. When the abdomen is well protected, it can warm you up a lot. The waist protector can also safeguard your spine while walking through the thick snow along with the photographic equipment you take. You’ll not suffer from backache after standing for a long time. Every time I go to the pole, I’ll sure put on my waist protector.”

Also, the snow is full of hidden crisis. One wrong step will lead to mishaps.

Hiroshi Ikeda suggested that walking on the snow must be done slowly in small steps. The snowshoes must be anti-skidding. Meanwhile, it’s best to carry a stick with you to detect if there is an invisible height difference on the snow. Otherwise, you may sprain or fall accidentally. It’s dangerous and no joke.

A real Antarctic man
Now, the 84-year-old Hiroshi Ikeda is not at all lonely. His house and the cupboards are full of souvenirs collected from his 24 Antarctic trips, and tens of thousands of slides are his most valuable assets.

After a thorough count on Hiroshi Ikeda’s expeditions: 24 visits to Antarctica in 52 years, he should have owned several villas at several places in the world?
Although Hiroshi Ikeda is Japanese, mind you, don’t ask him about the sightseeing areas in Japan. I’m afraid he can’t answer you at all.
However, if you ask him where to find the king penguins in the Antarctic or the traces of emperor penguins, he is an expert.
If the Antarctic becomes a country, Hiroshi Ikeda is no doubt the most standard “Antarctic man!”

The last piece of pure land on earth
Everybody, please place a terrestrial globe in front of you.

About 300 million years ago, geologists claimed that there was a vast piece of land known as Gondwanaland near the present Antarctic continent.

The reason why the Earth can survive on its own for 4.6 billion years since its birth is that, as far as we know, the self-activity of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

The crustal movement resulted from forces inside the earth caused the Gondwanaland ancient land to crack.

About 250 million years ago, Gondwanaland was divided into multiple segments to become several continents and began to move.

The land masses began to split once again to form the current seven continents - Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, North America, South America, and Antarctica; and five oceans - Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and the Southern Ocean.

Accumulated with hundreds of thousands of years of snow, Antarctica has formed into glaciers that slowly pushed and flowed into the Antarctic sea.

Standing on the deck of the icebreaker, all Hiroshi Ikeda could see are the blue sea and pieces of white icebergs floating on the sea near the Antarctic continent.

He said that the Antarctic sea surrounding the Antarctic continent is like a super large sea art gallery, created by the God of nature using the wind and superpower to transfer the ice flowing from the Antarctic continent to the Antarctic sea to create pieces of magnificent artworks.

In recent years, there have been more tourists visiting Antarctica. Many people do not understand about Antarctica and lack of common sense. Hiroshi Ikeda worried that tourists would unwittingly harm the environment and animals in Antarctica. Therefore, I would like to use photos and texts to remind everyone to cherish the last piece of pure land on earth.

Shared his favorite with people from all walks of life in Taiwan and other places in the world
While traveling in the Antarctic, Hiroshi Ikeda made a lot of Taiwanese friends. Under the arrangement of his Taiwanese friend, Yang Li-Fang, who is better known as the “Queen of the Hot Springs,” published his Antarctic photo albums into Chinese version besides the Japanese version: “The Antarctic,” “Antarctic Stories,” “Penguin Gangsters,” and “The Cool Icebergs.”

Hiroshi Ikeda shared his favorites with people from all walks of life in Taiwan and other places in the world. He held a “Glacier and Iceberg in Antarctica, photographs by Hiroshi Ikeda” photography exhibition, disregarding his illness at the age of 84. He insisted on loving the Antarctic until his last breath.

Penguins and icebergs are his eternal lovers.
The Antarctic is the last pure land on earth. Even to this life, most people are not able to visit there.
However, everyone can enter the Antarctic from the lens of Hiroshi Ikeda, look at the adorable penguins and embrace the icebergs!
Everyone should also guard this childish photographer who loves Antarctica, spreading the love of the Antarctic that he had shot over half a century throughout the world.

Spreading the Antarctic stories
Supercontinental land on the earth
About 300 million years ago, geologists claimed that there was a vast piece of land known as Gondwanaland near the present Antarctic continent. Later, Gondwanaland was split into several land masses, drifting into the sea to form North and South America, India and Africa, Australia, and the Antarctic continent.

• National observation stations

Current, there are 18 countries with observation stations in the Antarctic. They have been observing the activities of the Antarctic continent for 64 years. Not only do the 44 observation stations exchange information and data, but sometimes the countries also exchange scientists among themselves for supporting each other.

• Things to do in the middle of the night

Standing on the deck of the ship and surrounded by a 360-degree panoramic view, when you look out from the earth into the outer space, those twinkling stars seem to be close to your face. You feel like you’re taking a trip into the outer space. This feeling is a blessing. You can only have this experience at the north and south poles of the earth!

• Pre-departure instructions and synchronous translation

We should know that through the experience of traveling to Antarctica, we can understand the earth and the universe better, remember the problems that are happening on the planet, how we should contribute to the earth and the Antarctic in the future.

• Ice-like continent

The ice froze up the things that had happened on Earth and in the universe, so they are not affected by acidification or weathering. Even now, we can still correctly know the information about ancient times.

• Unknown continent

In 650 AD, the Polynesians who lived on the Pacific islands for generations discovered the sea filled with ice. There is a legend that UI-te-RANGIORA and his good friends took a canoe and met a storm. The canoe was blown to the south, and they saw a large piece of white sea.

• People, people, people

They would also deliberately ask: “What’s your nationality?” Someone answered it for me: “Antarctic!” Then they would ask: “Where do you live?” “I live on this icebreaker.” Someone would continue to ask: “Which country do you declare your tax to?” They would ask such questions forever.

• When traveling to Antarctica, if you have not taken a bumpy boat ride, you don’t consider been to Antarctica.

The Dorjeku Straits, in the middle of the southernmost tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, is a place known for its storms. It is said that from the past until now, if this storm circle has not baptized the members of the expedition or the crew of the whaling ship, they are not qualified as the crew members.

• The penguin's monogamy system

In the world of penguins, there is no such thing as neon signs and pretty women inside the buildings. So they always go straight back to their homes. All penguins adhere to a monogamy system for life, which is different from the human world.

The last scream
Hiroshi Ikeda always believed that human beings are observing the unknown parts and the status of the earth in Antarctica to allow the living people to thank the earth and avoid the environment from being getting worse.

Hiroshi Ikeda screamed every second to guard the earth and the Antarctic. Everyone is responsible, and everyone should start from energy saving and carbon reduction, love their lives, respect other people’s lives, and maintain the life of the earth.

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