C. W. Nicol
Encyclopedia
Clive Williams Nicol, MBE
(born July 17, 1940) is a Welsh
writer and actor and a long-time resident and citizen of Japan
.
, Wales
, and from a young age expressed an interest in wildlife
and the environment
.
In 1958 he visited the Arctic Circle
to research Eider Duck for McGill University
, taking up Canadian
citizenship. By the early 1960s he was studying karate
at JKA, and soon thereafter began to study Japanese at Nihon University
.
He then spent two years (1967 to 1969) as a game warden in Ethiopia
, setting up the new Semien Mountains National Park
for the Ethiopian Government. He returned to Japan, writing a book about his Ethiopian experiences: From the Roof of Africa (1971, ISBN 0-340-14755-5).
Since taking up residence in Japan he has written many books and other literary works. In 1980 he won the Japan Broadcasting Writer's Award for a television drama written in Japanese
. He continued to be an active environmentalist
, and to this day he travels in Japan and elsewhere giving talks and lectures about the environment, addressing issues such as deforestation
and the preservation of natural environments. He is particularly interested in restoring Japan's vast woodland
s, and due to these and other endeavours he is well known in Japan.
He now holds Japanese citizenship, which he wrote about in the book Boku ga Nihonjin ni natta riyū ("Why I became Japanese") and he owns a plot of forest land in Japan where he lives.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction in Japanese, including books about whaling
(for which he went on a trip on a whaling vessel), books about the environment, and also children's fiction. In 2005, he was awarded an MBE
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born July 17, 1940) is a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
writer and actor and a long-time resident and citizen of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Biography
C.W. Nicol was born in NeathNeath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and from a young age expressed an interest in wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
.
In 1958 he visited the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
to research Eider Duck for McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, taking up Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
citizenship. By the early 1960s he was studying karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
at JKA, and soon thereafter began to study Japanese at Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
.
He then spent two years (1967 to 1969) as a game warden in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, setting up the new Semien Mountains National Park
Semien Mountains National Park
Simien Mountains National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, its territory covers the Simien Mountains and includes Ras Dashan, the highest point in Ethiopia....
for the Ethiopian Government. He returned to Japan, writing a book about his Ethiopian experiences: From the Roof of Africa (1971, ISBN 0-340-14755-5).
Since taking up residence in Japan he has written many books and other literary works. In 1980 he won the Japan Broadcasting Writer's Award for a television drama written in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. He continued to be an active environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
, and to this day he travels in Japan and elsewhere giving talks and lectures about the environment, addressing issues such as deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
and the preservation of natural environments. He is particularly interested in restoring Japan's vast woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, and due to these and other endeavours he is well known in Japan.
He now holds Japanese citizenship, which he wrote about in the book Boku ga Nihonjin ni natta riyū ("Why I became Japanese") and he owns a plot of forest land in Japan where he lives.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction in Japanese, including books about whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
(for which he went on a trip on a whaling vessel), books about the environment, and also children's fiction. In 2005, he was awarded an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.