5 posts tagged “ishigaki”
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.
... 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.
Another short, photo and video-heavy post. Two dives today in Ishigaki, one off of popular Yonehara Beach (featuring some of the most impressive coral formations I've seen) and one off the aptly-named manta point. Even though it's the off-season (they're more plentiful in fall), I saw an easy half-dozen animals.
Check out the short video of the manta gliding right above my head. I was experiencing technical difficulties, so it's not longer, but I did get some photos, too.
Internet access is still spotty for me, but after spending the afternoon snorkeling at three sites off the coast of Shiraho, I had to post some photos and a video.
First, a brief summary of why I was out in the sea with my camera here. For two decades, pro-development forces have been trying to build a new airport here in Ishigaki, right off the coast of Shiraho. Environmental activists have been fighting this, mostly on the strength of the island's stunning blue coral. The World Conservation Union actually declared the reefs here more diverse than Australia's, a stunning claim indeed.
There is more to say about this, either in the book or on the blog or both, but for now I wanted to see it for myself.
After interviewing one or two locals, I headed out and was just blown away by what I saw. The variety and abundance of coral (not to mention other sea life) here is just magnificent.
Many of the same fish one sees on Okinawa Hontou one also sees here, but a bunch more on top of that.
Notice the "Nemo" clownfish, the type that everyone loves. Atop one reef I saw a concentration of dozens of them. The video is here. Big clams and colorful fish also abound.
Then there's the famous blue coral. No, it's not the blue-colored staghorn color that you saw at the beginning of this blog. It looks like this:
When you're an environmentalist, the "wow" response gives way pretty easily to "wow, they're going to try to build something that'll destroy this." Occasionally, though, you just get stuck at "wow." That's where I'm at, and it's not so bad.
I'll leave you with one of the few pictures I took that actually does some justice to the color scheme underwater at Shiraho. No, no retouching needed.
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.
