One of Yakushima’s most famous sights is Jomonsugi, a huge cryptomeria tree that’s estimated to be around 3000 years old, and a lot of people come here just to get a look at it. The rugged path leading to Jomonsugi is 11 kilometers long, and it takes a total of 10 hours or so to walk there and back, so it’s only recommended for people with plenty of stamina. You can also go on a guided tour to make things easier.
About two-thirds of the walk to Jomonsugi is along an old trolley railway. It was once used to transport timber, but is now only used for carrying materials for maintaining the mountain path. The general public can’t use the railway, so you have to walk along it.
While trekking you may well come across these yakushika—a subspecies of the Japanese deer. These wild deer inhabit Yakushima, and are especially small, even for Japanese deer. Because they’re wild deer, observe them without touching them.
This is Shiratani Unsuikyo. At between 600 and 1000 meters above sea level, it offers wonderful views of the cryptomeria trees and the rest of the primeval forest. There are 30 minute, 60 minute, and 2 hour 30 minute tours available, so you can decide how long you want to spend walking around. Koke no Mori, said to be the model for the setting of the Hayao Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke, is a particularly popular spot.
This is an 88 meter waterfall called Oko no Taki. It was selected as one of the 100 top waterfalls in Japan. You can get right up close to it by car, making it very easy to visit.
The natural beauty of the mountains is wonderful, but Yakushima is also surrounded by beautiful ocean. There are sea kayak tours and the like available, so why not try something?
Yakushima makes it possible to experience natural beauty that you can’t really find anywhere else in Japan. How about taking a trip to this mystical island?
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