Yakushima Orientation

Welcome to yakumonkey.com - the guide to Yakushima island, Japan. You'll find in this site information on Yakushima much of which you won't find anywhere else in English.

This is because I've lived and breathed Yakushima as a crew member on a flying fish boat, as a Yakusugi craftsman, battered by typhoons, sucked by leeches, lounged with giant turtles and chased by monkeys. The good news is that the experience that I've gained from all of this I've put together in a comprehensive guide book on Yakushima so packed with information that any visitor would be at a distinct loss without it. It includes:

• All possible ways of getting to and getting around Yakushima with full details, up-to-date prices, timetables, website and contact details.
• A huge variety of accommodation with sections on the mountain huts, campsites, and all kinds of other accommodation with prices ranging from ¥1,700 to ¥18,000 a night.
• The select Food and drink section covers most of the restaurants on Yakushima and also includes bakeries and bars.
• Waterfalls, rivers, beaches, parks, hot springs, museums and just about any place you could want to visit on the island are detailed and explained.
• 15 hiking trails from gentle strolls to major expeditions, including the trail to Jomon Sugi and Miyanoura dake, have their own individual maps and full details of each route.

'Yakushima: A Yakumonkey Guide' is now available! 
 

Click the cover below to see a preview of the first 11 pages and the back cover.

• Where can I store my luggage?
• What time's the last bus?
• What's the weather like in May?
• Where can I stay for free?
• Where can I rent a tent?
• What are the local specialities?
• When can I see the turtles?
• Where can I go snorkelling?

All these and many more questions are answered inside!

Here's what people who have bought it have said about the book...

I'm just back from Yakushima, and thank you for your guide, which was really useful for the trip. Fantastic place too!
Alexandre Morin, France

I'm just back from a week in Yakushima and thanks to your book I had a great time! saw and ate a lot more than I would have without the guide.
Christian Rochford, France

I´ve got your book today and its really awesome.
Marcel Geese, Germany

Bought the book here in Tokyo thru Amazon.jp, it was delivered the next day and used it for our recent one week visit. my girlfriend kept saying she was going to get a Japanese guide on the island too but in the end, it's all we used and it worked like a charm...thks very much!
Yyonnx, Japan

Kudos to you, your passion really comes across in the book and it's helped fuel my excitement for visiting the island.
Patrick McMaster, Canada

It was thanks to your guide that we found great accommodation!
Troy Walter, Australia

Thanks for the hard work in putting the book together....it was really useful on our trip to Yakushima recently! I would have been lost without some of the tips and guidance sometimes...David Goodwin, Ireland

 Anyway, now back to the website and Yakushima island, let's start with the basics...

Yakushima is a Japanese forested island at the top of the Ryukyu chain of islands and famous for its ancient cedar forests, high mountains and its status as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

The island is stunningly green with 90% forest and has over 40 mountains. There are several settlements around the island, none much larger than a village and none in the west where the UNESCO area extends to the sea. There are 13,585 people (6,665 men and 6,920 women) living in these settlements, the largest of which is Miyanoura in the north followed by Anbo in the east. Both of which officially lie in Yaku town, although in reality there is no such place.

This is the bustling metropolis of Miyanoura:　(Click to see from a live 24 hour camera in Miyanoura)

And this is an equally happening Anbo: (Click to see from a live 24 hour camera in Anbo)

There are around 7000 wild deer and about the same number of wild monkeys and they roam freely around the island. I can't think of a single day I haven't seen either somewhere around. At night deer calls are a very common sound almost anywhere.

Here's a map of the protected areas of Yakushima. The darker blue colour on the map below shows the UNESCO area, the light blue shows areas of special forestry protection and the pink is the national park. The rest is forest right up to the coastline.


To get your bearings when you look at the rest of the information - I've included a (well used and crumpled!) map in English: (Click to enlarge)


So take a look around, enjoy the delights of Yakushima and let me know what you think or ask a question in the comments section below.


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