Yakushima Island
Also written: 屋久島 · 屋久岛
Said to have inspired the setting for Studio Ghibli’s film Princess Mononoke, Yakushima Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its mystical ancient forests and millennium-old yakusugi cedar trees.
An Illustrated Japan / Kagoshima / Townscape & Scenery
About this place
Yakushima is an almost circular granite island approximately 132 kilometers in circumference belonging to the Osumi Islands sixty kilometers south-southwest of Kagoshima City, designated together with Shirakami-Sanchi in 1993 as Japan's first UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites. The island features Kyushu's highest peak Miyanoura-dake at 1,936 meters and is dubbed the Alps on the ocean for its dramatic topography rising precipitously from sea level to nearly two thousand meters, nurturing ecosystems stratified by altitude from subtropical coast to subalpine shrubland. Its climate is proverbially described as thirty-five rainy days in a month, with annual precipitation reaching 8,000 to 10,000 millimeters in mountainous interior and still over 4,000 millimeters for the island as a whole, fostering forests dominated by Yakusugi cedar, cryptomeria trees over one thousand years old, with the famed Jomon Sugi estimated over 7,200 years representing the largest conifer in Japan. Shiratani Unsuikyo, inspirational forest for Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke, reveals moss-covered wonder where every rock and root is cloaked in thick green moss thriving on abundant moisture, reachable in about forty minutes by bus from Miyanoura Port to the trailhead, then three hours for the Mossy Forest course ending at Taiko-iwa Rock offering superb views of Miyanoura-dake range. The round trip to Jomon Sugi from Arakawa Trailhead takes approximately ten hours hiking, demanding strict equipment due to rapidly changing weather. Roughly ninety percent of the island remains forested and precipitous mountainous terrain, yet approximately twelve thousand residents sustain livelihoods through forestry, fisheries, and eco-tourism. Access includes direct flights to Yakushima Airport or high-speed jet foil Toppy and Rocket from Kagoshima Port taking about two and a half hours, illustrating island remoteness yet connectivity. Since 2025, private cars are restricted in mountain areas and visitors are asked for a one thousand yen cooperation fee for conservation including trail repair after natural disasters. Historically, slow-growing Yakusugi's oil-rich fine-grained wood was transported to the mainland in the Edo period as tax called Hiraki Yakusugi roofing material, valued for weather resistance. Today rigorous conservation maintains primeval character, offering immersive forest breathing experience that attracts visitors domestically and abroad seeking untouched wilderness where ancient trees silently witness millennia. Travelers spending an evening in Miyazaki often pair this dish with local hospitality, learning how staff explain ingredient provenance and charcoal technique in simple English with picture menus, making it approachable for first-time visitors seeking authentic regional flavors beyond Tokyo, while local regulars share recommendations for next stops.
