Gesashi mangrove forest

photo by Ray_go · CC BY-SA 3.0

Here the yaeyama mangrove reaches the northern limit of its distribution in Japan.

Ten hectares of ヒルギ (the generic name for mangroves in Okinawa) grow where the Gesashi River meets the bay, in the brackish water that is their habitat. Three species live side by side: mehirugi, ohirugi and yaeyamahirugi, the last at the northern limit of its distribution in Japan. A wooden boardwalk leads into the thick of the forest, and by canoe you pass among the arched roots that rise out of the shallow water.

Even before reunification with Japan, the Ryukyu government declared it a natural monument on 6 December 1959; on reunification, on 15 May 1972, the designation passed to the Japanese state. The park beside it, 東村ふれあいヒルギ公園, manages access and the tours.

ℹ️ Boardwalk and observatory open to all and free of charge. Canoe tours through the mangroves are by booking with the park's operators, about an hour and a half including the briefing.

🚉 慶佐次 · 2 min walk

Sources: vill.higashi.okinawa.jp

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