According to a widely-accepted theory, the ancient Japanese arrived via three routes: from Russia, the Korean peninsula, and the South. In July, a team from the National Museum of Nature and Science carried out an experiment in which they tried to cross the ocean along the southern route using methods available 30,000 years ago. Before this they had attempted the challenge in grass boats and bamboo rafts, however, these efforts ended in failure. This time they made a dugout canoe using tools from that period. And so, a team of five, including one woman, successfully travelled from Taiwan to Yonagunijima Island, the far west of Japan in 45 hours.