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The Glossary

Hanami - "A flower-viewing festival held in parks for people to appreciate the flowers (particularly the sakura) in bloom, around March to April every year. Today, the festival is usually spent by gathering underneath the trees and having a party or picnic."

From Japan Glossary

Regarded as Japan's last frontier to the south, Iriomote-Jima is a nature-lover's paradise for its unspoiled beaches, lofty mountains, dense forests, and exotic flora and fauna, including the endemic "living fossil," the Iriomote Cat.

A part of Okinawa's mini-archipelago, Iriomote-Jima was once malaria-infested and is quite remote. Yet this island still hauls tourist arrivals for its Sakishimasuou, the country's biggest and oldest mangrove tree. Paddling a canoe or taking a cruise down Okinawa's largest river, Urauchi, will allow guests to glimpse two of Iriomote's many waterfalls: the Mariyudu and the Kanbire. Star Sand Beach might also tickle travelers' fancy, with the shore's yellowish-brown sand mixed with tiny, star-shaped shells.

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