Traveling to Japan's Wildest Island

@Aidin Robbins

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Explore Yakushima, a unique island off Japan's south coast, home to ancient yakusugi trees and a diverse ecosystem, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

5 places · 1 experience

1
Jomon Sugi
Tourist attraction · Yakushima
4.6 (1,048)Open · until 6 PM
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Allegedly the oldest tree in the entire world, this massive yakusugi is over five meters wide. While carbon dating suggests it's around 2,170 years old, its hollowed interior makes precise dating impossible, and other trees on the island live for over 3,000 years, suggesting it's likely much older. It's a symbol of Yakushima's ancient forests.
Jōmon Sugi, Miyanoura, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4205, Japan
2
Yakushima Island
Island · Yakushima
4.7
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A small island off the south coast of Japan, just over 500 square kilometers, known for its unique ecosystem and ancient forests. It's the rainiest place in Japan and one of the rainiest in the world, receiving 1,000 centimeters of rain a year in the high mountains. The island's isolation has led to nearly 2,000 plant species (about 100 endemic) and 600 mosses. Its highest peak is nearly 2,000 meters above sea level, creating an altitudinal diversity that compresses the climate and ecosystem range of all mainland Japan into one tiny island. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993, the first in Japan.
Yakushima Island, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima, Japan
- Yakushima deer and macaques — The deer and macaques on Yakushima have evolved into distinct sub-species due to the island's isolation. Researchers studying these macaques worried about their habitat disappearing due to logging.
- Yakusugi trees — Sugi (Japanese cedar) trees growing on Yakushima Island are upgraded to 'yakusugi' once they reach 1000 years old. These big, old trees are abundant at higher elevations in the mountains. They grow very slowly and live much longer than sugi trees elsewhere in Japan due to thin soil, cold winters, heavy rain, strong winds, and typhoons. Logging of ancient yakusugi trees was outlawed in 1982.
- Jomon Sugi — The biggest tree in Japan, over five meters wide, growing high in the mountains of Yakushima. It was carbon-dated in 1984 to around 2,170 years old, though this is likely an undershot as its inside has rotted away, making ring counting or dating the oldest part impossible. It was first documented in 1966 and gained significant attention, becoming a symbol for conservation efforts.
3
Kiso Valley
Ravine · Okuwa
4.7
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One of the largest forests in Japan, located in the Chubu region. Historically, it was a major source of timber for cities like Kyoto. In 1665, the daimyo controlling the valley implemented one of the earliest attempts at sustainable forest management by cutting logging in half, and by 1724, logging was cut by more than 60%, allowing its forests to largely grow back.
Kiso Valley, Tono, Okuwa, Kiso District, Nagano 399-5501, Japan
Experience · 1 place
Exploring Traditional Japanese Forestry
I took a walk through a village in the mountains right outside Kyoto that still uses traditional Japanese forestry practices. It's fascinating to see how they've managed forests for centuries, replanting logged areas as plantations, prioritizing species like sugi. They have detailed methods for gathering, drying, storing, and preparing seeds, building seed beds, and carefully nurturing seedlings for years before replanting them. They also use cuttings from 'mother trees' to ensure high-quality timber. It's a very hands-on approach, so different from what I'm used to seeing back home.
4
Kyoto Mountains
Kyoto
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The mountains surrounding Kyoto were historically a source of timber for the city's massive castles, temples, and shrines. Today, some villages in these mountains still practice traditional Japanese forestry, including techniques like daisugi pruning, which allows for efficient and sustainable timber production over centuries.
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Daisugi trees — These are particularly interesting trees that have been pruned in such a way that they grow branches straight up vertically out of the top. This technique is used to efficiently produce very straight poles, and some of these trees have been maintained for hundreds of years, like the 400-year-old one I saw.
5
Yakusugi Museum
Natural history museum · Yakushima
4.2 (4)Closed · opens tomorrow 9 AM
Japanese cedar museum, with tree specimens & logging exhibits, plus a shop with wooden handicrafts.
Yakusugi Museum, 2739-343 Anbo, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4311, Japan