We left Osaka after an occasionally delicious chicken dinner with some friends of Nicole's host professor, Sari. (We ate several "joints" of chicken I didn't know were suitable for consumption, some of them raw.) Three trains, one boat and nine hours later, we arrived on the sub-tropical island of Yakushima."Ooooh, Yakushima. You are rich," one of our dinner hosts said the night prior. No one I talked to about traveling in Japan had ever been to Yakushima, and only two of the countless people Nicole has spoken with since coming here have explored its mysterious woods. Apparently, this place is most frequented by an older, Japanese resort crowd, but when you find a youth hostel and have an unlimited rail pass, Yakushima is possible for even poor saps like us. One of the things that caught my eye when researching for our trip was that Yakushima's forests serve as the inspiration for anime legend Hayao Mayazaki's Princess Mononoke (trailer). Also, there were said to be monkeys roaming the streets and deer frolicking amongst the trees.
All in all, we felt like this was a very special place and was by far the most anticipated of our voyage.
It did not disappoint. We sampled amazing food without using a single English menu! (editor's note- Nicole deserves all credit for communication with Japanese people), stood humbly in the presence of 4,000-year-old Sugi (cedar) trees, hiked through the greenest forests this side of Kauai and relaxed at the bargain-basement hostel on the water.
Our six-hour hike (a propensity for exploring beyond the trail made it twice as long as it had to be) through the Shiaratani Unsuikyo was simply mesmerizing. The mist idling, waterfalls big and small sprayed around every corner and each arboreal growth uniquely fascinated.
Living in New York, I often feel disconnected from the natural wonders of this world. No amount of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Central Park could ever recreate the effect of this ancient forest speaking to me and moving me in ways that I thought were reserved for those far more spiritual than myself.
3 comments:
That looks so beautiful. Did you see the monkeys? Great pics! Can't wait to see where we go next.
Yeah, yeah, enchanted forests, magic mushrooms, spirituality. Good stuff. Good stuff.
Look, I started visiting this site for pictures of old Japanese men reading books on their way to work.
Am I to now understand I've been wasting my time?
We came upon a group of monkeys when we were walking down the street and got pretty close. It was sweet. They ran into the trees but we watched them swing around for a bit, too. Nicole tried to feed them. We saw some deer also, a couple on the street and a couple in the forest.
Post a Comment