Stumbling upon gorgeous landscapes in Hokkaido is always a pleasure; discovering these waterfalls and river near Mount Tokachi was a great moment! The trees were so green, the water so blue…
These waterfalls were photographed by Sébastien Duval. To discover other gorgeous landscapes from Japan, go to Inner Japan‘s dedicated photo gallery!
Active travellers with a guide can witness beautiful and exciting landscapes at Iriomote island’s jungle, as I did during my second stay in Okinawa in 2008. A helicopter tour would give you great views of the island but you would miss the unique sights of inner Japan enjoyed while canoeing or trekking in the jungle!
Ecotour photo 1: River partly covered by trees seen from a canoe.
Ecotour photo 2: First sight of Pinaisara waterfalls while canoeing.
Ecotour photo 3: River seen through dense foliage while trekking in the jungle.
Ecotour photo 4: Best panorama of Iriomote island from the top of Pinaisara waterfalls… See the top of the waterfalls, lively jungle, barely visible river, multi-coloured sea, and bright sky!
Ecotour photo 5: Sébastien Duval with a smile at the bottom of Pinaisara waterfalls after trekking.
Adventurers, nature lovers and travellers trying to find inner peace, your visit at Iriomote island may be your only chance to see such landscapes… Make the best of it!
Beautiful wild animals inhabit the jungle and rivers of Iriomote island. Some are cute and friendly… some are scary and dangerous… as I could witness during holidays in Okinawa in 2008.
Ecotour photo 1: Friendly lizard accepting my invitation to come on my sweaty arm. Admire its right eye, scales, yellow and dark tail, claws… What a good surprise! What an experience!
Ecotour photo 2: Colourful lizard featuring black, yellow and blue stripes. Open your eyes in the jungle, look on the ground, on trunks, between leaves…
Ecotour photo 3: Venomous Habu viper. Be careful with such snakes and listen to your guide’s instructions!
Ecotour example 4 (no photo due to fast movement and reflections): Ferocious Minami-kurodai piranhas in Nakama river.
Ecotour example 5 (no photo due to fast movement at night): Iriomote-yamaneko wild cat (endangered species).
Meeting wild animals while trekking or canoeing in a jungle really changes one’s vision of life, nature and humanity. I can only recommend it, with a good guide on Iriomote island or elsewhere in the world!
Exceptional trees live in the jungle of Iriomote island. Some look thirsty… some look prehistoric… as shown on these photos of my trip to Okinawa in October/November 2008 
First example reached by canoe, a mangrove with long roots plunging into a river:
Second example reached on foot after canoeing, a Sakishima-suo tree with impressively tall but thin roots. Just grab one like a plank!
These exciting sights of Japanese nature were only two of the many good surprises of Iriomote island! Ready for some ecotourism in Japan?