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May 19, 2017 - Trip to Kadogawa in Miyazaki-ken [Boat ride to Otojima and Birojima, Uninhabited islands in Kadogawa bay]
There are two islands in Kadogawa-the biggest, Otojima, is located right in Kadogawa bay and the smaller Birojima is located behind it, about 6 kilometers from shore. After chartering a boat from Iorigawa port we set off on a tour of the bay. Easily visible form shore, Otojima is a familiar presence in town and is essentially a large park where you can picnic and play in the summer. From the boat we were able to see the largest of the seven sea caves that dot the coast?according to legend it was once used by pirates!
From the sea you can also see the numerous caves on Tomi Peninsula; one is positioned at the end of a sloping finger of land so that the whole thing looks like a turtle’s head and eye floating in the water. The caves range in size and accessibility (some require quite a scramble to get to) and several contain small shrines devoted to the primary concerns of a small fishing village-good catches and good harvests. From the boat you can see the torii gates (special gateways that mark the entrance to sacred spaces; they are often painted red) at the mouth of the caves nestled into the cliffs. They are not easy to get to and from the water you can really appreciate how special these places are, how a mini “pilgrimage” to one of these sacred spots would itself be a kind of ritual. They may be small and you may not actually visit them, but these tiny, remote shrines complement the larger and more famous ones elsewhere. A boat ride through the bay is a unique opportunity to see a different side of Japanese spirituality and the connection to nature. After passing Otojima and edging out to the end of the peninsula you reach Birojima. It is much smaller than Otojima but is ecologically important as the largest nesting ground of Kanmuri Umisuzume (the Japanese Murrelet), small ocean-dwelling birds that spend most of the year at sea but return to Kadogawa every year to lay their eggs on the rocky cliffs of Birojima. The island is also a popular fishing spot?on any given day you will find dozens of fisherman out of the rocks.
video is here!→https://youtu.be/UyxnWB6JIiE https://youtu.be/p80SKRIolc0
