Travel in Japan
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Japan’s Lost World: Yakushima
Giant waterfalls, shrub-covered mountains, and twisted, ancient cedar trees. You will find them all on one island – Yakushima. This round island is located about 60 km off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, in a subtropical area of Japan, making its snow capped peaks of winter a surprising contradiction. It rains heavily and often there, about half the year.
A large section of Yakushima was listed as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993, and one can easily see why. Probably the main draw is the giant cedar (sugi) trees, aka “Yakusugi,” that dot the mountains and make up much of the forest’s canopy. You can see these all over the island, by roaming any number of trails.
Yakushima is a hiker’s paradise, and just taking a few of the main trails, you can see most of the best spots. Maybe the easiest and most tourist-friendly trail is that of Yakusigi Land. Over 1,000 meters above sea level, the park has several paths, taking from 30 minutes to two-and-a-half hours.
The hiking there is relatively easy and you can see a wide variety of enormous trees. Yakusugi Nature Hall/Museum is along the way to Yakusugi Land and is a beautiful building, inside and out, where you can see cutaway samples of the cedars, along with art and educational displays explaining the history of the island.
The forest of Shiratani Unsuikyo is a much darker, covered forest than Yakusugi Land, and the lush, green moss is breathtaking. A variety of courses takes you past “named” cedar trees, like Yayoisugi and Sanbon-ashisugi. But the real payoff here is Mononoke no Mori (Mononoke Forest), which was the inspiration behind some of the dramatic locations of MIYAZAKI Hayao’s animated film “Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke).” It’s easy to imagine the characters making their way through this forest.
As famous a location as the forest of Mononoke Hime is though, the biggest attraction on the island is the iconic Joumonsugi tree. Standing at 25 meters tall and over 5 meters wide –and with age estimations varying wildly from 2,000 to 7,200 years old– Joumonsugi is a long hike at about 5 hours each way. The first half of the trip is fairly easy, following an old logging track on mostly even land and over rivers, then the trail veers off into the mountains and it is all uphill from there. Also on the same path is the Wilson Kabu (stump), a large hollowed out tree stump. It’s important to note that any one of these trails usually end up taking most of the day.
The most difficult hike would be the trail to Miyanoura-dake, Yakushima’s highest mountain at 1,936 meters. This requires an early start. But before getting to the top, a wonderful site to see is the Hananoego highland marsh, where bone white trees, stripped of their bark, contrast dramatically with the green backdrop. A good alternate route can take you to Kuromi-dake (1,831 meters) or continue on to Miyanoura-dake, which commands a spectacular view of the island and ocean.
The sound of running water can almost always be heard, no matter where you are on the island. Rivers and waterfalls are everywhere. The two waterfalls that compete to be the most impressive are Senpiro-no-taki, overlooking a massive, granite gorge, and Ohko-no-taki, which cascades over the rocks from high above.
At the waterfalls, and just about everywhere else, wildlife can be found in many forms. Monkeys (yakuzaru) can sometimes be seen, and seem to be considerably more docile than their annoying mainland counterparts. Deer (yakushika) are everywhere, especially deeper into the mountains. On Yakushima you can also witness sea turtles laying their eggs on the western beach of Nagata Inaka-hama from May to July. Special tours can be arranged to see these rare events.
These are only the highlights, mind you. More trails, kayaking, mountain climbing, hot springs, scuba diving, museums, and wonderful, local cuisine and crafts add considerably more to the complete experience.
Visiting Yakushima is easy enough, but a bit expensive depending on your length of stay. Short package tours are reasonable, but are often too short to take in the many sites, not to mention the expected bad-weather-day. Spring, before the rainy season, when the flowers are in bloom, and late summer, are also good times to go. Winter is an interesting time too, as very few people are there and you’ll feel like you have the whole forest to yourself. The tops of the mountains are, however, snow covered and rather treacherous. So caution is advised.
Transport and Accommodation
After a flight to Kagoshima Airport, you have a choice of reaching the island by small plane (around 30 minutes) or by ferry (around 4 hours) from Kagoshima port to Miyanoura, or by jetfoil to Miyanoura or Ambo ports (around 2 to 2 1/2 hours). There are several places to stay, ranging from small lodges, to mid-size hotels, to luxury hotels. All of the trails need to be reached by some sort of transportation. Bus (cheap but limited schedule), taxi (convenient but expensive), and rental car (by far the best option, if possible) can be found.
Text: Jerremy DROUIN
(From July Issue 2009)
