From a distance, the water looked like a flower raft where the cherry blossom petals have scattered in the wind at the end of Spring, attracting local snorkeling tours for those who want to experience the beauty the creatures bring at this time of year.

The Sankei Shimbun, JAPAN Forward

In a corner of Kinko Bay overlooking Sakurajima, Kagoshima symbol’s in the southernmost point of Kyūshū, there is a place that becomes a paradise for jellyfish from late Summer to early Autumn.

It is the Yojirougahama waterway, which is about 60 meters wide and 1.6 kilometers long. It was constructed to protect the landfilled coastal area from high tides.

When night falls and the darkened water surface is illuminated from below, a mysterious sight emerges: a group of spotted jelly, or Mastigias papua, with translucent brown umbrellas less than 10 cm in diameter, are floating in the water. There might have been hundreds of them.

From a distance, the water looked like a flower raft where the cherry blossom petals have scattered in the wind at the end of Spring.

Seen closer, you realize they are spotted jellyfish reacting to the light, swimming, as they open and close their bell-shaped body. The Plankton is so abundant that the water looks white and hazy.

What seems like a “jellyfish raft” is in fact a gathering of the spotted jellyfish with their tentacles stretched out to prey on the aquatic organisms.

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