Yakushima Island, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, protects some of the world's last ancient yakusugi cedar forests, where trees exceeding 1,000 years of age earn the revered 'sugi' suffix. The most celebrated resident is Jōmon Sugi, with a girth of 16.4 metres and an age estimated between 2,170 and 7,200 years — it may be Japan's oldest living thing. The full Jōmon Sugi day trek covers about 22 km of wooden boardwalk, mossy boulders and abandoned forest railway through scenery said to have inspired Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke. Shorter circuits through Yakusugi Land suit visitors with less time, and the island's abundant rainfall keeps the forest luminously green year-round.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Nature
- Season
- Year-round
- Month
- March–November (best)
- Region
- Kyushu
- Prefecture
- Kagoshima
- City
- Yakushima
Highlights
- ◆Jōmon Sugi cedar — estimated 2,000–7,200 years old, girth of 16.4 m
- ◆UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site forest of extraordinary antiquity
- ◆22 km day-trek along historic forest railway and boardwalk trail
- ◆Moss-draped landscape said to have inspired Studio Ghibli's Mononoke
- ◆Shorter Yakusugi Land loop trail available for half-day visitors