Sacred White Snake

White snakes are considered sacred in Japan, and are mostly associated with Benzaiten. I posted before on some white snakes found at Iwakuni.

This one however was on Okinawa at the sacred "power spot" Dai Sekirinzan at the far north of the main island.

Though now part of Japan, Okinawa did not share the ancient myths and gods of Japan, having their own traditions that are more connected to Chinese myths and legends than Japan.

Ishigaki Sea Salt

Churaumi Aquarium

Until 2005, the Kuroshio  Tank at Churaumi Aquarium was the biggest in the world. The acrylic panel holding back almost 2 million gallons of water is  2 feet thick.

Located in the Ocean Expo Park in northern Okinawa, the three floored aquarium is entered from above. After exiting the main building there are other buildings and museums.

It is considered to be the best aquarium in Japan, The Kuroshio Tank features creatures found in the Kuroshio current, the warm waters surrounding the Okinawan Islands, the largest being the Whale Sharks and Manta Rays.

The first exhibit is a large tank of starfishes which can be handled by the public. There is a big exhibit of coral, and lots and lots of fish.

One of the exterior tanks features Sea Turtles.

Ube City, Yamaguchi

One of the common manhole cover designs in Ube City on the south coast of Yamaguchi depicts Katta-kun, a Great White Pelican born in a local park that became quite a celebrity.

Tokiwa Park is also home to many swans, including Black Swans, and they feature on several other designs.

The city markets itself as " a city of greenery, flowers, & sculptures" pretty much on the basis of the park, but in fact, like much of the southern Yamaguchi coast, it is very industrial with refineries and factories producing chemicals, steel, and most famously, cement.

The official city flowers are Azalea and Scarlet Sage, but the center of this bottom design appears to be Iris.

Birds along the Yamaguchi Coast

This past Spring while walking the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage I took a walk along the Japan Sea coast of Yamaguchi,  It's a particularly fine stretch of coast with azure seas, outcroppings and cliffs, small islands and a lot of small fishing villages. Here are some of the birds I saw. The first is a heron. Sagi in Japanese, maybe its a Grey heron, maybe a Great Blue......

Lots of cormorants. I am guessing that they are Temmink's Cormorants, the most common kind, known as Umi-u in Japanese, though there are some other species which visit during migration. The difference among the onbes in the photo may be due to age and gender.

Lots of Kites, Black-eared Kite being the common species here. Known as Tombi in Japanese.

More cormorants.

This is, I believe, a Blue Rock Thrush, but I have no idea what it is called in Japanese.

Japanese Ducks

There are many species of ducks in Japan, but I believe these are Kamo, the common mallard.

They were and are eaten, and their arrival in the Autumn was used as a seasonal marker in poetry.

There has recently been a renewed interest in the use of domesticated ducks in rice agriculture. Traditionally they were used to control weeds and insects in the paddies as well as adding fertilizer.

All these were photographed in Chofu, Yamaguchi.