018Yakushima was formed by a vertical protrusion of subterranean granite that began 14 million years ago. High mountains like 1,936-meter Mount Miyanouradake have earned the island the nickname “the Alps of the Sea.” Huge Japanese cedars called Yakusugi grow at altitudes above 500 meters, primeval forests broadleaf evergreen trees cover the middle slopes and below, and countless species of moss carpet the forest floors. Precipitation is so heavy that the island is jokingly said to receive “35 days of rain a month.”The mountains are sacred to the people of Yakushima. A tradition called Take-mairi (mountain pilgrimage), which dates back centuries, sees a representative from each village climb to a designated summit and pray for the population’s health and longevity. Some villages have disappeared as the population shrinks, but this reverence for nature remains unchanged, and was recorded in the “Yakushima Charter” adopted in 2007.Area: 10,700 ha Characteristics: The island of Yakushima has mountains that rise more than a thousand meters above sea level, with differences in temperature that support a vertical distribution of vegetation found at various latitudes elsewhere in Japan. This includes many enormous Japanese cedar trees that are more than a thousand years old. Yakushima deer and monkeys live all over the island, so there is a high chance you will encounter them during your visit. Between May and August, loggerhead and green sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Along with endemic local species of gecko, stag beetle, and river crab, the island is also home to several birds named Natural Monuments.Because most of the island is mountainous, people live on the coast. Residents harvest Japanese cedar from the mountains, fish in the sea, and farm their fields, following a lifestyle described as “Ten days in the mountains, ten at sea, ten in the fields.” Electricity is generated hydroelectrically with facilities installed sixty years ago to take advantage of the rainfall, which is the highest in Japan. Life on the island is genuine coexistence with nature.NatureCultureFlora and FaunaLiving YakushimaRecognized by UNESCO: December 1993
元のページ ../index.html#18