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Is it safe to travel in Japan? I'd like to take a
hiking tripKaran SmithFrom Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Jun. 03, 2011 10:12AM EDT
Last updated Friday, Jun. 03, 2011 2:48PM EDT
The Question: My daughter recently developed an obsession with
Miyazakis forest spirits, which is
sort of nice, given that our favourite activity is tromping
around in the woods. And so, with the
exception of the Studio Ghibli museum outside of Tokyo, were
most interested in rural, forest-y
Japan. Any suggestions?
As you can imagine, tourism since the devastating earthquake and
tsunami that hit the countrysnortheast coast on March 11 has been
more than slow. Figures from the Japan National Tourism
Organization show foreign visits down 62 per cent in April. But
the country is hoping that travellers
return.
Most of Japans regions were unaffected by the earthquake, and we
invite you to see the present
condition of Japan for yourselves, Tadatoshi Mamiya, president
of the Japan National Tourism
Organization, wrote in an update. We will strive to encourage
even more tourists to visit Japan, and
when they do, the people of Japan will thank them for their
messages of encouragement, prayers and
support that are helping the nation to recover from this
disaster.
As for the forest spirits, consider a trip to the old-growth
woods of Yakushima that are said to haveinspiredPrincess Mononoke .
(The work of Hayao Miyazaki, the Oscar-winning filmmaker, is
considered
by many or at least my pal Rori Caffrey, a former co-ordinator
of an international childrens film festival
the greatest living animator today. The big guys at Pixar
completely worship at his altar.)
Yakushima, an island at the top of the Ryukyu chain off the
southern coast of Japan, is a connecting flight
(from Tokyo through Kagoshima) away.
Yakushima is totally unique and is protected with UNESCO World
Heritage status, says Clive Witham,
author ofYakushima: A Yakumonkey Guide (yakumonkey.com.) The
whole island consists of ancient
forested mountains with wild monkeys and deer and is a major
nesting site for giant turtles.
The island, more than 1,000 kilometres from the disaster site,
was unaffected by the earthquake and the
number of hikers visiting has been steadily increasing, Witham
says.
If you want to stick closer to Tokyo, consider the urban forest
of Sayama Hills, 40 kilometres from the
neon metropolis. The area inspiredMy Neighbour Totoro , another
Miyazaki movie about adorable
forest spirits, says Caffrey, who used to live in Japan. The
area has actually come under the protection
of an enviro cause headed by Mr. Miyazaki.
s it safe to travel in Japan? I'd like to take a hiking ...
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