I Miss Green, Yakushima here we come
We took a trip with a friend to Yakushima (one of the southern islands of Japan ) known as the inspiration for the Princess Mononoke animated film and famous for its many old growth cedar trees (thousands of years old). The island was amazingly green and beautiful. We went during rainy season though so it rained and/or poured every day but it only added to the lushness of the island. The hydrangeas (ajisai in Japanese) were blooming. After spending the night in Kagoshima, we took the fast ferry to Yakushima. It was a 2 hour jet-foil ferry ride (the slow ferry takes 4 hours) and a little bumpy but luckily we were all tired so we slept most of the way. We actually rode the Toppy ferry, but the Rocket Ferry had the much cooler looking paint job.
We went to the nicknamed Mononoke forest to do a hike but found that the rain had so swollen the rivers that the forest area was closed.
After shopping for some rain gear and grabbing lunch at a local spot with yummy black pork (黒豚) and flying fish飛び魚.
The next day we woke up before dawn to hit the 10 hour trail to see the oldest known cedar on the island (Jomonsugi) but were turned away as they decided to close the trail that day. Instead, we headed to the Mononoke forest again and this time we were allowed to hike through the forest – all mossy covered rocks and trees and wild rivers.
–
It was quite a scenic drive up the mountain as there were so many small waterfalls on the side of the road. The forest was amazing! We tried to check out a waterfall after the hike but the mountains were covered in mist and fog and while we could hear the raging water, we could not see it. We had better luck at the next waterfall that feeds into the sea. A short hike through the cliffside woods led us to a viewpoint of the falls and the coast.
We also tried a seaside onsen with a small bamboo screen separating the men and women. It was quite pretty and definitely a unique experience. That day lightning knocked out the power to the island until about 9pm. The next day we went to one of the largest waterfalls on the island – Okawa no taki – and got drenched from the spray of the powerful falls as we took pictures. Okawa no taki (滝 means waterfall)
Then we went to Yakusugi Land and despite the amusement park name found another green, mossy, cedar filled forest wonderland. This hike was particularly atmospheric as we had to hike over tree roots and cedar plank bridges. I think we crossed at least 3 suspension bridges over the river.
–
–
–
Another cool fact about Yakushima nature, is the regrowth of trees inside the old stumps of trees. It’s only something that can happen with the amount of moisture, and moss which helps germinate the seeds in the tree stump. This picture is of 2 trees growing from 1 chopped trunk!
We also saw many cedar trees (yakusugi 屋久杉) some over a thousand years old and deer and monkeys. Apparently the nature films are correct and the monkeys really do like to groom each other and eat what they find in each others fur!
Finally, it was time to make our way back to Tokyo by taking a commuter plane to Kagoshima and another plane back to Tokyo . Before that the rental car company told us to just leave the car keys in the car and leave it in the parking lot of the small airport! Must be nice to live on a small island – I don’t think that would ever be the rental car return procedures in the US . This trip was definitely one of the highlights of our Japan exploration. The pictures cannot do justice to the lush scenery and even though I’m not a big fan of hiking in the rain, it was well worth it to experience the rain drops hang glittering from the moss-covered trees and witness the many small streams and waterfalls flowing over rocks and trees all heading to the ocean.
