Yakushima
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Yakushima (1993); UNESCO Biosphere Reserve · Yakushima, Kagoshima
A round, mountainous island off the southern tip of Kyushu, covered in ancient forest and one of the first two places in Japan listed as a natural World Heritage Site. It is famous for its yakusugi, cedars that grow slowly in the island's poor granite soil and live for thousands of years; the oldest and most famous, Jomon Sugi, is estimated at several thousand years old and is reached by a hike of around ten hours round trip. The mossy forest of Shiratani Unsuikyo, with its streams and twisted roots, is said to have inspired the forest in the animated film Princess Mononoke, and is a much shorter walk. The island rises from subtropical coast to peaks near two thousand metres, and it rains here more than almost anywhere in Japan; locals joke that it rains thirty-five days a month. Yakushima macaques and deer roam the roads. Loggerhead turtles nest on Nagata beach in summer, viewed only on controlled tours. It is reached by jetfoil or ferry from Kagoshima, or by air, and access to the Jomon Sugi trailhead is by shuttle bus only in the main season.
Miyanoura Port, Yakushima-cho, Yakushima, Kagoshima, 891-4205, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: forest parks such as Shiratani Unsuikyo and Yakusugi Land are open in daylight, with fees collected from early morning to late afternoon. In the main season the shuttle to the Arakawa trailhead starts before 6 am and the last return bus leaves in the late afternoon; miss it and the walk out is very long. Jetfoils and ferries run fixed timetables and are cancelled in rough seas. Mountain roads close in snow and heavy rain. Confirm all times before travelling.