Nature & Environment
Pick Up Stories
Yohena’s Ajisai-en, The Hydrangea Garden… [Nature & Environment]
As spring moves toward summer, the floral landscape of northern Okinawa is taking on new colors as hydrangea flowers, or ajisai’s in Japanes...Read More
Okinawa Beach Opening Information 2025 [Nature & Environment News]
Okinawa Beach Opening Information 2025 Ginowan Tropical Beach (Apr. 26) Chatan Sunset Beach (Apr. 11) Chatan Araha Beach (Mid. Apr.) Nish...Read More
International Orchid Show opens Nov. 12 … [Nature & Environment]
Orchids are one of the largest families of flowering plants with some 28,000 different species. They are also widely admired for their beaut...Read More
Typhoons bring reprieve to bleaching of coral reefs [Nature & Environment]
With the record high weather temperatures in the western Pacific, the ocean water around Okinawa also became warmer than usual, prompting serious concerns among scientists and envi...
Yanbaru National Park becomes official today [Nature & Environment]
The land area covering 13,622 hectares over Kunigami, Ogimi, and Higashi villages plus a 3,670ha area of the ocean are formally registered today as the 33rd national park in Japan....
2016.09.09
Sunset photography tips with Pete Leong [Nature & Environment]
By David Higgins Living on or near the Sunabe Seawall, you will witness magnificent sunsets almost every evening during the summer months. The sky swirls with pinks, yellows...
Hot summer spreads coral bleaching to all of Okinawa [Nature & Environment]
Bleaching of coral caused by extremely hot summer and the lack of typhoons has caused the damage to coral reefs spread to all areas of Okinawa. According to the WWF Japan’s website...
Mongoose eradication project completed around Cape Hedo [Nature & Environment]
Okinawa Prefecture and the Ministry of Environment have announced that mongoose eradication has been completed in the area from Benoki to Sosu in Kunigami Village and north. The ar...
Invasive crustacean has Ishigaki officials worried [Nature & Environment]
Red swamp crayfish, designated as a subject for emergency measures against invasive alien species, were caught Friday in a pond at Shinsui Park near Nagura Dam in Tonoshiro, Ishiga...
2016.08.22
Sound frequencies in music heal our bodies and minds [Nature & Environment]
By David Higgins Our bodies and minds are extremely sensitive to a wide range of frequencies in music and sounds in our environment. Test this out by putting on a music selection t...
2016.08.10
Mountain Day is Japan’s newest national holiday [Nature & Environment]
August 11th is a Japanese national holiday called ‘Yama-no Hi’ or ‘Mountain Day.’ The day was named as a national holiday in 2014, and 2016 is the first year it is observed. The Ja...
2016.07.10
Dinosaurs lurk at Okashigoten nature park [Nature & Environment]
By Jun Ikemura A nature park northwest of Nago City is a place to visit for anyone who’s excited about dinosaurs and a fan of ‘Jurassic Park’ movies. Okashi Goten Co., which is bes...
2016.06.30
Uruma Shimin-no Mori presents hiking and adventure for all [Nature & Environment]
By David Higgins Just off the Okinawa Expressway exit 6, there is a precious hidden gem for those who are seeking a hiking adventure over a weekend. After an inebriated friend at a...
2016.06.22
Sagaribana flowers bloom for only one sweet night [Nature & Environment]
Sagaribana (Barringtonia racemosa) is a tree that grows in tropical and subtropical coastal areas from African east coast to the Ryukyu Archipelago and Polynesia. In South Africa i...
Box jellyfish warning issued [Nature & Environment]
Okinawa Department of Public Health and Medical Care issued a warning for box jellyfish (Chironex yamaguchii), known locally as ‘habu kurage,’ on Jun. 1st. The warning advises peop...
2016.05.28
Ajisai’s hydrangea flowers mark beginning of summer [Nature & Environment]
Thousands of the brilliantly colored hydrangea flowers are blooming every year marking the start of the summer on a 9,900-square-meter farm in Izumi, Motobu that once produced tang...
2016.05.16
Nature Miraikan is studying facility from kids through seniors [Nature & Environment]
Nature Miraikan is a camping facility located in Kin Town, where visitors can pitch their own tents on the premises or stay in one of the facility’s rental cottages. Its tent campi...
2016.04.09
Documentary attempts to set facts straight on Japan whaling controversy [Nature & Environment]
One of the most controversial and most talked about documentaries in Japan in the last few years has without doubt been the 2010 Academy Award winning film titled ‘The Cove,’ that ...
2016.03.13
TNR is humane way to control stray populations [Nature & Environment]
By David Higgins If you have strolled along the Sunabe seawall, undoubtedly you’ve noticed a stray cat or more accurately, at least ten, roaming in and around the seawall tetra pod...
All of Iriomote Island to become national park [Nature & Environment]
Japan’s Ministry of Environment decided Tuesday to expand the area of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park at the southern edge of the prefecture to cover whole Iriomote Island. Accordi...
2016.01.28
Time for new start for sustainable future [Nature & Environment]
By Eduard Heinrich-Sanchez After a short sabbatical, I am back with the new year. The Lunar New Year will ring in on Feb. 9, 2016, ushering in the “Year of the Monkey”....
2016.01.18
OIST hosts nature photo exhibition [Nature & Environment]
A photo exhibition titled “Nature Therapy” featuring pictures of underwater creatures and hermit crabs living in their adopted homes of beach trash. The exhibition will be held at ...
2016.01.02
Humpback whales are back in their annual playground [Nature & Environment]
As surely as winter follows fall, humpback whales make their annual migration to waters off Okinawa and Kerama Islands creating an excellent chance for people to watch the giant ma...
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