Fragile Yakushima

In 1993, Yakushima was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first in Japan and rightfully so.

When you visit the island, the first thing you notice is gigantic, green-specked mountain peaks rising out from the clouds covering the island. Easily accessible from the mainland (and north of the Okinawan island chains), it is a favorite spot for hiking and outdoor sports. The entire island, circular in shape, is roughly 25k in diameter, but it includes the highest mountains in southern Japan. I know peaks at 2000m don't seem like much compared to the "Japanese Alps" (Nagano), but also remember that those mountains don't start at sea level.

I should also mention that Yakushima is a haven for onsen-lovers (just make sure you have a bike or a car to get to them) and boasts the world's largest-known cedar, said to be between 2,300 and 7,200 years old (the latter figure based on scientific methods, the former on "judging it by it's size").

So why visit the place (if it's not obvious enough)? I've personally been on a mission to make this trip south since I first heard about Mononoke Forest and was impressed in my follow-up research, but the several people I talked to about their reasons (for spending their Golden Week holidays on Yaku Island) said they had either been drawn to the island because of it's fame as a world-class diving/hiking location or that that they had also learned of it through the Ghible movie. I honestly didn't see many foreign tourists during my time, either, especially Americans or younger people, but I am sure many tourists also make the trip because of the island's status as a World Heritage Site (and what a place to explore, ne?).

Anyways, I learned during my time on the island that hundreds of years ago, the island locals used to consider the trees god-like figures. Then one entrepreneur realized that there was financial opportunity in the rich ecosystem and sold the idea of using the island's resources for the mainland's needs to the government. For the next few hundred years, the locals would be forced to cut down the forests, being Japan's main supplier of wood for shingles. The logging threat has been removed since the island has been under the protection of it's UNESCO and national status, but even the increasing volume of tourism (which I may be promoting here...hmm) can be a problem.

This article can give a better background and talks more about current threats and concerns, as well as efforts being made to further preserve the fragile ecosystem. It's interesting and well-written, so I hope you enjoy it too. This place is a treasure worth taking care of.