to have introduced many new plants and techniques to ancient Japan, although the texts are written much later. The local worship of Xu Fu as the "god of farming", "god of medicine" and "god of silk" by the Japanese is attributed to these achievements. Numerous temples and memorials of Xu can be found around Japan. In Xuzhou, there is a Xu Fu Research Institute attached to Xuzhou Teachers College. The Japanese historian Ino Okifu identifies Emperor Jimmu of Japan with Xu Fu. The Yayoi period started around the time of his supposed arrival. The fictional character Xu Fu, who appears in comics published by Marvel Comics, is based on him. Frank Zhang, one of the central characters of Rick Riordan's The Heroes of Olympus series, is mentioned as being a descendant of Xu Fu. Jofuku Park in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture is dedicated to him. Legacy in Japan According to the tradition of Saga City, Saga Prefecture, when Xu Fu came to the Ariake Sea, he decided to float a cup in the water and go ashore where it made landfall. As such, the place where he is said to have landed is known as "Bubai", which literally means "floating cup". Xu Fu is said to have reached the top of Mount Kinryu, where he met a hermit and obtained the elixir of immortal life. The elixir is said to have been made from a plant called furofuki, which still grows on Mount Kinryu today. The name "furofuki" is said to come from the word "furofushi", which means "not grow old, not die" in Japanese. In October 2008, the Saga Xu Fu International Symposium was held in the city of Saga. Many researchers from Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, and South Korea participated and made presentations. A lecture was also given on the relationship with the Yoshinogari site. Historicity Some modern scholars consider the legend of Xu Fu's settlement in Japan a historical possibility, while other scholars say the account has numerous inconsistencies and a lack of compelling evidence. Genetic research shows the Japanese people are an admixture of the indigenous Jōmon people and later migrants. The Jōmon originated from Southeast Asia and migrated to the Japanese archipelago around 14000 BCE during Paleolithic. The Yayoi people migrated from North East Asia to Japan around 1000 BCE. The Qin dynasty was established in 220 BCE, so the voyage of Xu Fu was after