Yakushima is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage island in southern Japan where trees have been alive for thousands of years, forests inspired Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke, and loggerhead turtles nest on moonlit beaches. This first-person guide covers the Jōmon Sugi hike, the overnight Mt. Miyanoura climb, Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine, sea turtle snorkeling, and everything you need to plan your visit — including updated prices, ferry and flight options, and what to pack for the wettest island in Japan.
Hiking in Japan
The 8 Best Hiking Trails in Japan That You Will Never Forget
Why Hiking in Japan Should Be on Every Adventurer's Bucket List Most tourists only think of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, or Mt. Fuji when they think of Japan, but did you also know that it is a hiker's paradise? Japan has more than one hundred mountains, islands covered in...
The Nakasendo Trail: Hiking through Japan’s Traditional Postal Towns
Konnichiwa, Japan fans, and a very happy June to you! This month, I would like to give you all the details of my trip that I took earlier this month to the Nakasendo, an ancient route running through the Kiso Valley that connected Kyoto and Tokyo. Affiliate links are...
Momoiwaso, Rebun Island, Japan: A Guide to the Only Hostel in the World with Its Own Time Zone
There is a place in Japan that you’ve probably never heard of—in fact, most Japanese people have never even heard of it, except for those already living in the area. I first heard about this place in 2005 from an Australian colleague at my English teaching school in...
Hiking the Kumano Kodo, One of Japan’s Most Incredible Journeys
They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step but I would say that my journey of considerably less miles began with an Instagram photo that looked a little like this: It turns out that the location in this picture is on a sacred UNESCO world...
