1. Where are you going? Why? Where is it on a map?
I’m going to Yakushima located in the island of Yaku, Japan. I will go there to be able to observe the Japanese Snow Monkeys and see other animal native to the land. Japan has always interested me and to be able to observe it’s wildlife would be a way to know the land more. I also go there to sketch the unique wildlife of the area. Yakushima is located in the northern end of the Ryukyu archipelago, it’s separated from the southernmost tip of Kyushu mainland in Japan. It is a small island south of Japan’s mainland.
2. How long will you be traveling?
I would be traveling for seven to eight months in the spring time until the end of summer. I would go during the month of April and leave in September or October. In the winter, the island of Yaku gets very cold and I would rather just be out of the extreme weather as fast as possible.
3. How do you plan to travel? (car, hitchhiking, train, walking, biking, etc.) Why are you choosing this mode of transportation?
I plan to travel by airplane to reach Kagoshima, Japan. From Kagoshima, Japan I would take the Yakushima Ferry Hibiscus. It would cost 3,200 yen (about 41 USD). I’m choosing this mode of transportation because it is the cheapest mode of transportation available. Once I get to Yakushima I plan to hike the rest of my journey. Only on my return to civilization will I use the same ferry to go back to the mainland.
4. What will you need for your trip? How are you going to provide food/traveling expenses while you're on the road?
For the trip I will need four pairs of pants; two pants will be long jeans, one bermuda short jeans, and one pair of jean Capri. I would only take four t-shirts, two pairs of socks, one pair of sandals and the shoes I wore on the trip. I would also need a compass, watch, a water bottle with a built in filter, two packages of 100 matches each, some rope, five sketchbooks, a small first aid kit, a sharp knife and book on edible and inedible plants/ vegetation.
I plan to draw and sell pictures while i’m on the road to make money. I would draw portraits or landscapes and attempt to sell them to the common tourist/ locals.
5. What do you want to accomplish on this trip (i.e. Chris wanted to survive in the Alaskan wild)
I plan to accomplish that I can be independent and not rely on anybody for help. I want to be able to do something because I want to do and have nobody tell me otherwise. I want to be able to be my own person with nobody stopping me or making me think otherwise. I plan to accomplish the dream of being able to provide for myself and think for myself.
6. How will you record your experiences?
My experiences will be recorded in the form of drawings with captions on the bottom. I will bring about 5 100 paged sketchbooks. Each day I will recorded my findings and best experience of the day on one page per day. At the bottom of each page will be a caption describing the situation and date.
