Naoki Shimada
University of Shiman
Last summer, I went to Yakushima with my friend to see Jomonsugi, a famous cypress tree, and nature. We needed a long time to reach Jomonsugi. The round trip hike takes about 8 hours. We were so tired. But this trekking course was so interesting because we could feel great nature. This experience is an important memory for me.
Yakushima is a World Heritage Site. This island was the inspriation for the movie Mononokehime of Studio Ghibli. The island has a lot of nature. My friend and I went there by scooter. It took about 27 hours from Hamada to Kagoshima. It took about 5 hours from Kagoshima to Yakushima by ship. Yakushima’s local food is flying fish. We could see the fish from the ship. We could eat flying fish cuisine. I heard that sea turtles lay eggs on this island, but I did not observe that.
After we arrived at Yakushima, we went toward Siratani Unsuikyo. It was sunny day, so it was easy to walk, and our motivation was enhanced. There are a lot of big cypresses and mosses. I was able to take many beautiful pictures.
The next day, we went toward Jomonsugi. We got up early to take a bus bound for the trailhead. It was cloudy. But a lot of people were trekking on this road. The trekking road is long. It is 20 kilometers there and back. It goes over a truck road, a small river, and rocks, so this road is difficult.
I will introduce cautionary points of Yakushima trekking. First you should use trekking shoes because these shoes are different from normal shoes. Your feet will be protected which will help you walk. Second, you should prepare to respond to changes in temperature and climate. The mountain weather is changeable. Third, if you are worried even a bit, you should take portable toilet because there are few toilets on the trekking road. Forth you should stay hydrated. There is very clean water in Yakushima’s river, so you can drink the water.
It started raining during our trek. We reached Jomonsugi in 4 hours. I felt a great sense of achievement. Jomonsugi is magnificent.
While it is seen as the biggest tree in Yakushima, there are a lot of other big and interesting trees. For example, Kaminarionzisugi, Kugurisugi, Wilsonkabu, and so on. I hear that bigger trees can be found, so we looked for them in the mountains.
I had a lot of good experiences and gained new knowledge on this trip. I appreciate
Yakushima and my friend.
