tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post4072195334902012226..comments2024-03-14T20:55:21.709+09:00Comments on Janne In Osaka: YaeyamaJan Morenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06834641501438709866noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-62519822594889217562011-05-10T11:53:23.149+09:002011-05-10T11:53:23.149+09:00Douglas, thanks for the comment.
As you say, as a...Douglas, thanks for the comment.<br /><br />As you say, as a group we humans seem to have a bottomless ability to put ourself into perfectly preventable danger. Makes you wonder how we ever managed to survive long enough to become the dominant species.<br /><br />I'm not too worried about blue-ringed octopuses. Unless you actually try to touch or handle them they're not going to bother with you, and according to Wikipedia there's only been three recorded deaths total from that species. I'll avoid them if I ever see one, but that's about it.Jan Morenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06834641501438709866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-76532035919877146852011-05-10T05:32:16.797+09:002011-05-10T05:32:16.797+09:00Australia like South Africa has a long and interes...Australia like South Africa has a long and interestingly varied list of venomous snakes. There as everywhere else, most bites are from drunk men playing with snakes.. the list of precautions against snakebite at AVRU <br />http://www.avru.org/compendium/biogs/A000084b.htm<br />includes, <br />- leave snakes alone <br />- do not handle snakes while intoxicated <br />Golly, who would have guessed ? <br /><br />Box jellyfish are alarming but mostly are not lethal. My brother swam into one in Aus, said it was a very unpleasant morning but that was all. <br /><br />He did warn me against the blue-ring octopus as I went out fishing. There again, "Bites generally only occur if the octopus is removed from the sea and put in contact with skin." That is, stupid human tricks..Douglas Kretzmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07594782071750975708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-19877157833627777572011-05-09T13:35:15.180+09:002011-05-09T13:35:15.180+09:00"For comparison, about 200 people per year ar..."For comparison, about 200 people per year are treated in Sweden for bites by the common Adder,"<br /><br />Yep, no wonder CPU designers are so well paid; they need the risk premium. ^_^<br /><br />But while I sort of agree with your sentiment, the Swedish huggorm is rather more harmless than the habu; unless you're sensitive to the venom the greatest risk is from getting tetanus from the bite. A habu bite, on the other hand, can be fatal or give you permament damage, and will need several days of hospitalization even in the best of cases.<br /><br />As for the other dangerous species most of them do not go out of their way to hurt you. Lion Fish, Crown of Thorns, Cone snails and so on are harmless unless you're dumb or inattentive enough to actually touch, handle or step on one. If you don't touch anything you don't know what it is - especially if colorful, unafraid and bristling with spikes - you avoid most dangers. If you follow land rules in water and avoid poking into hollows or step in crevasses you avoid most remaining ones.<br /><br />The one thing I'm still really worried about is box jellyfish. Of course, they're spread throughout south Asia, and millions of people manage to hit the beaches and dive sites every year without getting stung. But they really are the one thing that seems hard to really do much about except hope you don't run into one.<br /><br /><br />I had the same negative experience with Okinawan soba as you when I visited the main island. This time it was dramatically different. The Yaeyama islands are quite far from Okinawa, so I wonder if the food culture may be different? Where did you go - the main island or somewhere else? I'll find out when I go to Onna in June; while I'll mostly eat cafeteria food or possibly cook at work, there should be opportunity to sample the soba again and find out.Jan Morenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06834641501438709866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-79840244122115614122011-05-09T01:16:06.100+09:002011-05-09T01:16:06.100+09:00I think the Habu scare is mainly a cultural thing ...I think the Habu scare is mainly a cultural thing - it seems to be part of Okinawan identity to warn visitors about the dangerous snakes. For comparison, about 200 people per year are treated in Sweden for bites by the common Adder, but that's such a non-issue here that nobody would consider warning a tourist about them. Again, most bites are due to stupid and/or drunk people trying to pick the snake up.<br /><br />But when it comes to the sea, Okinawa has some much more dangerous creatures, e.g. Stone fish, Lion fish, Cone snails, Blue-ringed octopuses, and Box jellyfish. Brrrr...<br /><br />Oh, and I remember the Okinawan soba. Not something I'm longing to try again - tasted like a boiled hog.Richard Carlssonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18029712732888632419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-85139081870851764642011-05-07T03:54:32.216+09:002011-05-07T03:54:32.216+09:00Sounds great trip! 23 years to go hahaha I have 26...Sounds great trip! 23 years to go hahaha I have 26 damn it! :D<br /><br />The great suggestion of "and don't try to pick up a snake while drunk." is great, we can even replace the sanek with various objects, animal and non animal like..poo, granade, death laser beam...and it will always sound like great advise :D <br /><br />Have you ever tried the Tokyo style ramen? It smells like wet dog but it tastes great :D<br /><br />Anywhoo...great trip and hope to see pictures...eventually :DFernandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01854714971820929902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-29566062177060840852011-05-06T18:12:51.603+09:002011-05-06T18:12:51.603+09:00Ah, thanks. I've heard "brown sugar"...Ah, thanks. I've heard "brown sugar", I think, but "black sugar" (the direct translation) doesn't sound odd to my ears so I didn't notice I was using the wrong term. <br /><br />I'll just let it stand for now. Always good to leave something for people to pounce on. ^_^Jan Morenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06834641501438709866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455782214242472677.post-158340442521982192011-05-06T17:43:35.420+09:002011-05-06T17:43:35.420+09:00I think what you call "black sugar" is m...I think what you call "black sugar" is more likely known as "brown sugar" in English. In any case, I'm jealous.wataruhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10934449228000680775noreply@blogger.com