Published
Update
Video length: 3 min
Japan: discovering the island of Yakushima, listed as a UNESCO heritage site
Japan: discovering the island of Yakushima, listed as a UNESCO heritage site
(France 2)
In Japan, the island of Yakushima is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. Visitors love to get lost in its wild nature. The 8 p.m. news from France 2 takes you on a discovery tour.
The Japanese call it “the mystical island”, it is Yakushima or “the kingdom of the forest”. The island with a subtropical climate has a unique ecosystem in the world with 2,000 varieties of plants, 650 species of moss and thousands of century-old cedars. Unique fauna and flora, which have allowed this island to be recognized as a UNESCO natural heritage site. An enchanted forest, which even inspired one of the greatest successes of the animation studio Ghibli, Princess Mononoke. Yakushima wood is famous throughout the archipelago, used in architecture but also in art. A goldsmith’s work for pieces that are sometimes worth thousands of euros.
The island was also known for medicine. The water is 38 degrees, residents enjoy it all year round. Every year more and more tourists come, more than 500 per day in high season.
