Naoki Uemura Adventure Award to four people including explorer and environmental activist Takashi Yamada. The award is given to individuals and organizations in Japan who have undertaken creative adventures and explorations around the world.
Among them, explorer and non-fiction writer Hideyuki Takano explored the vast wetland region of southern Iraq, ``Ahwar''. In addition, valley explorers Akira Tanaka and Ryoji Onishi explored the unexplored valley ``Setti Gorge'' in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal.