In the south of Japan, between the China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, lies Iriomote Island. Covered by tropical forests, this island paradise is home to some of the earth’s rarest animals, such as a leopard subspecies named after the island, the Iriomote cat. Other inhabitants include the Ryukyu flying fox, a local subspecies of the crested serpent eagle, and the vibrant ruddy kingfisher.
Prize-winning wildlife filmmaker Moritz Katz showcases the UNESCO World Heritage Site and biodiversity hotspot, including the largest mangrove forest in Japan, that lives and breathes with the tides, where a host of bizarre creatures emerge from the mud only at low tide.
The mangroves are also incredibly important to the island's human inhabitants, such as 83-year-old textile designer Akiko Ishigaki, whose collections using Iriomote natural materials have been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
