Okinawa;Japan

Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Okinawan women and girls, with a few small boys, out on the reef vest of the sea wall around Shioya at extreme low tide hunting for shellfish, seaweed, and other living organisms suitable for food or compost. The reef is largely bare."

Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "An Okinawan woman carrying firewood in a bundle on her head, coming out of the mountains in central Motobu peninsula on one of the trails. The clothes are normal working garb."

Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Woman carrying bushel basket with tumpline (band around forehead) and her back from the fields on Hedo Misaki to the village of Ginami about 2 miles away. All sweet potatoes grown on the point are carried this way."

Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Okinawan woman stripping the grain from the rice straw with one of the iron combs. The straw in the little shocks will be made into mats of rope after it dries."

Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "The pioneer vegetation of ferns that follow fire or extreme cutting of the forest on the strongly acid soils of Okinawa. These do not grow on soils with a pH above 5.0 nor on the fertile ones. Site is on Yellow Podzolic soil from cherts, clay slates, and limestones at the east edge of a small basin about 2 miles northeast of Toguchi, Motobu peninsula."

Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "The occupancy and use of small raised beach, alluvial fan, and plateau slopes in southern Okinawa. Rice is fully headed and beginning to ripen in paddies separated by grass-covered dikes on beach and fan. Upland slopes, large Reddish Brown Lateritic soils from limestone, are site of village and are used for sweet potatoes, manioc, and some other crops. Plateau is supported by limestone."

Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Profile intermediate between Red Podzolic and Reddish-Brown Lateritic soils, formed from colluvium consisting of greenstone and phyllite cemented with carbonates at one time, about ½ mile south of Taira, east end of Motobu peninsula."

Profile of Red Podzolic and Reddish-Brown Lateritic soils, about half a mile south of Taira, Okinawa. Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Second shot of profile shown in H71."

Profile of Lithosols from phyllite several miles east of Kawata and near the end of a logging road. Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Second shot of profile shown in H94."

Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Lithosols from phyllite, of the more yellow variety of profiles, in an area several miles east of Kawata, across the island from Shana Wan, and near the end of the logging road that falls short of the village of Takee. Thickness of soil over weathering rock ranges from 8 to 14 inches."