Yakushima: 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 new 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!

In North America, Europe and Australia buy it now at lulu.com.

In Japan buy it now at amazon.jp.

Elsewhere in the world order it at any major book store.

If you want to ask a question about Yakushima or make a comment please use the comment section at the bottom of each page.

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.