casual observation of various social groups in yakushima

yakushima est omnis divisa in partes tres: native locals, tourist, and hippies types

tourists, of all sorts; mostly japanese, but plenty of western travelers as well. not too many non-japanese non-westerners (n.b. i didn't take a poll, just my incomplete observation). it was in the early 90s, when the parts of the island received UNESCO protected, that tourists first started to come - but the crowds didn't really start to gather until made famous by princess mononoke.

i asked ashley's friend kazuki, who was born&raised yakushima (ie, native local), if the economy has gotten better as a result. my impression is that people here are pretty poor (relative to the rest of japan), although price levels (like restaurants and such) are high (due to tourism?). kazuki said that the economy hasn't gotten any better; people who previously worked in forestry (ie, cutting trees), shifted to tourism. in one sense, there was much choice, since much of the forest is now protected. he said lots of people open up their houses as guest houses, the minshuku (and indeed there seems to be guest houses every fucking where).

i get the sense that true locals have a complex relationship with tourists; on one hand they depend on them economically, yet the number of people going into the mountains is starting to get absurd, and the worry of environmental damage is real. even with the conscientious, rule abiding japanese tourist, the sheer number of them marching through the hills must have its affects.

this island also seems to be a place where hippies-type, lets say, non traditional japanese types, like to come and live a back-to the land / farming commune / simpler days sort of life. for example, there is a permaculture farm / butoh workshop area 2 towns to the west -- which, i admit, its kind of right up my alley; but they are currently touring in europe.

for such a small remote island (and perhaps because of it), there quite a few interesting places hidden about. the best was this guy who runs a guest house pretty well tucked into the woods; he makes you a traditional indian dinner if you reserve in advance. the food is really exceptional, nothing like indian food you get in restaurants, rather, exactly like the kind you get if you go to a indian friends house and have his mom cook for you. it comes with all the little side dishes/chutneys and a thermos of delicious chai. his house is filled with interesting books/documents/old japanese hippie news/magz from the 70s.

he lives in a an old wooden house which is bit of a marvel itself. Its a big open place, with huge wooden sliding doors which, when open, makes the place seem more like one big porch, than a house. the entire structure is held together by wood joints -- ie, no nails or screws.

although i wonder how he gets along with termites, which, btw, is an epic problem here. (as a result many of the houses here are ugly concrete blocks). There was one humid night when the air was completely filled, in a biblical way, with termite drones, clouds of them illuminated by street lights/head lights; i held my breath a little, just in case i breathed them in.