Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It's one of those islands that is most likely destined to become uninhabited in the next five to
ten years.
That wraps up our coverage of the Miyako Archipelago. From here we'll backtrack to
Miyako Island and fly south to our next destination, the beautiful Yaeyama Islands.
Sugar Cane ( 砂糖黍 ) Satō-kibi
Naive to South and Southeast Asia, sugar cane is today culivated in all the tropical regions of the
world. Taxonomically, the plants are in the tall perennial grass family and fall in the genus Saccharum.
There are several dozen species and since all readily inter-breed growers have developed numerous
hybrids and culivars that are commercially producive. Like bamboo, sugar cane has strong, jointed
stalks, but unlike bamboo these are densely fibrous, not hollow. Plants grow from 2-6 meters (6-18
feet) tall and are rich in natural sugar. It is this sugar that makes the plant so valuable. Naturally, the
primary product is pure cane sugar, but the plants may also be refined into molasses, sugar cane juice
or syrup, rock candy or, most famously, disilled into rum. In Japan, a disilled alcohol product made
from sugar cane is called shōchū ( 焼酎 ). In what may have great future promise, sugar cane is increas-
ingly being harvested for its use in producing ethanol alcohol, a gasoline additive or subsitute.
 
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