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| The Ogasawara island from a top view. |
Well, it is not really about the Galapagos Island that I'm going to share, i knew nothing at all on that place. It is just this past weeks I've been having Information overload about the Galapagos of the Orient. It is an archipelago situated just 1,000 km south of Tokyo City. It is also known as Bonin Island with a Japanese name of "Ogasawara shoto" ((小笠原諸島 ).
I've been task to help a student make a speech for the English Oratorical Contest and it happens that my student's theme is about The Ogasawara islands. He's interested with it because his mother comes from one of the islands in Ogasawara and he wanted to share the captivating beauty of the island through his speech. Currently, the island was recognized by UNESCO and included to the lists of World Natural Heritage site. This add more on the pleasure of making the speech. I did some research about the island and my student also did some digging of information from the natives in the Island, his mother and his Uncle. I was in awe with the information I gathered and was really excited. I have a great feeling about this island and I can't help it, I suddenly fall in love.
With an engrossing history, a halcyonic view of nature, a simple and sustainable way of living, and a unique evolutionary process of the island's Flora and Fauna are the highlights of this island. I'll further share information about the island.
History and Geography
Ogaswara islands are never been connected to a continent. It were formed from the subduction of oceanic plates and remained as the only in the world that showed a complete example of how continents are formed. In addition, the Island chain displayed the last 48 million years of geological history. It is an archipelago composed of about 30 islands and were divided into three sub groups. Their Japanese names are same names with the members of the Family.
- Mukojima Group (聟島列島 Mukojima Rettō)
- Mukojima (聟島, literally: Bridegroom Island)
- Yomejima (嫁島, literally: Bride Island)
- Nakōdo-jima or Nakadachijima (媒島, literally: Go-between Island)
- Kitanojima (北ノ島 or 北島, literally: Northern Island)
- Chichijima Group (父島列島 Chichijima Rettō)
- Chichijima (父島, literally: Father Island),
- Anijima (兄島, literally: Elder Brother Island)
- Otōtojima (弟島, literally: Younger Brother Island)
- Hahajima Group (母島列島 Hahajima Rettō)
- Hahajima (母島, literally: Mother Island)
- Anejima (姉島, literally: Elder Sister Island)
- Imōtojima (妹島, literally: Younger Sister Island)
Among the said Islands, there are only 2 inhabited islands, that are the Chichijima and the Hahajima with around 2,500 residents.
The animals and plants in the island undergo a unique Evolutionary process even though before there were no settlers to nurture them. The Ogaswara island which is also known as the Bonin Island was supposed to be uninhabited island. But in 1830, an American came to the island of Chichijima by the name of Nathaniel Savory. According to my student, there are actually 5 whites and 20 Hawaiians who came to the island during the Edo Era and then 37 Japanese people transferred to the island in the Meiji Era. This resulted to a mixed culture of the settlers in the Ogasawara island. Today, it is said, that there are some instances that you can still hear the mixed language of English and Japanese, a Creole language. Though, now a days, people in the island are speaking monolingual and are under the Citizenship of Japan.
Now, let's skip some other information.
Nature
I'm fascinated with this island but it doesn't mean I betrayed my home island, Philippines. What makes me fall in love? Its the nature of the island itself. Though, I've never been there and as I've said above that I'm not intending to travel into smaller islands, I'm now making plans to visit the Ogasawara island. The way my student described the island and his experiences when he visited the place, widened my desires to spend a week of vacation there.
The climate of the island is oceanic and subtropical, well, a great getaway place for a hate-to-winter person like me. Lots of beaches and mountains, forests and nature, quite and very different from the urban life I have, it is really a perfect place to contemplate and to savor the moment with nature. |
| Blue waters of the beaches around Ogasawara Island. |
Since then, I've been anxious of visiting to this place. I'm hoping that one of these days, I'll be able to spend time in there and share you more pics and first hand experiences. I'm a little bothered about the traveling time because it takes 25 and half hours to travel by ship and that's only once a week. It scares me though.
Well, hopefully you will enjoy reading this and somehow influences you to make a travel plan to the Ogasawara island.
