The unique millennia-old Yakusugi cedar trees can be seen in great numbers
Yakusugi Land is a nature park which spreads out over 270ha at an altitude ranging from 1,000m-1,300m. It’s 60 minutes’ drive from Port Miyanoura and 45 minutes by car from Yakushima Airport. You can easily appreciate the virgin woods of Yakushima which include cedar trees that are several thousand years old via the nature trails that go through them; there are 4 courses of 30 minutes (0.8km), 50 minutes (1.2km), 80 minutes (2.0km) and 150 minutes (3.0km) duration depending on your stamina. By the entrance, there is a shop and resting facility where you can purchase Yakisugi handicrafts, and from the 2nd-floor balcony, you can view the panorama of the lush woods. Along with the number of distinctive cedar trees with unique names that you can see such as the 1800-year-old Buddhasugi, the 2600-year-old Hahakosugi whose linked trees are 31.1 and 29.5 m in height, the 2500-year-old giant Odasugi, Futagosugi, Kugurisugi and Higechoro, you can also enjoy the streams flowing throughout the woods and the carpet of green moss as well as the plants seen throughout the seasons. There are also suspension bridges, benches and observation points along with other facilities so that you can enjoy a relaxing time in the forest.
Enjoyable courses matched to your level for everyone from kids to true mountain climbers
The shortest 30-minute course has plenty of highlights within the forest where the stumps of trees felled over 300 years ago can be seen everywhere so that the lushness of nature and the history of the forest can be understood while small children can walk safely there. The 80-min. and 150-min. courses have mountain trails which will require climbing equipment. The Tenchusugi trees which can be seen on the 150-min. course boast the tallest trees on Yakushima Island, and the mountain trail which heads north from the fallen Jamonsugi tree continues onto the 2.7km trail towards Mt. Tachuu (1497m) where the granite pillar of Tenchuuseki soars into the sky. You can also encounter some of the indigenous animals there such as monkeys and deer.