With a roll of his shoulders and a flick of his tail, Musashi starts his plodding journey across the sand flats. My journey in the trailer that this powerful water buffalo is pulling is surprisingly smooth, even as he starts wading into the sea, heading for the tiny island of Yubu.
Along the coast in both directions there is little more than deep green jungle that descends from sharp mountains and ends at the waterline in impenetrable mangrove forest. Out across a postcard-blue sea, a line of white surf marks the outer coral reef.
As the water sloshes around Musashi’s knees, it is increasingly hard to believe this is Japan. In some ways, it is not.
The island of Iriomote is the largest in the Yaeyama archipelago, at the south-westernmost tip of Japan’s Okinawa prefecture. It is nearly 2,000km from the bustle and neon of Tokyo, but further south than Taipei and just 200km from the coast of Taiwan. The Yaeyama Islands are arguably the remotest part of Japan, and the people here revel in that.
Okinawa’s location at the ancient crossroads of north-east and south-east Asia has given these islands a unique culture and cuisine that blends the colours and tastes of their neighbours. The differences are even more pronounced in the Yaeyamas, made up of 10 inhabited islands and countless uninhabited islets and atolls.
Festivals celebrate the bounty of the sea, with islanders dressed in the airy Yaeyama minsa cotton, dyed with indigo and other native plants. Bougainvillea and hibiscus bloom in gardens and grow across the single-storey traditional homes, not quite obscuring the red roof tiles and Shisa statues, the lion guardians that are believed to ward off evil.
As Musashi keeps up his steady transit of the narrow stretch of water that separates Yubu from Iriomote, his wizened driver pulls out a sanshin, a type of three-stringed lute with a long neck and a body covered with snakeskin, and launches into a traditional song in a dialect that even the Japanese visitors who are sharing the trailer admit they cannot understand.
Yubu is tiny – it would take a little over an hour to circumnavigate on foot and has sand paths instead of roads – and has been preserved as a microcosm of the islands. The beaches are stunning in the summer, with visitors also able to walk through mangrove swamps, an orchard of tropical fruit trees, a butterfly garden and an aviary.
For many, however, the buffalo are the stars of the island. Originally imported from Taiwan more than a century ago, they spend time between hauling trailers wallowing in a series of muddy pools and locking horns when they are feeling feisty.
Back across the waterway, Iriomote is the second-largest island in Okinawa but remains remarkably untouched by the development that has blighted other tropical islands in the Pacific. Protected as Japan’s most southerly national park, it has no airport and the only way to reach it is by ferry.
Visitors are able to hike in the rugged interior and try canyoning in its fast-flowing streams and rivers. Paddle boards and canoes are also available to explore the beaches and the broad tidal rivers that wind inland and are fringed by mangroves that stand proud of the water at low tide. Diving and snorkelling opens up the colourful coral reefs.
For the slightly less energetic, those same mangroves can be visited in boats with local guides. An electric-blue kingfisher bides its time on a branch out over the creek and an endangered black-faced spoonbill digs in the shallows in search of a meal. There are occasional sightings in these waters of dugong. I have to once again remind myself that I am in Japan.
Perhaps the most famous – and elusive – inhabitant of this wilderness is the Iriomote cat, a smaller relative of the leopard that is only found here. It is listed as critically endangered, with only around 100 believed to remain. The modern world has not been kind to these creatures and along every road are signs exhorting motorists to drive slowly.
A short ferry ride to the east is Taketomi, where the heart of the island’s community has been preserved as a network of traditional homes of red tiles and fierce-looking Shisa behind thick outer walls of jagged coral. Some of the properties have been turned into cosy minshuku where overnight visitors can sample the local hospitality and cuisine.
The school is the most modern building and there are no cars in the heart of the village, where residents sweep the sand alleyways after the last buffalo cart of the day has passed by.
Ishigaki is not the largest of the Yaeyama Islands, but it is the busiest and, thanks to its airport, is where most visitors arrive. Ishigaki City is small but has some excellent restaurants serving local cuisine. Goya champuru, Okinawa’s signature dish, combines pork, tofu, eggs and goya, a greed gourd with a distinctively bitter aftertaste.
On the north coast of Ishigaki is the peaceful town of Kabira and its famous bay. Black pearls are cultivated in the waters of the bay and glass-bottom boats set out from its impossibly white sand beaches. The boatman keeps up a running commentary as we head out over the coral that covers the seabed.
Clown fish dart in and out of the anemones as other tropical species swim between the 250 species of coral. But it is the more elusive turtles that everyone hopes to catch sight of. Just as it seems today will not be our lucky day, we pass over a green turtle rocking gently in the current. The youngest on board squeal as their holidays are made unforgettable.
With a lazy sideways glance, the turtle waggles a fin, turns and begins to ascend. The creature surfaces just a couple of metres from the boat before descending in search of a more peaceful patch of the reef.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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INFO
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Stage 2
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06
4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06
5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
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The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
CREW
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Results
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
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The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
