Yakushima

One of Japan's first World Natural Heritage sites, with thousand-year-old Yakusugi cedars and the moss forest of Shiratani Unsuikyo (the inspiration for Princess Mononoke), and a 10-hour hike to the Jōmon Sugi.

Yakushima lies in the sea about 60 km south of Kagoshima, a nearly circular granite island with a circumference of about 130 km. It has more than 40 peaks over 1,000 m, and the tallest, Mt. Miyanoura at 1,936 m, is the highest in Kyushu, earning the island the nickname "the Alps of the Ocean." In 1993, together with Shirakami-Sanchi, it became one of Japan's first World Natural Heritage sites, known for its Yakusugi cedars over a thousand years old and for vegetation that changes with altitude from subtropical to subarctic. The island gets enormous rainfall, with a saying that it "rains 35 days a month," and the moss forests are especially lush as a result. Activities fall into three groups: forest hikes (Shiratani Unsuikyo, Yakusugi Land, the Jōmon Sugi, Mt. Miyanoura); driving around the island (Senpiro Falls, Ōkō Falls, Yakushima macaques and Yaku deer on the Western Forest Road, sea turtles at Nagata-hama); and seaside hot springs (Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen, Yudomari, Onoaida). Getting there: from Kagoshima Port, take a high-speed boat for about 2–3 hours or a ferry for about 4 hours; there are flights to Yakushima Airport from Kagoshima, Fukuoka and Osaka Itami. Buses on the island are infrequent, so we recommend renting a car. The best seasons are March–May and October–November; the May–June rainy season and July–September typhoons can cancel boat service. We suggest 3–4 days, with one full day set aside for the Jōmon Sugi. Notes: entering the mountains requires paying an environmental conservation cooperation fee, and private cars are banned at the Arakawa trailhead from March to November; whatever the weather, bring rain gear and non-slip shoes.

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