Aoshima Interior – Tropical Shrine

Continuing the last two days of posts, here the final pictures of the interior of the little but very pretty Aoshima island on the cost of Miyazaki prefecture. 27 tropical plant species and 197 non-tropical plant species live on the island and I guess it must be a little piece of paradise for botanists! Passing from the main shrine to the small jungle shrine you pass through an overhead trellis of ema, votive plates before finding yourself in a real, gorgeous jungle. After this little trek, I wonder if it will help me get married?

Aoshima Shrine – Miyazaki

Continuing yesterday’s post, on the center of Aoshima island in Miyazaki prefecture there is a small shrine in the middle of the subtropical forest. It is quite an experience to see a shrine in a lush forest of palm trees and vines! The building itself it pretty new but it is said that there has been organized worship on the island since at least the ninth century. The shrine is popular with people wishing to be wed so there are quite a few couples visiting the shrine before their marriages. More photos of the lush interior of the island to come!

Aoshima – Miyazaki Prefecture

With a mere 4.4 hectares and rising only 6 meters over the ocean the tiny island of Aoshima (青島) on the coast of Miyazaki prefecture in subtropical southern Japan is easy to miss, but it is surrounded by some really interesting geology. The island is a gorgeous green gem in the blue ocean and for a long time it was declared virtually off limits for ordinary people. Only royalties and the priests operating the small shrine on the island were allowed to enter it. In 1737 limited access was allowed to common people, and with the opening of Japan in the 1860s full access was finally allowed. I am not sure about the geological background for the very interesting rocks around the island, but the Japanese liken it to a giant washboard, hence the Japanese nickname, “oni no sentakuita” or The Ogres Washboard (鬼の洗濯板). The soft sandstone sticking through the bedrock has been shaped in beautiful patterns by the wind and the ocean and although the rocks are quite brittle people are allowed to walk around on them as they please, something I think will be impossible very soon due to the damage to the rocks from the many tourists. Well, at least I hope they declare the rocks off limit soon. A few lighter kids enjoyed looking for crabs between the rocks, easy to spot but very difficult to catch. The sand surrounding the island is not as much sand as a crunchy mix of shells.

I wanted to shoot more around the island but the fierce sun soon drove me towards the protective shade of the trees on the island interior. More posts about Aoshima to come!

Television Filming – Miyazaki

Visiting the beautiful Aoshima in Japan’s subtropic Miyazaki prefecture a couple of months ago I came across a TV shoot with these two colorful figures battling it out on the beach! I assume the one in green is the hero and the red on is the villain. A few minutes later I saw them as they hurried of together towards the rest rooms, still in character! It was a blazing hot day and I can only imagine how hot it must have been in those costumes! I am not sure what drama it was that was being filmed, if anyone knows please let us know in the comments! – I found it! 天尊降臨ヒムカイザー, Himakaiza!