YATSUSHIRO TOUR

yatusiromap, originally uploaded by amakusavibe.

Trip Length 86km. Time: 2 days. The whole area is subject to significant tidal currents and although their pattern is fairly complicated, it is possible to take good advantage of them. However it was neap tide and we received only slight help from the tidal flows.

The Yatsushiro inland sea to the east of Amakusa separates it from mainland Kyushu. It is shallow and its shores are well populated, including several sizeable cities, so it is not exactly the cleanest body of water around. In fact, the coastal city of Minamata is infamous world-wide for the large-scale mercury poisonings that took place there about 40 years ago, caused by negligent dumping of large amounts of raw industrial waste into the sea and the subsequent consumption of tainted fish by the general populace. However, a portion of the Kyushu coast here is of the rias type with its many capes and inlets; as such it could be of some interest to the itinerant kayaker. This prompted us to give it an exploratory visit.