an island of ancient mossy forests, towering granite mountains,
and pure waters,
a hiking paradise.
I would like thank everyone —especially the citizens and guides of Yakushima and all of my guests—
who made possible my eight years of guiding hikers in Yakushima.
To have a place among the trees, the rocks, and the moss, among the bamboo grass and the rhododendrons,
to exist day by day, both humbled and exhiliarated by the forces of nature
and the way in which human beings fit so perfectly into this world
is more than I could ever dream.
