Amami archipelago
The Amami group of islands is located between the Tokara archipelago and Okinawa Islands that dot the seas of southern Japan. Amami Oshima (which i...
自然 Nature
Amami Oshima is called a treasure trove for the endemic species inhabiting the island’s thick forests, long rivers and mangroves. In July 2021, it was registered to UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage for the large numbers of unique animals and plants that have survived here since ancient times.
Nature of the Amami
Differences in how islands formed within the same subtropical oceanic climate created differences in the nature that ultimately developed on each i...
Plants of Forest
Three thousand mm of rain falls every year on Amami Oshima, where the nature of the forest, rivers, mangroves and sea all remain abundant. The eyes...
Animals of Forest
Most of Amami Oshima consists of hilly forest regions. They are home to scores of endemic animals believed to be the descendants of animals that mi...
Amami's Rivers
The rivers of Amami are also habitats essential to diverse aquatic life. Numbers of precious plants such as Amami violets (Viola amamiana) grow wil...
Amami's Sea Creatures
The Kuroshio current moves through the waters of the Amami archipelago, where the particularly nutrient-rich water trickling from Amami Oshima's fo...