TOKYO — A canoe that left Taiwan on July 7 arrived at its destination on Japan’s southernmost island of Okinawa on July 9, successfully replicating a voyage made by Japanese ancestors some 30,000 years ago.
To reach Yonaguni, at least 200 kilometers away, project members used the sun and stars for navigation.
Five paddlers — four men and one woman — aged 40-64 in a 7.55-meter canoe set off from Taiwan at around 1:38 p.m. (2:38 p.m. Japan time) in a group organized The project includes the National Science Museum of Japan.
Since the Kuroshio Current, which flows between Taiwan and Yonaguni Island, flows north through this point, the team chose to start from the Wushibi coast in southeastern Taiwan.
The fine weather on the evenings of July 7th and 8th allowed the canoes to travel at a few kilometers per hour on a route close to the shortest route on Yonaguni. Canoes are created using materials and techniques that people may have used 30,000 years ago.
(daily)
