Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle

DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2024 72 N o one is around for magic hour where this sunset script is unlike any other. I'm watching the natural spectacle at a new eco-boutique beach prop- erty submerged on a subtropical island off the southern coast of Japan in Amami Oshima. The added bonus protrudes in the horizon—the dromedary shape of a stubby deserted unpopulated islet—that locals say inspired renowned artist Tanaka Isson, Japan's Paul Gauguin, to paint this coastal landscape. Japanese tourists flock here on the northwest coast to Denpaku The Beach- front MIJORA where each villa has sweeping ocean views of Kasari Bay. Only 2.5 hours from Tokyo by plane, Amami is steeped in a green-infused setting where the sea swirls, the forest canopies hover high above valleys, the long heavy rains drench the terroir creating super foods and drinks, and the art of living in nature is a way of life. The largest of the Amami Islands chain, an archipelago in the East China Sea, it's a part of Kagoshima Prefec- ture, one of Japan's largest regions, which includes two peninsulas and 27 inhabited islands. It's in Kagoshima where you'll find active volcanoes, the world's only hot sand beach, hot springs, and a foodie bastion of luxury specialties like Kagoshima wagyu beef (kuroushi) and black pork (kurobuta). In 2021, UNESCO designated Amami Oshima (Island) a World Natural Heritage Site to protect the unique flora and fauna, which is considered intangible culturally significant. Home to one of the world's most diverse ecosystems, the volcanic island's mountain people, historically isolated from the rest of the world, for millennia have lived in harmony in nature. There's an acoustic-aging distillery that manufactures the island's award-winning shochu and a village dedicated to the ancient art of weaving highly prized mud-dyed textiles, a labour-intense process dating back 1,300 years. There's also a flourishing population of endemic black rabbits living alongside E X T R A O R D I N A R Y E X P E R I E N C E S Sink into Happiness Kagoshima, Japan BY ILONA KAUREMSZKY How natural attractions are leading the great outdoors wave of travellers to Kagoshima Prefecture, a place on Earth where fire, sand and water meet. PHOTOS: JAPAN NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION | MASAKI ORIYAMA/DENPAKU THE BEACHFRONT MIJORA | DENPAKU THE BEACHFRONT MIJORA | MASAKI ORIYAMA

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