Page 56 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

The Inspiring Island
One of the country’s most
atmospheric islands, Sado is
studded with wooden villages
bleached grey from wind and
salt (p307). Despite its bleak
appearance, this island has
inspired some of Japan’s great­
est art forms. It was here that
DISCOVER Japan Your Way of these massive drums at the
taiko drumming truly took off.
Feel the beat as you strike one
Sado Island Taiko Center
(www.sadotaiken.jp).

The windswept landscape
of Senkaku Bay on the
Did You Know?
island of Sado
Only 430 of Japan’s
JAPAN 6,852 islands are
inhabited.
OFF THE

BEATEN PATH

Japan is endlessly fascinating, and taking a trip to the country feels like
a journey off-the-beaten path even when you’re surrounded by crowds.
But, beyond the well-worn tourist trail between Kyoto and the capital,
there are 7,000 islands to explore, as well as myriad sites to experience.

Galapagos of the Orient
Located 620 miles (1,000 km) south
of Tokyo, the UNESCO­protected
Ogasawara Islands are an unspoiled
Eden. This isolated archipelago, made
up of over 30 tropical and subtropical
islands, is home to countless endemic
The seculded Kominato species, from tiny Bonin white­eye
Beach on one of Japan’s birds and jewel­like tiger beetles to
Ogawawara islands the elusive Bonin flying fox.

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