| Japan from the Air |

Nature in Japan

Volcanoes spew ash high into the air, ice floes push their way south from a northern sea, coral reefs glitter in the sun, autumn leaves show their colors, a limestone tableland has rocks scattered like flocks of sheep.... And no one can forget the cherry blossoms. We invite you to see some of the faces of nature on a virtual flight over the archipelago.

Urauchi River, Iriomote Island

The Urauchi River meanders grandly through the jungle toward a large mangrove swamp at its mouth. More than 90% of Iriomote Island is covered with a dense sub-tropical forest that is now a habitat for a number of rare animals, including a protected species, the Iriomote cat. Iriomote is the second largest island in the Nansei group, after Okinawa.

(Photo: Watanabe Manabu)