On this mysterious island, the time stand still

The Sailor has released a beautiful pen using the material from the magical place – Yaku-shima (屋久杉), which means Alps on the Ocean island. The island get it name from the facts that there are 6 mountain peaks over 1800m high including the Miyanoura-dake (1935m above sea level).


This round-shaped island is situated approximately 60km south from the southern end of Osumi Peninsula in the southern part of Kagoshima prefecture. One fifth of the island is registered as a natural heritage site.

Beside the high mountain peaks, another main feature of the island is the climate. The influence of the climate and air masses is very complex. The temperature and seasonal changes are the largest on earth. If you are plants lover, you are in for a treat. It is possible for you to see wide range of plants from both subtropical and cold temperature zones; from coral reefs to alpine plants.

We can also see many rare animals like the Yahu monkey and Yaku deer, and plants due to the abundance of water and the changes in temperature at different altitudes. It was said that in Dubai, it only rains 40 days a year. Here on the island, it is the extreme opposite. It rains so much in this area that it is said that it “rains 35 days of the month'.

The bedrock of the island is granite, and there is a theory that island is formed by a ridge thrown up by the movement of the earth's crust.


The cedar trees (Yaku sugi) is the symbol of Yakushima. They are over 1000 years old. They are also known as 'Cryptomeria Japonica'. The cedar discovered in 1996 and situated at an altitude of 1350 m is assumed to be the largest and the oldest in the world, and is called 'Jomon sugi'; they are said to be 2170 to 7200 years old.


On some part of this cedar trees, one will noticed there are small struma (swellings). They are call 'Awa-Kobu', where the wood gain will look like 'bubbles' (泡瘤, Awa in Japanese). These 'Awa-Kobu' are very treasured and are often called diamond of the Yaku-sugi tree.

Apart from Shiratani Unsuikyo, where you can take a walk in the forest of Yaku sugi, there are many other good slight seeing spots. Here are a few for your consideration. The 'Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen' where you can bathe in a spa right next to the sea. The 'Ooko-no-taki' as the tallest waterfall with the largest amount of water in Yakushima and selected as one of the 100 waterfalls of Japan. And the 'Senpiro-no-taki' where the water falls approx. 66 m on to a gigantic granite monolith. Finally, the 'Yakushima lighthouse' where you can see the deep blue ocean spreading out to the horizon and a beautiful sandy beach 'Sango-no-hama (coral shore)' where you can collect star-shaped sand.

Because the pen is made from natural wood without any man made coloring, no two pieces of the pen will look and smell alike, including the color and wood gain texture.


While the materials used may not be as dated as Faber Castell Pen of the year 2007, it is good enough to create the x-factor and deserve a place in any collectors previous collection.

In our option, the darker version of the pen is the more precious of the lot, as the lighter version is nearer to the core of the tree and not exposure, therefore, making it lighter. Hence, there will be less outter layout of the wood available; making darker version rare.



Since it is a natural heritage site, where does Sailor get the wood? Hmmm.... Answer on the next blog when we introduce another pen that is also made from the natural wood from this mysterious island.

Pen details:
Materials:
Cap and trunk: cedar wood (Awa-Kobu, 泡瘤)
Main body: PMM Resin

Length: φ22.5×143mm
Weight: 46.2g