Kyushu, Japan · Remote island, Mountain
A subtropical island with ancient cedar forests (Jomon Sugi), a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Ferry or plane — Ferry or flight from Kagoshima
🥾 Active nature
A full-day hike to one of the oldest cedar trees in the world.
It rains, as the local saying goes, 35 days a month, and the rain is part of the appeal: the moss and the waterfalls are at their best. A proven combination: the yakusugi museum, a distillery, a woodwork studio, Ohko waterfall in spate and a hot onsen at the end. Warning: in heavy rain the Arakawa track and the mountain routes can close without notice, and a waterfall in spate is never forded.
Onoaida is sulphurous and comes out at almost 50 degrees, genuinely scalding, and is the favourite of hikers coming down from Mocchomu-dake. Yudomari is by the sea like the Hirauchi bath but is reachable 24 hours a day at any tide, and swimsuits are banned there. Kusugawa is alkaline and has been in use since the late 16th century. In all three you undress in front of the neighbours and there is no soap.
1,936 metres: the highest peak in Kyushu and in all of Japan south of Honshu. The classic route from Yodogawa is 13 kilometres across the Hananoego wetland and ridges of eroded granite, with a hut to split it over two days. The Ministry of the Environment rates it at the top difficulty level: experienced mountaineers only.
A moss-covered forest that inspired scenery in 'Princess Mononoke.'
This is Yakushima's living religious practice: each village is assigned its own sacred mountain and sends representatives up to a small altar on the summit to bring sake and flowers and carry back water and sand for the village shrine. Its trails are counted among the 120 historic mountain paths of Japan. Here the mountain is not scenery: it is the god.
The flying fish is the island's culinary emblem: fried whole with its wings spread, made into fish cake and even curry. The 'broken-neck mackerel' is killed instantly by bending its neck to bleed it, which allows it to be eaten raw with a texture not found on the mainland. Add the tankan and ponkan citrus, from January to April.
Nagata Inakahama is the largest loggerhead nesting site in the North Pacific. From 1 May to 30 September entering the beach at night is prohibited, and between May and 20 July the only legal way to see them is the conservation committee tour: 50 people per night maximum, booked in advance. From 21 July to 30 September, during hatching, the beach is closed at night entirely.
It crosses the only stretch of the World Heritage area that reaches down to the sea. Single lane, no verges, closed to large buses and passable only between 7 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon to protect the wildlife: the odds of meeting macaques and dwarf deer sitting on the asphalt are very high. Drive very slowly, and do not get out of the car or feed them.
You turn chopsticks, coasters or small boxes. The fact that explains everything: felling yakusugi has been banned since 2001, and everything sold comes from stumps and trunks abandoned by the Edo and Showa loggings, preserved on the forest floor by their very high resin content. It is the only legal way to take yakusugi home: collecting wood, branches or moss from the forest is prohibited.
A forest park with circular trails of varying lengths through thousand-year-old cedars and suspension bridges over the Anbo River.
Five minutes from Anbo port. It explains the ecology, history and timber industry of the cedars: why they were felled for centuries to make roof shingles and why that stopped. It is the best preparation before walking to Jomon Sugi, and it stops you reaching the tree without understanding what you are looking at.
Let us be honest: the island goes to bed early and many kitchens close at half past eight. The scene comes down to a handful of fish and shochu izakaya, which are excellent and full of mountain guides. In high season you have to book dinner in the morning.
The island sits in the Kuroshio current: coral, green turtles and lobsters with visibility beyond 20 metres. There are centres offering try-dives for beginners in Isso and Miyanoura.
Five minutes on foot from Miyanoura port, with a 14-metre screen projecting the island from sea to summit. It also runs its own stargazing sessions and is an excellent rainy-day plan.
A guided forest-bathing program in Yakushima's ancient cedar forest (a UNESCO World Heritage site), different from a simple hike — focused on disconnecting and unwinding, not on covering distance.
A natural hot spring bath carved into the coastal rocks, visible and accessible only at low tide.
In season (summer), loggerhead turtles nest on this protected beach at night.
One of Japan's largest waterfalls, and easy to access.
The island's biggest summer festival, at Miyanoura port in early August: rituals lighting the fire of the mountain and of the sea, drums and fireworks on the second night. It is run explicitly to keep the tradition of mountain worship alive.
One of the island's tallest waterfalls, with an easily accessible viewpoint.
A grove of strangler figs beside the southern coast road, with aerial roots forming caves you can walk through. Five minutes by car and half an hour of astonishment, and it works perfectly in the rain.
A guided snorkeling trip off the coast of Isso to swim alongside sea turtles in their reef habitat.
Outside Miyanoura and Anbo there is almost no light pollution, and the western beaches give exceptional skies. Guided night outings combine stars with bioluminescent mushrooms in the rainy season and summer. It all depends on the weather: the island is cloudy many nights.
Three island brands, distilled with the ultra-soft water of the granite, which gives them a notably smooth character. One of the Anbo distilleries can be visited and sells a shochu exclusive to the island; it is drunk with hot water in the izakaya.
A guided kayak paddle down the Anbo River through subtropical forest, suitable for beginners.
A private subtropical garden in the south with hundreds of fruit tree species and a tasting of juices and fruit at the end of the route. It works well with children and on a grey day.
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