 Last additions - Yakushima 屋久島 |
Fond farewell to our cruise ship leaving Miyanoura Port, Yakushima.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Welcome banners at Miyanoura Port's cruise ship dock, Yakushima.Jan 10, 2023
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Miyanoura Port's cruise ship dock.Jan 10, 2023
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Welcome sign at Miyanoura Port's cruise ship dock.Jan 10, 2023
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Miyanoura Port has nice mountain views when it's not foggy/rainy.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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About 70% of Yakushima is made of granite. The island has many mountains higher than 1,000 meters. It's Japan's wettest spot where it rains the most.Jan 10, 2023
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Miyanoura Port has nice mountain views when it's not foggy/rainy.Jan 10, 2023
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Cruise ship dock at Miyanoura Port, Yakushima, Kagoshima, Japan.Jan 10, 2023
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Yakushima's Miyanoura Port has nice mountain views when it's not foggy/rainy.Jan 10, 2023
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The dock connects to the main road, so tour buses can come right up to the cruise ship.Jan 10, 2023
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Miyanoura Port is Yakushima island's main port for ferries and cruise ships. This dock is where cruise ships usually dock.Jan 10, 2023
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Scenic coast back to Miyanoura Port, Yakushima.Jan 10, 2023
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Scenic coast back to Miyanoura Port. Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Passing by Yakushima Airport.Jan 10, 2023
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Gift shop on Yakushima.Jan 10, 2023
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Gift shop.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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About the Momi fir tree stump.Jan 10, 2023
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Driving back to town. Lots of ferns on the cliffs.Jan 10, 2023
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Kigensugi cedar tree.Jan 10, 2023
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Momi fir tree stump also nearby. It was cut down. 455 years old.Jan 10, 2023
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Kigensugi cedar tree also has a short walking path going around the tree, so you can also see the back of the tree (more impressive).Jan 10, 2023
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Back of Kigensugi cedar tree.Jan 10, 2023
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About the Kigensugi cedar tree. Wow, many other plant species also grow on this tree (epiphytes). They include Japanese cypress, Japanese mugwort, Yakushima rhododendron, and Japanese rhododendron.Jan 10, 2023
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Kigensugi's height is 19.5 meters (64 ft) with a girth of 8.1 meters (26.5 ft). Elevation is 1,230 meters (4,035 ft). Hard to believe we were looking at something that has lived all these centuries.Jan 10, 2023
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Kigensugi as it looks from the road. "Kigen" refers to the beginning of recorded history which in Japan is the year 660 when the first emperor came to being. The tree seems to be older though, at age 3,000 years.Jan 10, 2023
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Kigensugi is an ancient Yakusugi cedar tree you can conveniently see from the road. Local buses go to Kigensugi. If you visit Yakusugi Land, Kigensugi is a short drive away.Jan 10, 2023
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Phone booth inside a hollow Yakusugi tree trunk.Jan 10, 2023
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The gift shop has this phone booth inside a hollow Yakusugi tree trunk.Jan 10, 2023
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Souvenirs made of Yakusugi cedar.Jan 10, 2023
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At Yakusugi Land's starting (and ending) point is this gift shop named Shinsen (森泉).Jan 10, 2023
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Seiryo-bashi suspension bridge. After this bridge, it's a short walk back to the parking lot, bus stop, or starting point. 清涼橋Jan 10, 2023
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Seiryo-bashi suspension bridge. 清涼橋Jan 10, 2023
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Ultra-fine grain of Yakusugi cedar.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Yakusugi cedar tree on Yakushima island, Kagoshima.Jan 10, 2023
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Kuguri Cedar or Cedar Underpass. くぐり杉Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Yakusugi cedar tree stump.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Such a picturesque forest trail. Highly recommended. Best to hike the longer trail (50 min.) though. The 30-min. trail is too short.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Twin cedars or Futago-sugi and also regeneration on tree stump. 双子杉Jan 10, 2023
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Regenerating on a tree stump. Other plants or trees grow on old trees, like epiphytes. Jan 10, 2023
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So many things grow on these trees.Jan 10, 2023
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Everything is so artistic. Nature is the greatest artist of all.Jan 10, 2023
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Detour path on the right to see the 1000-year cedar. Didn't have time to see it.Jan 10, 2023
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Domaiboku is a tree already harvested or felled by a typhoon. The tree's high resin content prevents the wood from rotting. Discarded scrap tree parts have been recovered to make souvenirs. 土埋木Jan 10, 2023
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How sacred Yakusugi cedars started to be harvested from the 17th century. (English version) They can be centuries old or even a few thousand years old.Jan 10, 2023
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How sacred Yakusugi cedars started to be harvested from the 17th century. Much of the wood was used for roof shingles on mainland Japan. Luxury homes might still have Yakusugi as interior ceiling panels to show off the fine wood grain.Jan 10, 2023
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Kind of sad to see so many great Yakusugi cedar trees which were cut down. But at least they still survive in some form or hosting other trees and plants.Jan 10, 2023
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Yakusugi Land tourist hike to see old cedar trees (and stumps) on Yakushima island, Kagoshima.Jan 10, 2023
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Rinsen-bashi Bridge goes over a small stream.林泉橋Jan 10, 2023
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Rinsen-bashi Bridge 林泉橋Jan 10, 2023
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Easy tourist hike.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Kuguri-tsuga or "Conifer Underpass." They have names for all these different trees in unusual shapes or growths.くぐり栂Japanese pamphlet (pdf) and map of the trail here: https://y-rekumori.com/pdf/yakusugi_land_pamphlet.pdfJan 10, 2023
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Yakusugi Land is a lush, thick, mountain forest area featuring ancient Yakusugi cedars (Cryptomeria japonica) native to Yakushima and the island's major attraction. You can see a variety of Yakusugi cedars by walking on a forest trail of varying lengThe forest trail starts and ends at the same place, but there are several trail options. The shortest trail route is 0.8 km long (yellow line on this map named Fureai-no-Michi, numbered from 1 to 6), taking about 30 min. This is the trail we went on. Even this short trail for tourists was very impressive. Another easy tourist trail is 1.2 km taking 50 min. (red line).
The longer trails going for 2.0 km, 3.0 km, and 4.4 km (green line) involve mountain climbing taking about 80 min., 150 min., and 3.5 hours respectively. These longer trails require proper climbing equipment and physical endurance.Jan 10, 2023
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Entrance to Yakushima most famous cedar tree named "Jomonsugi" (縄文杉) said to be a few thousand years old. However, it's a serious hike to see it.Jan 10, 2023
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Road construction work, hopefully they are widening the road.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Nice mountain views on Yakushima.Jan 10, 2023
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Pretty hairy drive going up the mountain.Jan 10, 2023
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Mountain road got very narrow. This bridge was narrow too.Jan 10, 2023
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Jan 10, 2023
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Wild monkeys on the mountain road in Yakushima. Waiting to get food tossed by tourists. (None from us.)Jan 10, 2023
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Yakusugi cedar trees can only grow in cold climates. Therefore on Yakushima, they grow at high altitudes.Jan 10, 2023
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Nice mountain views on Yakushima.Jan 10, 2023
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Some wild monkeys on the mountain road.Jan 10, 2023
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Yakusugi Land is in the mountains, so our bus drove up the mountain road.Jan 10, 2023
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Lots of greenery along the way up the mountains.Jan 10, 2023
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Rare to see these Yakushima mountains. They are usually shrouded by clouds or fog. Rains a lot on Yakushima.Jan 10, 2023
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I thought Yakushima was going to be mostly wilderness and sparsely populated like Iriomote in Okinawa. So it was surprising to see the island so well populated.Jan 10, 2023
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Main road on Yakushima as we go to Yakusugi Land by tour bus.Jan 10, 2023
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Yakushima is a round island noted for Yakushima National Park and World Heritage Site. When describing a location, they use clock face numbers. Miyanoura Port is at one o'clock.Jan 10, 2023
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