Our first destination "Kasa Matsu Kouen" (umbrella pine park) was right by our accommodation. The weather started off promisingly but by late morning it started to rain. Visibility from the top (reached by cable car or chair lift) was already a bit poor.
This was taken on our way down:
We then took the boat from the north (Miyazu) back to Amanohashidate by boat to walk across the sandbar in the afternoon.
The town itself is quite touristy (mainly local tourists) but still pretty.
The rain never really abated but we walked across anyway, enjoying the scenery and various wildlife.
I think this is some sort of Orb spider. I saw the Golden Orb Spider in Florida which looked similar and spun equally impressive (and large) webs a few years ago. Large specimens I've seen are around 12cm in length:
Also a well camouflaged but approachable skink:
Hi Kesh
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a stunning location. At least in the photos the rain isn't a problem: the fact that the islands disappear into the fog creates depth and mystery. As to the spider, maybe next time you could put your hand beside it so we can see how large it is. Best to check if it's poisonous first though :-)
Hi Bjorn.
ReplyDeleteYes, Amanohashidate was beautiful but very (Japanese) touristy.
Although travelling with my girlfriend is fantastic, some day I would like to travel just with a camera.
I'm not as scared of spiders as I used to be but I definitely want to find out about toxicity first before getting any closer!