 Most viewed - KAGOSHIMA 鹿児島県 |
Sakurajima, Kagoshima. Part of Kirishima-Yaku National Park. 桜島412 views
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Sakurajima 桜島275 viewsPart of Kirishima-Yaku National Park.
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View of Sakurajima from Shiroyama Park205 viewsNotice the submarine in the water.
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View from Shiroyama Park187 views
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What's a submarine doing in Kagoshima?181 views
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Walking paths near the mountain.168 views
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JR Nishi-Kagoshima Station in the 1980s.164 viewsThe station is now called Kagoshima Chuo Station.
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Sakurajima 桜島163 views
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Leaving Sakurajima across the bay.157 views
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View from the slope149 views
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Kagoshima port134 views
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Hibiscus on semitropical Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima.29 views
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Red hibiscus and other flowers in the tsumugi factory's garden setting. Amami Oshima, Kagoshima27 views
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Wild monkeys on the mountain road in Yakushima. Waiting to get food tossed by tourists. (None from us.)27 views
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Kind of sad to see so many great Yakusugi cedar trees which were cut down. But at least they still survive in some form or hosting other trees and plants.26 views
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Some wild monkeys on the mountain road.25 views
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Yakusugi cedar tree on Yakushima island, Kagoshima.24 views
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Adan アダン (Pandanus odoratissimus)23 views
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Tropical garden setting for this fabric factory. Oshima tsumugimura, Amami Oshima.23 views
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Sago palms with a cone. Oshima Tsumugimura, Amami Oshima, Kagoshima. ソテツ23 views
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White hibiscus on Amami Oshima.22 views
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Sago palms, Amami Oshima, Kagoshima22 views
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Amami Park has a garden area named "Isson no Mori" with many tropical plants. This is an Adan tree. (Pandanus odoratissimus)21 views
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Sago palms native to Amami and Okinawa. ソテツ21 views
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Amami Oshima Park21 views
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Model of Amami Oshima's endemic Amami Kuro-usagi rabbit. Short ears and dark fur.21 views
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Cruising off Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima, Japan. 17 views
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17 views
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Northern coast of Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima.16 views
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13 views
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Yakusugi cedar tree stump.11 views
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About 70% of Yakushima is made of granite. The island has many mountains higher than 1,000 meters. It's Japan's wettest spot where it rains the most.11 views
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Northern coast of Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima.10 views
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Entering Naze Port, passing by Tachigami Lighthouse island.10 views
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Cruise ship approaching Naze Port's Nagahama area on Amami-Oshima island.10 views
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Naze Port's Nagahama area on Amami-Oshima island awaits our cruise ship with tour buses and gift shop tent.10 views
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Naze Port's Nagahama area on Amami-Oshima island.10 views
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Tugboat named Ayahashi helps our cruise ship dock at Naze Port.10 views
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Welcome sign in local dialect at Naze Port's Nagahama area on Amami-Oshima island.10 views
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Confection in the shape of the Amami rabbit (Kuro-usagi). Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima10 views
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Entrance to Yakushima most famous cedar tree named "Jomonsugi" (縄文杉) said to be a few thousand years old. However, it's a serious hike to see it.10 views
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Twin cedars or Futago-sugi and also regeneration on tree stump. 双子杉10 views
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Miyanoura Port has nice mountain views when it's not foggy/rainy.10 views
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Welcome sign at Miyanoura Port's cruise ship dock.10 views
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Welcome banners at Miyanoura Port's cruise ship dock, Yakushima.10 views
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Getting closer to Naze Port.9 views
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Approaching Naze Port, Amami-Oshima's main port for cruise ships and ferries in a natural inlet on the northern coast of the island. Also called Naze Shinko Port. Served as the island's main trade port since olden times. 9 views
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Naze Port Tachigami Lighthouse is on a small, pyramid island at the entrance of Naze Port. Lighthouse built in 1937 was used until 2016. Made famous by local folk songs. 名瀬港立神灯台9 views
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Naze Port consists of four dock areas. From Naze Ports, there are boats or ferries going to Kagoshima Port, Okinawa, Osaka, and the other Amami islands.9 views
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Approaching Naze Port's Nagahama area. 名瀬港 長浜地区9 views
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Cruise ship at Naze Port pointed at Tachigami Lighthouse island. The small island is like the port's good luck charm.9 views
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Nippon Maru cruise ship at Naze Port, Amami-Oshima.9 views
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Yakushima is a round island noted for Yakushima National Park and World Heritage Site. When describing a location, they use clock face numbers. Miyanoura Port is at one o'clock.9 views
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Rare to see these Yakushima mountains. They are usually shrouded by clouds or fog. Rains a lot on Yakushima.9 views
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Nice mountain views on Yakushima.9 views
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Miyanoura Port is Yakushima island's main port for ferries and cruise ships. This dock is where cruise ships usually dock.9 views
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The dock connects to the main road, so tour buses can come right up to the cruise ship.9 views
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Yakushima's Miyanoura Port has nice mountain views when it's not foggy/rainy.9 views
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9 views
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Miyanoura Port has nice mountain views when it's not foggy/rainy.9 views
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Miyanoura Port's cruise ship dock.9 views
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Fond farewell to our cruise ship leaving Miyanoura Port, Yakushima.9 views
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Naze Port is about halfway between Kagoshima Port (383 km away) in Kyushu and Naha Port (331 km away) in Okinawa. Designated as an Important Harbor in Japan. Fine natural harbor. 8 views
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Naze Port's Nagahama dock where cruise ships dock. It's 280 meters long and 10 meters deep. 名瀬港 長浜地区8 views
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Naze Port's Nagahama area on Amami-Oshima island was prepared for 80,000-ton cruise ships in 2004.8 views
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Japan Coast Guard ships are also moored at Naze Port, Amami Oshima.8 views
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Cruise ship at Naze Port, Amami-Oshima.8 views
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Cruise ship at Naze Port, Amami-Oshima.8 views
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Rinsen-bashi Bridge goes over a small stream.林泉橋8 views
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How sacred Yakusugi cedars started to be harvested from the 17th century. Much of the wood was used for roof shingles on mainland Japan. Luxury homes might still have Yakusugi as interior ceiling panels to show off the fine wood grain.8 views
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8 views
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8 views
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8 views
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Seiryo-bashi suspension bridge. 清涼橋8 views
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Kigensugi as it looks from the road. "Kigen" refers to the beginning of recorded history which in Japan is the year 660 when the first emperor came to being. The tree seems to be older though, at age 3,000 years.8 views
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Momi fir tree stump also nearby. It was cut down. 455 years old.8 views
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Scenic coast back to Miyanoura Port, Yakushima.8 views
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Cruise ship dock at Miyanoura Port, Yakushima, Kagoshima, Japan.8 views
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Main road on Yakushima as we go to Yakusugi Land by tour bus.7 views
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Yakusugi Land is in the mountains, so our bus drove up the mountain road.7 views
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Yakusugi cedar trees can only grow in cold climates. Therefore on Yakushima, they grow at high altitudes.7 views
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7 views
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Domaiboku is a tree already harvested or felled by a typhoon. The tree's high resin content prevents the wood from rotting. Discarded scrap tree parts have been recovered to make souvenirs. 土埋木7 views
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7 views
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Kuguri Cedar or Cedar Underpass. くぐり杉7 views
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Seiryo-bashi suspension bridge. After this bridge, it's a short walk back to the parking lot, bus stop, or starting point. 清涼橋7 views
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Phone booth inside a hollow Yakusugi tree trunk.7 views
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Back of Kigensugi cedar tree.7 views
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Kigensugi cedar tree.7 views
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7 views
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Scenic coast back to Miyanoura Port. 7 views
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6 views
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Amami no Sato's Information Space explains about local flora and fauna.6 views
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I thought Yakushima was going to be mostly wilderness and sparsely populated like Iriomote in Okinawa. So it was surprising to see the island so well populated.6 views
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6 views
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Mountain road got very narrow. This bridge was narrow too.6 views
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6 views
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Road construction work, hopefully they are widening the road.6 views
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Yakusugi Land is a lush, thick, mountain forest area featuring ancient Yakusugi cedars (Cryptomeria japonica) native to Yakushima and the island's major attraction. You can see a variety of Yakusugi cedars by walking on a forest trail of varying leng6 viewsThe forest trail starts and ends at the same place, but there are several trail options. The shortest trail route is 0.8 km long (yellow line on this map named Fureai-no-Michi, numbered from 1 to 6), taking about 30 min. This is the trail we went on. Even this short trail for tourists was very impressive. Another easy tourist trail is 1.2 km taking 50 min. (red line).
The longer trails going for 2.0 km, 3.0 km, and 4.4 km (green line) involve mountain climbing taking about 80 min., 150 min., and 3.5 hours respectively. These longer trails require proper climbing equipment and physical endurance.
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Kuguri-tsuga or "Conifer Underpass." They have names for all these different trees in unusual shapes or growths.くぐり栂6 viewsJapanese pamphlet (pdf) and map of the trail here: https://y-rekumori.com/pdf/yakusugi_land_pamphlet.pdf
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Easy tourist hike.6 views
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6 views
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6 views
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6 views
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How sacred Yakusugi cedars started to be harvested from the 17th century. (English version) They can be centuries old or even a few thousand years old.6 views
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6 views
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Ultra-fine grain of Yakusugi cedar.6 views
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At Yakusugi Land's starting (and ending) point is this gift shop named Shinsen (森泉).6 views
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The gift shop has this phone booth inside a hollow Yakusugi tree trunk.6 views
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Kigensugi is an ancient Yakusugi cedar tree you can conveniently see from the road. Local buses go to Kigensugi. If you visit Yakusugi Land, Kigensugi is a short drive away.6 views
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Kigensugi's height is 19.5 meters (64 ft) with a girth of 8.1 meters (26.5 ft). Elevation is 1,230 meters (4,035 ft). Hard to believe we were looking at something that has lived all these centuries.6 views
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About the Kigensugi cedar tree. Wow, many other plant species also grow on this tree (epiphytes). They include Japanese cypress, Japanese mugwort, Yakushima rhododendron, and Japanese rhododendron.6 views
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About the Momi fir tree stump.6 views
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Gift shop on Yakushima.6 views
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Passing by Yakushima Airport.6 views
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6 views
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Roadside scenery on Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima, Japan.5 views
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Scenic coast on Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima, Japan.5 views
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Agave americana 'Marginata' (Variegated Century Plant). Ornamental plant. リュウゼツラン5 views
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Amami no Sato dome housing the Event Space, Information Space, and General Exhibition Hall.5 views
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5 views
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Sample Oshima tsumugi fabric with in the typical black color.5 views
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Lots of greenery along the way up the mountains.5 views
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Pretty hairy drive going up the mountain.5 views
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Nice mountain views on Yakushima.5 views
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Rinsen-bashi Bridge 林泉橋5 views
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Yakusugi Land tourist hike to see old cedar trees (and stumps) on Yakushima island, Kagoshima.5 views
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5 views
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5 views
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Detour path on the right to see the 1000-year cedar. Didn't have time to see it.5 views
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5 views
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5 views
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Everything is so artistic. Nature is the greatest artist of all.5 views
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So many things grow on these trees.5 views
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Regenerating on a tree stump. Other plants or trees grow on old trees, like epiphytes. 5 views
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5 views
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Such a picturesque forest trail. Highly recommended. Best to hike the longer trail (50 min.) though. The 30-min. trail is too short.5 views
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5 views
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5 views
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Souvenirs made of Yakusugi cedar.5 views
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Kigensugi cedar tree also has a short walking path going around the tree, so you can also see the back of the tree (more impressive).5 views
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Driving back to town. Lots of ferns on the cliffs.5 views
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Gift shop.5 views
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Way to Cape Ayamaru lookout point.4 views
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How Cape Ayamaru got its name.4 views
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Street sign promoting sumo wrestler Meisei who is from Amami Oshima. He belongs to Tatsunami Stable. 明生関4 views
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We had lunch here. Address: 鹿児島県奄美市笠利町用安1246-14 views
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4 views
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Amami Resort Basyayama-mura has a nice, white-sand beach.4 views
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4 views
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4 views
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4 views
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4 views
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Someone had recently raked or cleaned up the pumice.4 views
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4 views
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Amami Park has the Isson no Mori tropical garden area which is free admission, but other facilities charge admission like the Exhibition Hall and Amami Theater. Isson is the name of a local painter.4 views
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The park also has this lookout tower (Tenbodai) with fine views of the area. It might have been the old airport control tower. 展望台4 views
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4 views
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Amami-Oshima coastal view.4 views
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Amami no Sato's Island Information Space explains about Amami Oshima.4 views
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Amami no Sato's Island Information Space explains about local flora and fauna.4 views
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Isson Tanaka Museum is an art museum showing his paintings. Isson Tanaka (1908–1977) was a painter from Tokyo who moved to Amami at age 50. Photography inside the museum is not allowed. 田中一村記念美術館4 viewsIsson lived on Amami from 1958 until his death in 1977. He painted Amami's flora and fauna. The museum has about 450 of his works and displays about 80 of them at a time. Museum buildings resemble the local Takakura storehouse for grains. Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima.
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Amami Oshima Shuzo gift shop4 views
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Amami Oshima Shuzo gift shop sells mainly shochu.4 views
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The factory is in a subtropical garden with tropical flowers and plants. Adult admission ¥500, open every day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.4 viewsAddress: 1945 Akaogi Tatsugo Oshima, Kagoshima
Local buses stop at Oshima Tsumugimura bus stop. (From Amami Airport, 30 min. by bus.) http://www.tumugi.co.jp/
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Tie-dyed (in mud) handkerchiefs. The fabric is also dyed with the sharinbai tree containing iron and tannin.4 views
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4 views
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Inside the Oshima (Ooshima) Tsumugimura fabric factory. A few workers demonstrated the production of tsumugi silk fabric. This weaving step is called shimebata to make patterns on the silk.4 views
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Loom to weave Oshima tsumugi.4 views
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4 views
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Oshima tsumugi handkerchief I bought for myself. Tie-dyed.4 views
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Amami Oshima is slightly larger than the Hawaiian island of Molokai.3 views
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Local bus on Amami Oshima.3 views
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Bust of Nagano Yoshitatsu (1898–1984 永野芳辰) at Cape Ayamaru. Nagano was a Japanese government bureaucrat who helped to revert Amami islands back to Japan in 1953. He was born and raised on Amami Oshima. Later became governor of Kochi Prefecture.3 views
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Cape Ayamaru scenery.3 views
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Cape Ayamaru sign and photo spot.3 views
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Lookout deck at Cape Ayamaru shows a beautiful aqua-blue ocean.3 views
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Lookout deck at Cape Ayamaru with views of the coral reef and ocean. Amami Oshima, Kagoshima.3 views
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Lookout deck at Cape Ayamaru shows a beautiful blue ocean beyond the coral reef.3 views
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Recreational park down below from the lookout point on Cape Ayamaru.3 views
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Tonbara Rock as seen from Cape Ayamaru. トンパラ岩3 views
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Roadside scenery on Amami Oshima.3 views
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Amami Resort Basyayama-mura pool. Website: basyayama-mura.com3 views
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Lava rock outcropping also on the beach.3 views
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3 views
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This beach had pumice rocks (軽石) creating artistic patterns on the sand. They were still washing up on the beach in June 2022, but not as much as in Oct. 2021 when they clogged harbors and blanketed beaches.3 views
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On Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima, Amami Resort Basyayama-mura beach had pumice that came from an undersea volcano (Fukutoku-Okanoba) erupting near the Ogasawara islands (way south of Tokyo).3 views
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Gift shop3 views
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Restaurant lunch menu. Mainly seafood and local cuisine. Open 11 am to 9 pm.3 views
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Roadside scenery on Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima, Japan.3 views
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Tropical flora on Amami-Oshima.3 views
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Opened in Sept. 2001, Amami Park was built by Kagoshima Prefecture on the site of the old Amami Airport. It has become one of the island's major tourist attractions. 3 viewsOn this map of Amami Park, it's easy to see where the runway was.
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Ixora "Super King"3 views
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3 views
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3 views
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3 views
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View from the lookout tower, Amami Park.3 views
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View from the lookout tower. The Amami no Sato dome (white) can be seen.3 views
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3 views
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Tanaka Isson Museum can be seen.3 views
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Rear view of park.3 views
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The new Amami Oshima Airport can be seen in the distance.3 views
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Banana patch3 views
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Realistic and humorous mannequins.3 viewsKagoshima Amami Oshima park
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3 views
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Pine tree next to the shochu factory.3 views
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Vats3 views
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We had a guided tour of the shochu factory.3 views
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Packing process. Bottles of shochu being boxed.3 views
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3 views
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Amami Oshima Shuzo bottles of shochu with a cruise ship label (for visiting cruise ship passengers).3 views
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Oshima tsumugi is a local fabric woven from white silk and dyed. Oshima (Ooshima) Tsumugimura is a small textile factory where you can see how they weave and dye the tsumugi fabric. They also sell tsumugi fabrics as kimono, handkerchiefs, etc.3 views
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He is dyeing Oshima tsumugi silk fabric in mud.3 views
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He is dyeing Oshima tsumugi silk fabric in mud. The fabric color becomes black. Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima.3 views
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3 views
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Oshima (Ooshima) Tsumugimura fabric factory.3 views
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3 views
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Explanation of the Oshima tsumugi dyeing process.3 views
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Oshima tsumugi fabric production steps.3 views
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Loom3 views
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White hibiscus3 views
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White hibiscus3 views
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Sugar cane on Amami Oshima.2 views
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Passing by Amami Oshima Airport.2 views
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Photo spot at Cape Ayamaru.2 views
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Cape Ayamaru sign and photo spot, Amami Oshima, Kagoshima.2 views
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Northern coast of Amami Oshima as seen from Cape Ayamaru.2 views
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Lookout deck at Cape Ayamaru shows a beautiful aqua-blue ocean.2 views
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Recreational park down below from the lookout point on Cape Ayamaru.2 views
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Local buses stop here too, not often though.2 views
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Gift shop.2 views
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Entrance to Amami Resort Basyayamamura, a resort hotel and restaurant on the southern shore of the northern part of the island. Short drive from the airport.2 views
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Amami Resort Basyayama-mura restaurant terrace right on the beach..2 views
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2 views
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2 views
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Pumice rocks are small, lightweight, porous pebbles. Floats on water. Saw it for the first time here. 2 views
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2 views
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In 2021, an army of volunteers took weeks to clean up Okinawan and Amami beaches. It was almost like cleaning up an oil spill. Glad the problem has subsided.2 views
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Pumice pebbles on a beach in Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima, Japan.2 views
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Basha-yamamura restaurant is a great place for lunch. The terrace has ocean views. This is the cheapest dish on the menu, Tonkotsu udon noodles for ¥1,000. 豚骨うどん2 views
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Coastal scenery on Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima, Japan.2 views
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Main entrance to Amami Park. First go through the Amami no Sato dome housing the Event Space, Information Space, and Exhibition Hall.2 viewsAdult admission ¥650 for both Amami no Sato and Isson Tanaka Museum. Open 9 am–6 pm (until 7 pm in July–Aug.) Closed on the first and third Wed. of the month. (Open if a national holiday and closed on the next day instead.) Open every day during April 29th to May 5th, July 21st to August 31st, and December 30th to January 3rd.
https://amamipark.com/
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View from the lookout tower.2 views
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2 views
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Amami no Sato shell-like dome.2 views
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The new Amami Airport's runway can be seen. Amami Park is a short drive from the airport.2 views
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Runway landing lights in the ocean.2 views
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2 views
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Amami no Sato's indoor stage and event space inside the dome. There's also the small Amami Theater showing a short film about Amami. イベント広場2 views
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Amami no Sato's Exhibition Hall. Admission charged. It's a small local museum explaining local flora, fauna, history, and folk culture. 2 views
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Amami no Sato's Exhibition Hall includes a reconstructed local home. 2 views
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