Watch NHK Documentary Season 9 Episode 4 Online

Surrounded by sub-tropical trees and coral reefs, Amami-Oshima is a southern Japanese island richly endowed with nature. The island’s flora and fauna have uniquely evolved, developing a distinctive eco-system that still thrives today. One of the island’s endemic denizens is the black Amami rabbit, known as a “living fossil.” Other island creatures include the Ryukyu long-haired rat that lives in trees (just as squirrels do); and the Ishikawa frog, one of the most beautiful of its kind in Japan. Veteran photographer Futoshi Hamada, who has been capturing the natural beauty of Amami-Oshima for 25 years, reveals the habitats and behaviors of these rare creatures in a unique tour of the island’s dense forest area.