This morning we were at sea, listening to presentations and watching boobies catch flying fish. We then arrived at the island of Yakushima. Our goal for the afternoon was to visit the incredible forest here. We set off, twisting and turning our way up into the clouds at Yakusugi. Here a boardwalk helped us to penetrate this mind-blowing forest. Giant ancient sugi (Cryptomeria) or “Japanese cedar” trees surrounded us. We visited a few of the biggest, oldest trees, with one dated at approximately 1,800 years (yes, one thousand eight hundred years old!). The forest here is every shade of green, with a raging river roaring in the valley below. Some of us enjoyed the native birds and even Japanese macaques. All too soon it was time to head home and prepare for another amazing day exploring Japan.
9/23/2024
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Uwajima, Japan
Yesterday, we visited Yakushima, the southernmost point of our journey, and now we head northeast into the Seto Inland Sea. Today, we visited the small town of Uwajima in Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. Uwajima is famous for its delicious seafood, such as squid, sea bream, and yellowtail, as well as its pearl farms that produce beautiful pearls with the help of local oysters. Half the day was spent in the Date Samurai Museum and on the small hilltop in the center of town which houses the impressive Uwajima Castle. Some of us visited the Doi Pearl Farm and some got to take the pearls home. The other half of our outing was spent up in the mountains of Ehime Prefecture visiting the town of Uchiko, once home to around 30% of Japanese wax production. Japanese wax is of high quality and was expensive in many countries for a long time. This led to Uchiko becoming a very affluent and prosperous town, evidenced by the impressive architecture still visible today. We leave Shikoku behind and head over to the main island, to Hiroshima and Itsukushima for our next adventures.
