Home > Four Stories > Part 1 Introduction to Shiretoko
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"Shiretoko" - something about this name evokes primal memories even for those who have never been there. The name "Shiretoko" is actually derived from the word "shiretok" of the indigenous Ainu people of Japan, meaning "the end of the land" or "the land jutting out."
As the name indicates, Shiretoko is a peninsula in eastern Hokkaido jutting out into the Sea of Okhotsk. It is a place like nowhere else, where one can experience diverse natural environments all in a single peninsula.
The Shiretoko peninsula spans the Shari and Rausu townships, and a spectacular mountain range with a height of 1,200 - 1,600 meters extends through its center like a backbone. It has many lakes and waterfalls, such as the Shiretoko Goko Lakes and the Kamuiwakka falls, a cascading natural hot spring, as well as nearly 70 rivers and streams. There are hot springs in the volcanic areas, as well as unique tourist attractions such as "Shiretoko Misaki" (Cape Shiretoko) made famous by a popular song, and "Godzilla Iwa," a huge rock shaped like the well-known monster.
Shiretoko peninsula also provides a habitat for many wild plants and animals that have become scarce elsewhere in Hokkaido. The steep landscapes rising from the ocean to the mountains are inhabited by brown bears, Hokkaido Sika deer, and red foxes, and display varied flora ranging from seaside grasslands to alpine flowerbeds.
The oceans nearby are frequented by seals, dolphins, and whales, and the rivers are teeming with salmon and trout. Globally scarce migratory birds such as the Steller's sea eagle can be spotted and the landscape is a habitat for threatened species such as the Blakiston's fish owl and Viola kitamiana Nakai.
Shiretoko is also known as the place of lowest latitude in the northern hemisphere where ice floes can be seen. The ice floes which wash ashore in winter not only cover the sea with a beautiful mantle of shimmering ice, but also create favorable growth conditions for phytoplankton, the first link in the food chain, making Shiretoko one of Japan's most productive fisheries.
The ring of life linking ocean to land sustains the entire ecosystem of the peninsula.
The people living on this land also support the ecosystem. The natural beauty of Shiretoko could not be protected from short-sighted development and environmental destruction without the helping hands of many people. In that sense as well, Shiretoko is a unique place where harmony with nature is maintained by constant effort.
The interconnected marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the presence of habitat for rare fauna and flora, and the well managed conservation system were so highly regarded that Shiretoko was listed as a World Natural Heritage Site - the third in Japan - drawing the attention of the whole world ever since.
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This very moment, millions of people around the globe are connecting to a virtually limitless world of information, from the hottest news to entertaining video clips and intriguing details about the lives of celebrities and friends.
It is not uncommon for people to launch their Web browser as soon as their PC has booted up and to leave it running until they shut down the PC.
Nowadays, the Web browser has become an indispensable tool for accessing the Internet. For this reason, a browser is pre-installed in almost all PCs. But just as we season our food with salt, pepper and spices to suit our tastes, rather than just eat it plain as served, many people replace their pre-installed Web browser with one better suited to their tastes.
Firefox is clearly the most popular among such users. Their reasons for choosing it are diverse, but in addition to its basic features such as the speedy display of Web pages and quick responses to security issues, many people say they like the way that Firefox's appearance can be easily changed, and convenient features suited to individual styles of Web access can be added like toppings. The flexibility of Firefox makes it suit to varied users' tastes.
Firefox's features and flexibility let it easily integrate into any lifestyle, and now approximately 25% of the world's internet users are using Firefox.1
The sense of comfort and trust resulting from an open development process
One more reason for Firefox's popularity is that the open development process is fully visible to all users.
Though nowadays the technology used in most Web browsers is disclosed to some extent, much is still kept behind a veil of secrecy. For instance, it is often unclear whether user information is really being handled in a secure manner, or what happens when a questionable site has been accessed by mistake. It's often unclear whether appropriate measures are even being taken at all to counter such problems. This is like daring to eat an unknown dish though you have no idea how it was made or with what materials. Admittedly, some people may not mind that.
However, Firefox is made in a different way. Like a meal made from produce straight from a local farm, you can know exactly who produced it, and in what manner; it is made with total honesty about the materials, method of preparation, and any problems it may have. Many people say it is for this reason that they feel most comfortable using Firefox.
In fact, Firefox is not made by a for-profit corporation. While most software is developed behind closed doors, Firefox is brought to life by the collective and open source effort and ingenuity of people on the Internet who want to make the world wide Web a better place for everyone. It is for this very reason that the Firefox Web browser has gained the approval of the world.
This unique Web browser made in such a special way has development codenames for each versions, and Firefox 3.5 happened to be named "Shiretoko" after Japan's famous World Natural Heritage Site.
1 Net Applications, April 2010
