Uninhabited Japanese Island Offers Survival Adventures

Diaoyu Islands. Photo: AFP
Diaoyu Islands. Photo: AFP
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Uninhabited Japanese Island Offers Survival Adventures

Diaoyu Islands. Photo: AFP
Diaoyu Islands. Photo: AFP

Feeling ground down by the pressures of everyday life? Wish you could get away from it all? The island city of Iki in Nagasaki prefecture has an unusual and appropriate holiday destination, and its name is Tsumagashima Island.

There are many uninhabited islands that dot the coasts of Japan, and Tsumagashima, in particular, lies off the coast of Nagasaki. While humans did live on the island at one point, it was declared uninhabited in 2002, and since then has lain in relative obscurity—although people who fish treat the island as a especially lucky spot, according to the Japan Today website.

You can access the island with relative ease from Nagasaki's Indoji seaport, but it's far removed from civilization and the chance of bumping into strangers is practically zero, reported the German News Agency (dpa).

You can take also a 30-minute airplane ride from Nagasaki Airport. Prospective campers need not worry about the safety of the island—the campsite areas are being tended to and monitored by capable staff, which is currently undergoing a survival adventure of their own.

Camping on the island allows guests to try out a unique camping experience where they stake out their own lodgings, forage for food, fish, and cook their own meals using bamboo and camping tools.

And speaking of camping tools, only the barest minimum is included in the camping plan. Vacationers can also expect a beach reserved for their own use, a jungle expanse to venture through, and a stimulating environment without electricity or running water.

A two-day, one-night stay will cost 19,800 yen, while a three-day, two-night stay will cost 29,800 yen per adult. Elementary school students are expected to pay half of that price, while children younger than that can attend for free. Your party must consist of four people or more.

Don't worry if you aren't a serious camper because the island will also offer camping experiences for beginners where a qualified instructor will assist you on your survival experience.



Lahore Air Pollution Hits Historic High, Forcing School Closures

An Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) is pictured on an elevated track amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
An Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) is pictured on an elevated track amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
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Lahore Air Pollution Hits Historic High, Forcing School Closures

An Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) is pictured on an elevated track amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
An Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) is pictured on an elevated track amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)

Unprecedented air pollution levels in Pakistan's second-largest city of Lahore prompted authorities to take emergency measures on Sunday, including issuing work-from-home mandates and closing primary schools.
The city held the top spot on a real-time list of the world's most polluted cities on Sunday after recording its highest ever pollution reading of 1900 near the Pakistan-India border on Saturday, based on data released by the provincial government and Swiss group IQAir, Reuters reported.
The government has shut primary schools for a week, advising parents to ensure children wear masks, said Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb during a press conference, as a thick blanket of smog enveloped the city.
Citizens have been urged to stay indoors, keep doors and windows shut, and avoid unnecessary travel, she said, adding that hospitals had been given smog counters.
To reduce vehicle pollution, 50% of office employees would work from home, said Aurangzeb.
The government has also imposed a ban on three-wheelers known as rickshaws and halted construction in certain areas to reduce the pollution levels. Factories and construction sites failing to comply with these regulations could be shut down, she said.
Aurangzeb described the situation as "unexpected" and attributed the deterioration in air quality to winds carrying pollution from neighboring India.
"This cannot be solved without talks with India," she said, adding the provincial government would initiate talks with its bigger neighbor through Pakistan's foreign ministry.
The smog crisis in Lahore, similar to the situation in India's capital Delhi, tends to worsen during cooler months due to temperature inversion trapping pollution closer to the ground.