Finally we made it to Yakushima. Last October, we were typhooned out, but this year we avoided typhoons and rain and amazingly had three days of complete sunshine, and one day with a total of an hour or an hour and a half of rain. So we were so blessed—and could do everything we’d hoped we could do—and even more. Two days of hiking and two days of snorkeling. The first day, a climb up Mt. Miyanoura, at 1936 meters the highest on the island.
From Shizuoka, we flew to Kagoshima. On the way, we were told that if too much ash spewed out from the Sakurajima volcano that we may have to divert to another airport, but we fortunately were able to land at the Kagoshima Airport as scheduled. From there, it was a prop plane hop over to Yakushima, a 20-minute taxi ride to our pension, five hours or so of sleep, an early-bird, one-hour taxi ride to the Yodogawa trailhead . . .
. . . and a 5 AM hiking start. As you can see, my blurry eyes make the sign at the trailhead appear a little blurry.
If you do any hiking, you need to get a hiking pass, 1000 yen for day hiking, and 2000 yen, if you spend a night up on a mountain. The pass is a small square piece of cedar that you can attach to your backpack.
From the trailhead at 1365 meters, it’s about an hour (1.5 km) to the Yodogawa Hut. Up to the Miyanoura summit, there are lots of streams, so you can get water just about whenever you want, at least over the first 3/4ths of the way up to the summit. The Yodogawa Hut has the last outhouse on the trail up, so after that you’ll have to use a portable toilet (you don’t want to pee or poop illegally on a World Heritage site!) until you reach the lodge two hours down from the summit—six, seven, or eight hours from the Yodogawa Hut, depending on pace and the number of breaks to you take.
The Yodogawa River.
Around 6:15, the sun begins to work its way into the woods. 
The higher you go, the more you get open views of what’s up ahead.
It’s about 2.8 km from the Hut to the Hana-no-Ego peat marsh (1630 m). You’re doing pretty good! Stand tall! Enjoy the view! From the marsh, it’s 3.5 km to the summit. From the trailhead to the summit, maybe 5 or 5.5 hours walking time.
In the foreground is a shakunage bush/tree, a sort of rhododendron. They bloom in June, so if you can go then, the mountains will be a combination of green and pink.
Sometimes the trail is just where a stream and rocks cut through the bamboo, a smaller variety than what grows on the mountains in Shizuoka.
Also some fun rocks to climb up through.
The last hour or so is all rock and bamboo. The rocks are beautiful. The bamboo is beautiful. It’s all beautiful.
You might imagine Yakushima, southern island that it is, to always be beautiful like this, but apparently these sort of days are not so common. There can be lots of rain, even when it’s sunny down on the coast, and if winds come through, they can make it hard to stand . . . but this day we were truly, truly blessed.
Up through the bamboo.
Up, up through the bamboo.
Enjoy the rocks. Ponder how the sculptor got that giant rock on top of that mega-giant rock.
As you approach the summit, you get a mighty fine view of the neighboring Mt. Nagata.
Finally, a view of the summit.
And then voila, you’re on the top. I think our walking time from the trailhead was about 4.5 hours. With a couple of breaks, we got up there at 10:15.
A small early lunch and then it was down the other side on the trail that leads to the Jomon Sugi cedar tree, almost certainly the oldest tree in Japan, with estimates from 2000 years old to 7200 years old. Other much smaller trees have been proven to be over 3000 years old so I’d personally guess (sitting in my armchair) that Jomon is at least 4 or 5 thousand year. Old enough.
No sooner had we started down that the fog blew in. If you hike you know how that is. Blue skies one minute . . . and then . . .
. . . disappearing mountains and grey the next.
More bamboo and rocks.
A silver cedar trunk.
The green, green view of the back side of Miyanoura.
Back into the trees. From the Miyanoura summit to the Shintakatsuka Lodge, where we stayed the night, about 3.5 km, or 2 or 2.5 hours. The Jomon Sugi will have to wait until the morning.
Limbs twisting about, searching for the light—as we all are.
A friend.
Himeshara trees and shakunage.
Finally the lodge. Outhouse a minute’s walk away. No meals served, no electricity, just a wood floor to sleep on, and lots of mice to tickle your dreams as you try to get yourself a bit rested for another 5 AM hike start. Me, I took a bath beside the nearby stream.
The deer seem to find the moss on the rocks around the lodge tasty.
