Sea Turtles Nurtured on White Sand Beaches

Yakushima, the island located in the south of Japan was designated a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1993. And also its virgin forest is famous for where the movie “Princess Mononoke” took place. Every year, many travelers from all over the world are coming to enjoy its great nature. We focus on the culture and people living on this wonderful island and deliver it by videos.

―”While I was walking just now, what I thought at first was a flower petal on the ground was in fact the shell of a sea turtle egg. They were born in the summer, and it is now November, so 2 or 3 months have passed. You would think that the shells would have been washed away by the waves, but you can still find pieces on the beach. And you realize again that this is certainly a place where sea turtles are brought to life. ” -Kenichiro Mogi

Neuroscientist Kenichiro Mogi talks about the enchantment of Yakushima
Presented by Yakushima Broadcasting Station

Where Sea Turtles are Brought to Life

During nesting season, this place is famous for where sea turtles come to lay their eggs.

Green turtles and loggerhead turtles, among others, come here to lay eggs. This place links life for future generations.

While I was walking just now, what I thought at first was a flower petal on the ground was in fact the shell of a sea turtle egg. I was just walking and thinking for a while, and I didn’t notice right away.

They were born in the summer, and it is now November, so 2 or 3 months have passed. You would think that the shells would have been washed away by the waves, but you can still find pieces on the beach. And you realize again that this is certainly a place where sea turtles are brought to life.

It’s not only sea turtle eggs that you see, but also my favorite “Lioconcha castrensis”, a small mollusk. Those shells are just lying around, and simply walking down the beach can provide happiness.

Protect the Turtles

When nesting season comes, people on Yakushima are careful not to frighten the sea turtles, when observing the nesting situation with the tourists. For example, you must not shine lights on the turtles. If you shine a light on a nesting turtle, it will get startled and will escape.

They pay attention to many specific rules, and everyone helps to protect the turtles while they are nesting.

From what I hear, it seems that the North Pacific Ocean of Japan is a very important for the nesting place of the sea turtles. So now, we need to consider our connection with endangered species, and how to continue our co-existence, and these sea turtles on Inaka-hama is a very good model case.

If the opportunity arises in the future, I would certainly like to visit the sea turtle nesting grounds in the summer again and think about the connection between nature and humans.