Yakushima part 2

It’s been a tough couple of days so now is definitely a good time to reflect on fun times past. So without further ado let me tell you of my yomp around some of the most ancient forests in Japan in Yakushima to see some really huge trees.

The second day started pretty early, pretty much rising a little after sunset, though we’d been asleep so early the night before it really wasn’t too much of a chore to get up. Also, being at the whims of the wonderfully infrequent buses we weren’t left with much choice.

Our first stop was Shiratani Unsuikyo (白谷雲水峡)　a ravine nestled in the northern mountains of Yakushima. Alongside housing some of the more famous yakusugi (ancient Japanese cedars) it is also well known as the inspiration for the breathtaking backdrops in the studio Gibli film princess mononoke.

The trip from our accommodation took roughly an hour, it would have been a good time to catch some sleep had I not been so excited. Instead I was content to wonder at the windy roads as we ascended to around 700 meters and the start of the hiking trail.

The weather was fantastic and the trails were easy to follow being marked with little pink ribbons all the way. I was a little disheartened by the sheer number of people at first, not exactly the total escape from reality, but as we moved away from the easier paths our encounters, and brief 今日は‘s became less frequent.

There are plenty of different paths to choose from but of course me being me I thought that the 5 hour one would be the best. As well as being a great walk there were also many amazing sights. The Yakusugi’s are really incredible things. It seems they will grow almost any which way, many having sprouted from the husks of their fallen comrades. The intricate twists and turns mapping the ancient journeys of roots and shoots striving for sun and water left me in awe.

The older tree’s are of course impressive, they’re huge and to my knowledge there is nothing quite like them in the UK, but some of the felled trunks are no less beautiful. It is a shame that these ancient giants were felled to make roof tiles for sure but I can’t help but thank those ancient loggers for the sights they have left behind. Also as a complete nature boy I could have spent hour ogling the myriad species growing off those great trunks.

Anyway I could go on about the tree’s all day but I won’t. I’ll just run down some highlights instead.

□  Bumping into a gaggle of Osakan girls chirping “kawaiiii” to discover them huddled around a bunch of leaves that had little smiley faces in them like kodama.

□  Struggling up the steep path to Taikoiwa rock to be rewarded with sweeping views of the island.

□  Coming to a patch of the trail with no one else close by and feeling a million miles away from anywhere.

□  Finishing the hike just in time to avoid the rain.

We were all done and dusted by about 3pm and so took a little detour into Miyanoura, what passes as the capital of Yakushima. I call it that but it’s still no bigger than a village. We wandered about in the rain for a while looking for somewhere to grab some scran but most places were unfortunately shut.

Thankfully we came across a ramen shop and to our luck it was amazing. They served a special kind of “黒めん“ or black noodles. Why where they black? I still don’t know but they were really tasty along with the nice hunk of black pork, just the thing after a long days hiking. The broth was also incredible, and for me is the sign of a good ramen place. I think the owner was a former sports star or something judging by the reaction of a couple of Japanese guys next to us. I couldn’t say for sure though as I didn’t catch most of the conversation.

Well fed we returned to Onoaida and the rains were still pounding through the night and looked set to dash our plans to see Jomon sugi (Yakushima’s oldest tree aged somewhere between 3000 and 7000 years). This thing is hard to get to, the hike totals about 10 hours, meaning a start of around 4am. My friend didn’t look so thrilled on the prospect but said they would sleep on it and with that we went out like a pair of candles in a hurricane.

Ja neeeee