Iriomote-jima

The island of Iriomote (西表島; Iriomote-jima ) is by its surface the largest island of the archipelago of the Îles Yaeyama (八重山諸島) in the south-west of the Japan. It belongs to the department of Okinawa and counts approximately 2000 inhabitants for a surface of 289 km ². There are a principal port and main roads on the island. The main roads do not make the turn of the island, only about half, also certain villages are accessible only by the way from water. The very vast majority of the surface of the island wild, is covered with Mangroves, a dense forest and (small) mountains.

This island is accessible in boat since its more populated neighbor Ishigaki-jima (石垣島), it is necessary to count approximately 1 hour. Attention, there are two unloading docks on this island, almost diametrically opposed, used according to the weather conditions (this island is on the road of the typhoons of the Southeast Asia, those which touch China or Japan, from August at mid-October). However, the company of boats can ensure the transfer in the bus.

The island was formerly struck chronically Malaria, which made difficult a prolonged stay there. For this reason, the island remained very wild and its development took delay compared to the close islands like Ishigaki. The malaria was finally éradiquée there after the second world war.

This island is rather known of the Japanese because it is of tourist interest some, by three aspects at least:

On this island exists a particular species of Chat, known as Iriomote yamaneko (wildcat of Iriomote Felis iriomotensis). This endemic species exists only here and is regarded as a treasure of the Japanese national heritage. There would be approximately 50 to 100 individuals living currently, gathered on the low parts of the island.
the Mangrove covers an important part of the island. It is possible to go up in boat the principal river, only bordered of mangrove in its zone of mouth under influence of the tide. The mangrove of the Yaeyama archipelago is most septentrional of the area of Southeast Asia.
Like all the islands of the archipelago, it is surrounded by a barrier of coral. There are possibilities of excursion for remarkable zones of the coral barrier since the principal port.

Anecdote. This island being extremely far from Japan, and having only one road, the inhabitants worried that their children do not have the reflex red lights . In order to teach it to them, they made install two red lights on the road, one just at the exit of the principal landing stage, the other close to the school (and close to a Minshuku of enough positive ratio price quality.)

Random links: