More Than a Tourist: This Japanese Woman frees Puri’s Beach from Trash!
The tides of the ocean bring waves of serenity, but for Akie Doi, they also bring a relentless fight against apathy. A 38-year-old music and yoga teacher from Kanazawa, Japan, Doi has turned her love for Puri Beach into a fierce battle against pollution. While most visitors walk along the shore, enjoying the view, she walks with purpose, cleaning up what others leave behind.Since 2022, this one-woman army has been picking up plastic bottles, food wrappers, and every piece of trash that threatens the beauty of this sacred coastline. And she does it not for praise, not for recognition, but because she refuses to watch beauty be buried under negligence.Fierce, Bold, Unstoppable: Akai’s Battle for Puri! Every morning, before the sun fully claims the sky, Doi steps onto the beach like a guardian of the sands. With her hands protected by gloves and a determination burning in her heart, she collects the remnants of carelessness left behind by visitors. In her grasp, she carries a banner, not of protest, but of hope. It bears the image of Lord Jagannath, along with a simple but powerful plea: Respect this land. Keep it clean.“I do this because I love it,” Doi states simply, but behind her words is an unshakable resolve. “Yes, the administration has cleaners. Yes, there are dustbins. But if people do not take responsibility, no system is strong enough to fight this battle alone.”The Woman who refused to look away! Doi’s quiet rebellion against pollution has caught fire. The India-Japan Friendship Centre has recognized her efforts, equipping her with gloves and garbage bags to aid her mission. But more importantly, her actions have started inspiring others. Japanese tourists visiting Puri have begun joining her, drawn to the sheer passion of this one-woman revolution.And now, the question stands: If a visitor from another country can dedicate herself to keeping Puri clean, what’s stopping the locals?Lessons from Japan: A Culture of Respect!Doi’s actions are not random; they are deeply rooted in the culture she comes from. In Japan, cleanliness is not an obligation, it’s an identity. From classrooms to stadiums, from city streets to public spaces, keeping one’s surroundings clean is an act of self-respect. Children in Japan grow up sweeping their own schools, and after national football matches, Japanese fans stay back, not to celebrate, but to clean up.This is the mindset Doi carries with her to Puri. Not as a foreigner, not as a visitor, but as a human being who understands that the planet is shared. And if she can fight for it, why can’t we?A Battle That Belongs to Everyone: Restoring Puri’s Beauty! The war against pollution is not Doi’s to fight alone. The beach does not belong to one person, one community, or one government, it belongs to everyone. No amount of cleaning staff, no number of dustbins, and no administrative efforts will ever be enough unless every visitor takes responsibility. Doi’s work is a call to arms. A wake-up call. A challenge to every person who sets foot on Puri Beach. Are we just visitors, or are we guardians?As she continues her fight, day after day, her message grows louder:Cleanliness is not a duty, it’s a legacy. Will you help protect it?
