The Great Japan Pilgrimage 2 - Part IV: Yakushima

Yakushima

Ever since reading Number9dream by David Mitchell I had wanted to visit Yakushima. This desire was only deepened upon seeing photos that my friends had taken there. The hotel in Kagoshima kindly agreed to store our luggage for us while we spent a night away on the island so armed only with backpacks and a lawsons breakfast we boarded the first ferry of our trip.

On our arrival we collected our rental car, chowed down on a bowl of donburi/ramen (Henry was responsible for the ramen consumption, after over a year here I have learned that one bowl a week is my limit).

Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine

Racing against what little daylight Japan offers in the winter months we wound our way inland to the Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine. Many of the islands cedar trees were felled for shingles during the Edo period, now however the island is a dedicated national park with some areas declared natural world heritage sites (which Japan has a LOT of, see mock article: http://www.therisingwasabi.com/unesco-adds-whole-of-japan-to-world-heritage-list-to-save-time/ )

It is supposed to rain ‘35 days a month’ on Yakushima, so it seems we were incredibly lucky to get almost 2 days there with beautiful weather allowing us to traipse through the ancient cedar forests. Both Shiratani and Yakusugi land have nicely laid out routes, ranging from around 30 mins to a full day hike. We took on the loop tracks that were about 1~2 hours in both areas. I don’t think I’d seen that much green since leaving NZ. The layers and layers of fallen trees, moss and plant matter on the forest floor told of the age of the forest, the serenity of it all made it obvious as to why the Island had been an inspiration for the Ghibli film Princess Mononoke.

Oogawa Waterfall

After our trek through Shiratani we visited some mildly unimpressive ‘lava pillow rocks’, and indulged in a stunning meal at a small izakaya-style restaurant in the main town (じいじ家
 jiijika- wonderful atmosphere). Well fed we prepped ourselves for a late night drive down to
Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen. The onsen is based on the seaside, open to the public and asks for a ￥100 entrance fee for maintenance which you leave in a donation box. With nothing but the sound of waves it took until our eyes adjusted a little (though thankfully not too much) to realise that there were a couple of naked men wandering between the different pools. In the darkness we had to glance at the row of shoes left at the start of the path to gage how many other bathers there were before we too continued barefooted to the steaming pools. Usually bathing suits are prohibited in onsens (how’s that for culture shock) but given the hour we ventured there and the lack of light we snuck in with our togs on (and as it turned out there was a Japanese couple there that had done the same, so maybe we aren’t at risk of getting smote down by kami-sama). With waves tumbling nearby and a sky of stars overhead, it was absolute bliss.

Road Blocks

We ventures out early the next morning to make the most of our last few hours on the Island. Our first stop was Yakusugi land for more shinrinyoku before we set off on a loop of the island. Our journey was certainly not a rushed one, due mainly to the narrow winding roads, as well as the numerous road blocks along the way. By road blocks i mean deer and monkeys that simply sat in the middle of the road and refused to move until out tiny k-car was practically on top of them.

Relishing the knowledge that we weren’t going to be behind the wheel for the next couple of days we nabbed a couple of Asahi’s from the vending machine at the port while waiting for our ferry back to the mainland (Japan has a zero-alcohol policy).

Back in Kagoshima we grabbed a complimentary beer from the Izakaya attached to our hotel and wandered round to the waterfront for a sushi train dinner.