Author: Kimberly Fung

Kimberly has a background in cultural anthropology and researches the extractive afterlives of closed mines and their surrounding basins. Her PhD focused on the aftermath of Japan's first major industrial pollution disaster, the Ashio Copper Mine Pollution Incident. Born in Hong Kong and now based in Tokyo, she works across English, Chinese (Cantonese & Mandarin), and Japanese. Drawing on her doctoral research, her nonfiction piece “What Cannot Be Unearthed” received an honorable mention in the 2025 Tell the Untold! Environmental Writing Competition hosted by the Rachel Carson Center. Alongside her writing, she has participated in exhibitions and collaborated on cultural and art projects as a translator, interpreter, facilitator, and organizer. When not writing or out in the field, she might be carving her next woodcut block print. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/kimberlyfungwy

EHN Blog by Kimberly FungFeb 12, 202610:18 am

A view of the Watarase Yūsuichi, taken from an observation tower in February 2022. Two reed-covered areas are divided by a concrete water conduit and surrounded by roads. On the left, the reeds stand upright and appear straw-yellow, with one corner harvested. On the right, the reeds are bent, tangled, and greyer in hue.

Fieldwork In-between: Walking and Cutting Grass in Japan’s Post-Mining Landscape

Walking through Ashio’s scarred mountains (Japan) and cutting grass along the Watarase River, fieldwork turns out to be less about gathering data and more about learning to sense how toxicity and care coexist.

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