The Spirits of Yakushima

This is something truly atmospheric.  Last year, director Steve Atkins took a hike through a Japanese forest.  The result?  Inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, plus the (easily believable) idea that Yakushima’s forest are inhabited by spirits, this remarkable piece of film shows us the island moss-covered wooded landscapes with ancient cedars in abundance.  It doesn’t just look like a mythical world – it is one.

Hats off, too, to  Rob Martland for the haunting soundtrack.