4 posts tagged “iriomote”
Here's the thing about buttress-root trees.
All those large, lovely roots spread out to stabilize our leafy friends against wind and rain. Particularly in tropical rainforests, this is important -- topsoil is thinner, and the island ecosystems of Okinawa are buffeted by strong winds. Pay attention and you'll find that strong roots are the best defense against the slings and arrows of an oft-ugly world.
You really think I'm still talking about trees?
Believe it or not, some find these gnarled old roots more bizarre than classically beautiful. In Iriomote, this is the type of beauty they adore. Rich and diverse forests need all manner of trees, and they don't all have to look like the wispy willows or thin birch. Typhoons would dismantle those tiny varietals, anyway.
How we perceive beauty says something about us, I think. Don't be too quick to dismiss the unconventional in favor of dainty lovelies that lack sterner stuff. All things considered, I'll take a survivor.
Yeah, I think that's about right.
The longest river in Okinawa tastes perfect. With just a hint of salt, the brackish Urauchi stretches through Iriomote's midsection, meeting the ocean in two places and a human mouth through four fingers and a thumb -- at least if you're like me, and cupped your hand down to drink from it.
Proximity to salt water creates habitat for all kinds of life, including many varietals of deep-rooted mangrove, myriad bird species, and mammals, Mammals like humans, who can either take a motorized boat tour or kayak down its muddy expanse. After a 3-hour paddle to a
trailhead, you get a chance to see other forms of water as well.
Where there aren't trees along the riverbank, there are limestone walls. In fact, sometimes the trees grip tightly to the limestone walls themselves, creating a curious fusion of vegetable and mineral.
From the landing point, you walk to a series of waterfalls. You pass lush jungles filled with buttress root trees, trees whose very essence comes out of the ground to greet you all around you are lowing doves, sweeping palms, false pineapple and banana fronds.
Before reaching the star attractions, hikers get glimpses of other falls along the way. Rainforests got the name through precipitation, and it ain't dry under the dense canopy.
Along the way, there is a viewpoint that looks toward Mariyudo Falls:
Above the falls is a still pool. It's perfect for swimming, and the limestone formations beneath it couldn't have been carved more perfectly by humans. If they had been, they'd have less soul anyway.
One fall rushes gently. The other flows with great strength. You can sit underneath both on a warm, humid day and be refreshed.
... I've been here for about five minutes.
Flying back into Naha airport today, it hit me that no matter how amazing Iriomote is -- and make no mistake, it's not to be missed -- Okinawa Hontou is home. Just hit the house and thought I'd post a message and some photos denoting Da Return.
Research went great, and I'm incredibly charged up to begin writing again. Regular posts begin tomorrow. Right now, here are some pics, with longer explanations to follow.
Water buffaloes like Shinki here take visitors (like me) across the tidelands from Iriomote to Yubu Island. Then, they get to wallow and rest.
Flowers grow in abundance in both Ishigaki and Iriomote, but the latter is truly Okinawa's garden island.
Water-based work and entertainment abound. Here's me before I enter the water, looking to find things like Nemo.
And a few shots that I think illustrate just what the living is like on Iriomote. Yes, that's my tent, and yes, that's a goat loose in the campground, eating tree branches. There were three in the field nearby, and this fellow was clever enough to break his bonds.
Batteries are fully charged now. In jest, I sometimes use the term "tanned, rested and ready." Oddly enough, this time all three apply.
For the first time in a long time, the economic news here is better than average. Japan's economic ministry says that's largely thanks to tourism. We're approaching Golden Week, Japan's spring break, so this makes some sense.
This comes at a time when the slow posting will continue, because I'm doing a little tourism myself. Until May 7, I'll be traveling in the Yaeyama Islands, the southernmost of the Ryukyu chain. I'll spend time on Ishigaki (diving among the island's native blue coral, seeking manta rays and trying to avoid hammerhead sharks), then head for Iriomote to chase the elusive Iriomote yamaneko and otherwise examine Japan's wildest island.
I'm bringing my computer and camera, but I'm not sure what the internet access situation is. I may or may not be able to post.
For some unusual and striking visuals, check out these shots from space. The color of the water separating the islands is pretty amazing.
Or, if you read some Japanese (or just appreciate good pictures), look at Japan's Environmental Ministry's Iriomote National Park site. It has two live webcams, one featuring mangroves on the Gesashi River and one featuring the Iriomote mountain cat itself.
I've already seen the cat, and I haven't even boarded the plane. Should be a good trip.
