The
Land...
The Ryukyus
have been called "Galapagos of the East"
because of their abundance of fauna, flora and pristine rain forest.
The island also happens to be the home of the longest-lived people
in the world.
"At
seventy you are a child,
at eighty you are merely a youth,
and at ninety if the ancestors invite you into heaven,
ask them to wait until you are one hundred....
and then you might consider it."
Old island proverb
Several of the following
photos were taken during the early to mid-1950s, while I lived on
the island.
Rice
Paddies 1955
Click
images to enlarge.
When
I was there, the island was dotted with villages of thatched
roof houses, rice paddies, and small farms. The photo on the
left above links to a huge one, which will give you a really
good feeling for the place.
|
Click
images to enlarge.
Today,
farming is more industrialized, with larger farms.
Major export crops are pineapple and sugarcane.
Much
of the island's natural beauty has been preserved, especially in the
north,
a good deal of which is a grand, national park, shown in red above.
Click
images to enlarge.
The
northwest coast is also a Nature Preserve.
Click
image to enlarge.
From the coast, one can head into the park.
When I was there, it was just a natural area, not yet a park.
Click
images to enlarge.
Click
images to enlarge.
On
the Urauchi River, on nearby Iriomote Island, is
the largest waterfall of the area.
Click
image to enlarge.
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Other
parts of the islands are like jungles. In my day, the jungles
ran right up to the rice paddies. There were rice paddies very
close to where I lived, with farmers in their cooly hats always
hard at work. During one typhoon, when the calm of the eye was
upon us, myfriend Donna and I went down to the nearby rice paddie,
following a narrow path bordered by jungle. Suddenly I saw the
biggest spider I've ever seen! Her huge web (c. 4 ft. or 1.2
meters) was strung across our path, glilstening with large "diamonds"
of dew drops from the heavy rains of the storm.
How the web held during the 140 mph winds, I'll never know!
The black spider was about 7 in. or 18 cm. in diameter and bore
a large red spot... meaning poison!
What an amazing sight to see!
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SEFA
UTAKI
Sefa-utaki,
the island's most important sacred place,
is seated overlooking the Chinen peninsula. The site is said
to have been made by the legendary creator, Amamikiyo. It
is known as a sacred grove for prayer facing the island of
gods, Kudaka. At time of inauguration of the Ryukyu supreme
priestess, the Kikoe Ogimi, she came here to offer her first
prayers in a ceremony called Oaraori. Two giant pieces of
stone forming a reverse V form the entrance of the prayer
site that faces Kudaka Island.
Sefa-utaki
was named one of my island's
ten UNESCO
World Heritage Sites in 2000.
(Ref. Convention & Visitors Bureau)
|
For photos
of the island's other UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Click
here
LINKS
Colorful
essays about life on the island in the 1940s and '50s
by a former schoolmate of mine who is a professional writer
Click
here
Photos
of the 1940s and '50s ...
including some from the years I lived there, 1953-56.
Click
here and then click on any links.
(Click
cancel for each of the language pop-ups.)
English text on photo pages
Continue...
the capital city,
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