“I first learned about Yakushima island in ‘Mononoke’, one of greatest lm of the Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. Ever since I've been fascinated by this island which appeared to me as one of the most well-preserved areas on this planet and I thought that it could be the perfect place to get inspiration.

For my trip, I really wanted to escape the city life for a few days, and I was planning on doing some treks in the forests. I've been fascinated by the ancient cedar trees that live in the very heart of the Island. The forest is really dense there, and the air is so moist that foam is growing everywhere. At dawn, the fog was so thick that I couldn't see far. It wouldn’t have been surprised to meet a "Yokai" on the path in this magical atmosphere!

I sincerely enjoyed being surrounded by nature. I was actually not thinking that the place would be so wild, I learned that there are more deer living on the island than people! During my stay, the typhoon Saolo passed by the island which, I must confess, was quite impressive. Feeling the wind blowing on the house and seeing the gigantic ocean waves through the window was a sight I will never forget.

Travel diary

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Hi there! Tom speaking, I wanted to drop you a line to let you know how my Jaunt trip in Japan was so far!

I said goodbye to the city of Kagoshima this morning and took a ferry boat to Yakushima island. After a few hours on the sea, the Island sharped silhouette finally appeared. We accosted early in the afternoon. I just had the time to found the place I will sleep in on the east coast and to visit a weird abandoned beach before the sun sets!

I will wake up early tomorrow morning and head to the center of the island to do hiking in the Forrest. Youhouu! Will keep you updated!

Cheers,
T.

Tiny sketches of the day.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Hey!

So today, I decided to go to a preserved area named yakusugiland in the mountains. I woke up early enough to meet some macaques playing along the road! The forest was beautiful, saw some ancient trees that were almost 1800 years old covered by a green saturated moss.

After the walk, I went a few kilometers south to the Senpirono waterfalls. The view was crazy but sadly, a part of the path was closed due to the damages caused by the typhoon. I will try to do a longer trek tomorrow on the northern part of the mountains, but the weather might not be with me!

Can’t wait to start drawing anyway!

Cheers,
T.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Today was kind of intense! I went to Shiratani Unsuikyo which is known to be the forest that inspired Hayao Miyazaki for his movie “Mononoke”. Might sound a bit nerd now, but I’m totally fond of this film! The place was magical, a path along the river was leading to ancient cedar trees. The rain and the fog were creating a very particular atmosphere. But around noon it began to rain seriously. A part of the trek had been closed and I finally had to go back. It didn’t stop raining ever since!

I finally heard that the typhoon Saola was heading to Japan. It must explains the heavy rains. The typhoon will strike Okinawa tomorrow and it is supposed to pass by Yakushima on Sunday. I hope that people from Okinawa will be safe. The typhoon will pass very close to the island and will still be very powerful. Let’s keep the fingers crossed.

The good thing is that l might have an extra day on my jaunt trip and some time to fill my sketchbook!

Cheers, 

Saturday, May 28, 2017

Hey,

This morning I received a message of the owner of the house who advised me to go to the supermarket early to buy some food and water supplies. He said that the typhoon might pass slowly near the island and that we might be stuck in the house for some time. I also learned that the ferry that was supposed to get me back to Kagoshima tomorrow was canceled, so I will stay an extra night on the island!

I mainly stayed home and drew this afternoon, I went for a walk when the rain stopped but it wasn’t for long! Now the sun is set and the wind is rising. we can feel that it will be an agitated night on the island!

The weather should be better tomorrow afternoon, will try to head to the south and go to an onsen (hot spring water baths) to relax!

Will keep you informed!

Good night Yakushima!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Hello!

The typhoon is now far from Yakushima. For me It was quite an impressive night. The walls of the house were shaking because of the wind. Everything went fine near my house. However, on the other side of the island there were some land slidings that covered the main road. Luckily, no one was injured.

I received some advices to stay home this morning because the wind was still strong so I waited until the afternoon and went for a walk in a village on the east coast.

The ferry should be back tomorrow so I will be able to go back to Kyushu and head to Fukuoka were I’ll take my flight back to France.

I had a wonderful Jaunt trip that I will never forget. From the green forest of Shiratani Unsuikyo to the magical ancient trees of Yakusugiland, everything was mind blowing! I want to thank the Jaunt, my family and everyone who supported the event.

Cheers,

Tom