Yakushima

Yakushima, registered as the Natural World Heritage Site in Japan, is an island about 60km off the southern coast of Kyushu. It is covered by old growth Japanese cedar forests, and the trees more than 1,000 years old are called “Yakusugi”. Many tourists enjoy hiking to visit a green forest park “Shiratani Unsuikyo” and the giant Japanese cedar tree “Jomon Sugi” which is the most popular tree in Yakushima. If you drive around the island, you can find the beach where sea turtles lay their eggs, the waterfall with cool mist, natural seaside hot springs and wild animals such as monkeys and deer. This island never bore you even if you visit many times.

Photo

Shiratani Unsuikyo

Taiko Iwa

Yakushima Deer

Regeneration from a fallen tree

Jomon Sugi

Wilson Stump

Inside of the stump

Nagata Inaka-hama

Oko Waterfall

Recommendation

It will be a great experience for you to enjoy hiking in the forests of Yakushima. “Shiratani Unsuikyo” and “Jomon Sugi” are very popular among tourists, and each has its own different atmosphere. I would like you to enjoy both of them if you have enough time and strength. I think you should stay for a while since there are many other attractive tourist spots in this island.

Shiratani Unsuikyo
It is the magical forest park which offers a network of hiking trails that run along the ravine. The forests are covered with green moss with a drop of water, and you can see pure mountain streams and old Japanese cedar trees which is named “Nidai Osugi”, “Sanbonashi Sugi”, “Bugyo Sugi” and so on. After walking beyond the moss forest, you climb toward a large rock called “Taiko Iwa”, where you can see a panoramic view of the forests and mountains. The hike takes about 5 hours round trip.

Jomon Sugi
In the first half of the hiking you walk on a seldom used railway which is relatively flat. However in the latter half you have to walk on a mixture of dirt footpaths and wooden steps which is often steep. You can see some old Japanese cedar tress such as “Okina Sugi”, “Wilson Stump”, “Daio Sugi” and “Meoto Sugi” one the way to “Jomon Sugi”, which is estimated to be 2,600 to 7,000 years old. I was moved to see the giant tree shrouded in fog. The hike takes about 10 hours round trip.

Driving around the island
Driving around the island is a good option to see other attractive tourist spots in Yakushima. My recommendation is “Nagata Inaka-hama” beach where sea turtles lay their eggs at night from May to July, “Oko Waterfall” to enjoy cool mist, and seaside hot springs such as “Yudomari Onsen” and “Hirauchi Onsen”.
If you want to observe the sea turtles on the beach, you have to join the local tour since they are conserved in this island.

Access

Many tourists take a high speed jetfoil boat between Kagoshima Port and Miyanoura Port in Yakushima. Kagoshima Port is about 20 minutes’ ride by bus from Kagoshima-Chuo Railway Station and about 1 hour ride by bus from Kagoshima Airport. The boats depart every 2 hours and it takes about 2 hours to get to Miyanoura Port by the direct boat.
Another option is to take a flight. There are some direct flights to Yakushima from Kagoshima, Fukuoka and Osaka Itami Airport, and you can choose one of them up to your travel schedule.

Buses travel the coastal road around the island about once per hour, but few buses go into the the islands’ interior. If you need a rental car, you can take it in Miyanoura or at the airport. I think it must be a good option for you to join a guided tour because you will be able to learn more about the nature in Yakushima. It seems that there are some hiking tours with a English guide, and you should check them on the Internet.

Travel Route

Let me introduce my travel route for Yakushima in 2011 for your reference.
I stayed at a guesthouse called “Minshuku” in Japan, where I could feel at home. There are not only the guesthouses but also some hotels/pensions in Yakushima, and you will be able to find your favorite accommodation.