Sunday 19 April 2020

Typhoons, Snorkelling and Men With Funny Shaped Balls: Japan 2019

Miyakojima Island: A DSC Quick Guide


Who are you looking at?

It’s only April and already 2020 is turning into a year to forget. The Covid-19 virus is front and centre in everyone’s mind with half the world’s population going into house arrest, economies going bankrupt and every Tom, Dick and Harry coming up with designs for new ventilators, which it turns out may not be the best way to treat patients. Then there are journalists, politicians and academics the world over systematically blaming China, Donald Trump and each other for the handling (or lack of it) of the situation.

So, to try and take your mind off the calamity unfolding outside of your window let’s take you back to 2019. You remember 2019, it was the year that journalists, politicians, academics and media commentators the world over told us we’d all die of starvation because of Brexit or that bearded Jihadis’ would brutally murder any man who let their wife go shopping without covering their ankles first and of course, it was all Donald Trumps fault. Oh and a certain Jeremy Corbyn would become Prime Minister of the UK. We’ll give you a minute to stop laughing about the last one….



In September 2019 we were boarding a flight from Paris to Tokyo eagerly anticipating the thrills, spills and crunching tackles of the Rugby World Cup. We would have loved to flown direct from Heathrow but such was the draw to this particular tournament that half of England, two thirds of Scotland and Ireland and seemingly the entire population of Wales were heading in the same direction. Consequently flights from the UK were either full or so expensive that we would have had to re-mortgage our own homes and most of our neighbours ones as well. Fortunately the French clearly believed their team had little or no chance of doing well in the tournament and so flights out of France were bereft of rugby fanatics and consequently very reasonably priced. At least that’s what we thought, turns out the reason our flight was so reasonably priced and so bereft of rugby’s hordes was because it was an Air France flight and no one it seems wanted to travel Air France. Something we now fully understand. Air France has the hardest, most uncomfortable seats you could imagine, the in-flight entertainment was appalling, the food inedible and they only had one can of beer aboard which apparently was being shared amongst the first-class passengers. We were offered wine of course, but since we consider wine to be at best, a drink for old women and children and at worst, even less appealing than badgers spit we declined and settled down for a cramped, grumpy sleep.

Japan is a long, long, long way when your buttocks are imprisoned in a seat that would make a spiked railing feel comfy, but our aching behinds were forgotten when we finally arrived in Tokyo. Fans from twenty nations mingled gleefully with the locals sharing beer and jokes whilst bemused Americans wandered around the neon lit streets wondering what on Earth was going on. The whole city throbbed with expectation. Japan has been involved in the world’s greatest rugby tournament from its inception but had only recently made its mark, having beaten the South Africans (rugby royalty) with a last ditch try in the previous tournament in 2015. Now every citizen of Japan seemed to have donned the red and white striped samurai shirt of the national team and confidence imbued by their teams coming of age against the Springboks, felt they too could now discuss the finer points of a rolling maul, line out plays and the need to earn the right to go wide with their peers from England, Australia, New Zealand and of course South Africa – all former world champions. Japan awaited, electric, primed, glory really could be theirs. This was going to be a tournament to savour. However, anyone who knows much about Japan would probably tell you that holding an international sporting event in the middle of Typhoon season is not a very good idea and they unfortunately would be proved right but that was in the future and as the tournament progressed and Japan began dismantling reputations with their fast and relentless style of rugby we took the opportunity to take a break from the beers and funny shaped balls to head south to Japan’s version of the Caribbean. We are the Dangerous Snorkelling Club after all and never miss an opportunity to get wet on the outside as well as the inside. So we boarded a flight to Okinawa and then onto Miyakojima.

Marine Garden
Miyakojima is a green jewel embedded in an azure sea. Its beaches are wide strokes of pristine white sand and its waters are crystal clear. This at least, is what the tourist guff will tell you and in normal times we are sure it is true. But we arrived on the island between those two future typhoons that had suddenly loomed onto the radar, the first having only just cleared the island as our plane touched down at Miyako airport, the next was due to make landfall within forty eight hours. So the air was dense, clammy and claustrophobic and the water would be murkier than a Chinese government report but we’ve snorkelled in worse conditions and Miyakojima boasts some of the best coral reefs in the world. So braced for disappointment and yet keen to dive in we headed to the southern coastal resort of Shigira. Japan can be a perplexing place at the best of times, its language seems to hark back to the days of hieroglyphs and although the Japanese have developed a taste for all things modern and electric they haven’t managed to master the art of using a knife or fork yet. That said nothing could be more perplexing than finding a colossal Bavarian castle smack bang in the centre of Shigira. To make matters worse it's pink. And no, we weren’t drunk; there really is a giant pink German castle in Shigira. It’s part of what’s called the Ueno German Cultural Village and it was closed for the duration. Our first thoughts were a knee-jerk assumption that it was linked to Japan’s military past when they were part of the Axis alliance but not wanting to upset the locals (Japan’s WW2 history is a sore point at the best of times) we avoided too many questions on the subject. Turns out our assumptions were wrong and its existence is all down to an act of heroism by the locals when they rescued survivors from a German ship back in 1873. Read about it here.

There are many great spots to go snorkelling in Miyako but in the short time we had on the Island we opted for three spots we’d been told by the locals were the best. The first is Yoshino beach located on the Island's Southeastern corner and a short drive from our base in Shigira. Yoshino beach is one of the most famous snorkelling spots on the island. It sits beneath a precipitous cliff face and is reached by a steep, winding road off highway 83. You can drive straight down to the beach but since parking spaces at the bottom are limited it’s more prudent to park up at the top and pay a few hundred Yen to use the shuttle service that operates from the small diving shop. The beach is long enough to find a quiet space all to your self and although the recent typhoon had done considerable damage to the reef, the marine life was still there in abundance, including several green turtles who patrolled the coral with languid strokes, our presence in their midst prompting little more than the occasional nonchalant glance. Yoshino is a spawning ground for the turtles and its shallow water and normally calm conditions make it a great spot for snorkellers of all abilities but try to arrive early if you want to see the turtles as they tend to drift away into the deeper blue once the beach becomes crowded.

Clown Fish



The second spot is the wonderful Nakanoshima beach on the western flank of Irabu Island located to the North West of Miyako. Irabu Island is reached by driving over the Irabu-Ohashi Bridge, a 3500 metre long undulation of steel and concrete that spans the glistening waters between Irabu and Miyako. It is apparently; the longest bridge in Japan and driving over it brought back memories of cruising over 7-mile-bridge in the Florida Keys. Nakanoshima (referred to by the locals as Kayaffa beach) is a wide bay protected from large waves by the coral reef which makes the waters relatively calm. Although we did find areas of the bay subject to some strong currents so caution is recommended. The waters here abound with clownfish, zipping in and out of large anemones, and puffer fish can be found loitering in rocky crevices. There is a small shack located on the beach where a local rents out oversized wetsuits to tourists but like all of the beaches we visited amenities are limited. There are also no lifeguards on duty and the island authorities lean towards the “your life, your responsibility” attitude which we found quite refreshing. That said if you are a poor swimmer or have never snorkelled before, stick close to shore and never go in the water alone.

On the way back to our hotel we stopped off at a small bakery and experienced one of the most bemusing incidents we had in Japan. We selected some sausage rolls, something’s that looked like custard tarts and some cream buns. We then watched perplexed as the cashier slowly and methodically wrapped each individual item in highly decorated paper, taped them and then placed them into another bag, which was then wrapped up again. The whole process took at least ten minutes and by the time we had paid a large queue had formed behind us. We kid you not she wrapped our cream buns up like a Christmas present. The result was typical Japanese perfection, each item a delightful parcel of paper and tape, including a little bow on some. The downside was all the cream was smeared over the inside of the paper, which does tend to ruin your cream bun experience.

Puffer fish at Nakanoshima

The third and last spot we visited was the Imugya Marine Garden located on the edge of Shigira. The Marine Garden boasts a unique eco-system due to the fact that natural spring water bubbles up from the ocean floor to mix with the seawater. The waters here are calm and sheltered, even in bad weather, making it a Mecca for snorkellers of all abilities. We arrived just as the sun broke the horizon and spent a few lazy hours amongst the corals. Anemones proliferate here, as do sea turtles and the ubiquitous shoals of coral fish. It was a great way to the end the few short days we had on the island and as the second Typhoon neared we packed our bags and headed back to Tokyo for the final array of rugby matches.

Waiting for kick off

Shinjuku, Tokyo
As most know that second Typhoon impacted Japan with a vengeance sending the country and the tournament into chaos. Yet despite some bleating from Scottish quarters and the threat of legal action, only a few games were actually abandoned. Scotland got to play the hosts for a place in the quarter finals and no doubt regretted their screams of “get the lawyers” as Japan not only weathered the early highland charge, they blew it away with a series of devastating attacks that tore the tartan defence to shreds and left Scottish dreams lying in tatters all over the pitch. Japan went on to face South Africa in the quarterfinals, there would however be no repeat of the 2015 glory. Despite endless and valiant attempts to play the game at speed the South African’s were not going to be humiliated again. In a brutal show of defensive strength they suffocated the life out of the brave blossoms and Japan’s world cup was over. The South African display against Japan should have made England, the other eventual finalists, take notice, but sadly they appeared to have overlooked the tactics the Springboks used. For despite putting on the most complete display any English rugby team has produced in their demolition of New Zealand, England had no answer to the South African’s stifling defence. England simply couldn’t cope with the Springboks defensive precision or strangulating tackles and what should have been a glorious free flowing game of rugby descended into a battle of brute strength that only South Africa were ever going to win. South Africa took the crown for a third time in their history (the first final they’d actually scored a try in) and what for many fans was the greatest tournament ever in the history of the world cup was over.

That is a bloody pink castle
If you have no interest in rugby then you’re probably not in the least bit interested in the excitement, the thrills and the sheer unpredictability of the 2019 world cup. A tournament in which the world order was over turned, reputations were made and reputations were destroyed. New Zealand were beatable, England were superb and hapless in equal measure, Wales failed to impress again as did Australia, Japan were bewildering, phenomenal and a pleasure to watch and South Africa were brutal, boring and immovable. Likewise if you have no interest in snorkelling then there is no way we can make you feel the sheer exhilaration of diving beneath the surface, of swimming over coral reefs and drifting alongside turtles. But snorkelling and rugby aside if there is something we would implore you to take from this post it’s this: Go to Japan. Yes the Japanese language is almost incomprehensible and the failure to evolve the chopstick into a something that resembles a fork can be frustrating and waiting for what seems eternity to have your sticky buns wrapped up in tinsel defies logic, but these are small bug bears. Japan is a nation that beguiles, bemuses and inspires in equal measure. From the hustle and bustle of a crowded subway train and the neon seediness of Tokyo nightlife to the sound of gentle waves creaming a coral sand beach, Japan is series of mini adventures and we can’t recommend any of them highly enough.

Oh but don’t fly Air France, your buttocks will never forgive you if you do. 

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