A day in the Island life...
After one 15 hour ferry, a 3 hour bus, another 10 hour ferry, and an hour drive, I find myself in the village of Onoaida, on the small island of Yakushima. Its located in a series of islands about 110km south of the southern most tip of Kyushu (the south main island). Its 7:30am and i need a shower and breakfast. I cook my new host, Rainer-san, and my new roomate, Kyoko breakfast - Mountain toast (one-eyed-jack, egg in a hole, yoni bread, etc...). It was a first for them and they loved it. The host gives me a brief tour around the property. Just the view from his house is well worth the 28 hour journey here.
To the north is the mountain. The few mountain peaks tower over the coastline, green and dramatic, as if in a hurry, the earth climbed straight to the sky to flirt with the clouds. To the south about 50m and 50m down a steep cliff is the cost, jagged, calloused and alive. There is no beach, just giant and ancient statements of lava jutting out of the ocean. And beyond the igneous guardians of the sea is the unending blue horizon. Ive lived near the ocean all of my life, but ive never seen one that strechted to far, so wide, so blue. There are supossed to be more islands out there, but i dont believe it to be so. Between the mountain and the sea rolls a dense subtropical forest. Always green, but not too tall - the annual typhoons make sure of it. Small villages make their home on the narrow bits of flat land the mountain left it its wake.
So here i am.
In the mornings i work in the garden. The noon bell relieves me from the sun to go and make a hearty lunch of freshly picked greens, beans, and carrots. The one oclock bell nudges me back out. Sometimes i`ll take a siesta and climb down the cliff side to swim in the ocean. There is no shallow ground so i wait, squatting on a rock, for a wave to come in so I can jump into it. With the borrowed goggles, i see the dark ocean bottom some 30m below me. I feel so small as the waves whip me back and forth. Underwater, the rock face wear`s the birghtly colored corals, sponges, and slimey things like a mask. On days when the water is too rough ill jump into one of the many natural hot springs. some are tucked in a hollowed out boulder on the ocean, some in the forest. Out of the water, and back up the cliff, i finish up in the garden. in the two weeks i was in Japan before i cam here, i had yet to see an insect . It was nice at first, but quickly became bizarre. In the garden i am facsinated by all of the crawly things new to me. My attention focuses on two giant green grasshopers mating. The male is perched on top doing all the work as the female is chomping away at a juicy piece of leaf. Typical.
The 3 oclock bell sounds from the hidden speakers in the trees. The Administration plays a song that leads a midday exercise. Apparently all of the workers in the island take a 5 minute break to stretch along with the strangely pleasant voice instructing them to do so. Although i was too young to remember, i am reminded of 1984. In a few more hours the work is done and the host takes me for a drive. We pass through the town (the 3 stores). Let us not forget that a tiny and remote Japanese island would not be complete without its fair share of vending machines! Anyway, he is a bee keeper and we go to check on his hives that are scattered out over several small fields. I stand back and watch him, barehandedly, check each box for new queen cells. There should only be one cell per hive, or else the bees will leave with the new queen to find a new hive.. He locates a few and plucks them out. We enjoy the yogurt like royal jelly fresh from the cell on the ride home. Its a bit sour with grassy overtones, but does the trick - i felt like a queen.
Back at the house i climb to the roof to watch the sunset, catch a last glimpe of the ocean and write a little before its time to make dinner. Tonight we make soup with freshly caught Aji (spanish mackeral) from the market, garden veggies, a side of rice and a salad. Kyoko and i make some tea and watch one of her many videos on Ramtha. Theres nothing like a dose of channeled wisdom before i hit the sack. Slipping off, the motion picture show on the back of my eyelids displays tomorrows adventure jam packed with monkeys, giant spiders, swinging from vines, hiking alond the river up the mountain, hot springs...
To the north is the mountain. The few mountain peaks tower over the coastline, green and dramatic, as if in a hurry, the earth climbed straight to the sky to flirt with the clouds. To the south about 50m and 50m down a steep cliff is the cost, jagged, calloused and alive. There is no beach, just giant and ancient statements of lava jutting out of the ocean. And beyond the igneous guardians of the sea is the unending blue horizon. Ive lived near the ocean all of my life, but ive never seen one that strechted to far, so wide, so blue. There are supossed to be more islands out there, but i dont believe it to be so. Between the mountain and the sea rolls a dense subtropical forest. Always green, but not too tall - the annual typhoons make sure of it. Small villages make their home on the narrow bits of flat land the mountain left it its wake.
So here i am.
In the mornings i work in the garden. The noon bell relieves me from the sun to go and make a hearty lunch of freshly picked greens, beans, and carrots. The one oclock bell nudges me back out. Sometimes i`ll take a siesta and climb down the cliff side to swim in the ocean. There is no shallow ground so i wait, squatting on a rock, for a wave to come in so I can jump into it. With the borrowed goggles, i see the dark ocean bottom some 30m below me. I feel so small as the waves whip me back and forth. Underwater, the rock face wear`s the birghtly colored corals, sponges, and slimey things like a mask. On days when the water is too rough ill jump into one of the many natural hot springs. some are tucked in a hollowed out boulder on the ocean, some in the forest. Out of the water, and back up the cliff, i finish up in the garden. in the two weeks i was in Japan before i cam here, i had yet to see an insect . It was nice at first, but quickly became bizarre. In the garden i am facsinated by all of the crawly things new to me. My attention focuses on two giant green grasshopers mating. The male is perched on top doing all the work as the female is chomping away at a juicy piece of leaf. Typical.
The 3 oclock bell sounds from the hidden speakers in the trees. The Administration plays a song that leads a midday exercise. Apparently all of the workers in the island take a 5 minute break to stretch along with the strangely pleasant voice instructing them to do so. Although i was too young to remember, i am reminded of 1984. In a few more hours the work is done and the host takes me for a drive. We pass through the town (the 3 stores). Let us not forget that a tiny and remote Japanese island would not be complete without its fair share of vending machines! Anyway, he is a bee keeper and we go to check on his hives that are scattered out over several small fields. I stand back and watch him, barehandedly, check each box for new queen cells. There should only be one cell per hive, or else the bees will leave with the new queen to find a new hive.. He locates a few and plucks them out. We enjoy the yogurt like royal jelly fresh from the cell on the ride home. Its a bit sour with grassy overtones, but does the trick - i felt like a queen.
Back at the house i climb to the roof to watch the sunset, catch a last glimpe of the ocean and write a little before its time to make dinner. Tonight we make soup with freshly caught Aji (spanish mackeral) from the market, garden veggies, a side of rice and a salad. Kyoko and i make some tea and watch one of her many videos on Ramtha. Theres nothing like a dose of channeled wisdom before i hit the sack. Slipping off, the motion picture show on the back of my eyelids displays tomorrows adventure jam packed with monkeys, giant spiders, swinging from vines, hiking alond the river up the mountain, hot springs...
posted by Cory at 9:30 AM
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