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.



Iconic Malian Musician Amadou Bagayoko of Amadou & Mariam Dies at 70

Blind Malian duo Amadou & Mariam comprising Mariam Doumbia (L) and Amadou Bagayoko perform at the Glastonbury Festival 2009 in south west England June 28, 2009. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
Blind Malian duo Amadou & Mariam comprising Mariam Doumbia (L) and Amadou Bagayoko perform at the Glastonbury Festival 2009 in south west England June 28, 2009. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
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Iconic Malian Musician Amadou Bagayoko of Amadou & Mariam Dies at 70

Blind Malian duo Amadou & Mariam comprising Mariam Doumbia (L) and Amadou Bagayoko perform at the Glastonbury Festival 2009 in south west England June 28, 2009. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
Blind Malian duo Amadou & Mariam comprising Mariam Doumbia (L) and Amadou Bagayoko perform at the Glastonbury Festival 2009 in south west England June 28, 2009. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo

Grammy-nominated Malian musician Amadou Bagayoko, who won global fame by moulding traditional West African sounds with Western rock and pop influences as one half of the blind duo Amadou & Mariam, has died aged 70, the Malian government said.

The ministry of culture "learned with concern of the passing of artist Amadou Bagayoko this Friday," it said in a statement read on state television. "Amadou was a blind man who made his mark on the Malian and international scene."

Bagayoko was born in Bamako in 1954 and played music from an early age. He met his wife and musical partner Mariam Doumbia at the Institute for Young Blind People in Bamako in the 1970s, according to Radio France Internationale.

Their 2004 album "Dimanche a Bamako" (Sunday in Bamako) put them on the international map and the 2008 release "Welcome To Mali" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album, Reuters reported.

They opened for British band Coldplay in 2009, performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert that same year, when U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the prize, and played to crowds at some of the world's biggest music festivals, including Glastonbury in the UK.

They also composed the official song for the 2006 soccer World Cup.

International artists offered their condolences online.

"Amadou! We'll always be together ... with you wherever you go," said French-born Spanish musician Manu Chao, who produced "Dimanche a Bamako".

"I will never forget his friendship," said Senegalese singer-songwriter Youssou N'Dour. "My thoughts are with my dear Mariam."