Arakawa Trail Access Road Rules 2015
Here are the road regulations the access road to the Arakawa trail which are now a permanent fixture in the annual hiking calendar. Arakawa tozan bus
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Yakushima jetfoil hits a whale!
A few years ago a Toppy jetfoil hit either a whale or a submarine (it was never confirmed which one) and now last week it happened again but this time a whale. Here’s the story from The Japan Times: Crippled ship may have hit whale Five people were injured Sunday
Read moreNew flights from Fukuoka
The recent JAL expansion program means that they are going to fly to and from Yakushima directly from Fukuoka starting summer 2011. So Yakushima will soon be directly accessible from Kagoshima, Osaka and now Fukuoka. Return to home
Read moreTemporary Road Closure to Yakusugiland, Arakawa & Yodogawa Trails
The road to Yakusugiland (which is also the road to the Arakawa and Yodogawa trailheads) is closed at its Anbo end between 8 pm and 4 am until 5th March 2010. This is to make necessary repairs to the road. If you’re planning to head up the mountain between these
Read moreNew direct flights: Yakushima to Osaka
YAKUSHIMA – OSAKA Transport to Yakushima was until very recently exclusively through the city of Kagoshima but Yakushima has begun a daily direct flight to Itami, Osaka. A 74 seater DH8-Q400 will take passengers between Itami, Osaka and Yakushima on the following daily schedule: Yakushima 11.20 – Osaka 12.45 Osaka
Read moreShiratani Unsuikyo Road closure
The road up to Shiratani has been worked on for the past few years almost constantly. It has always been dangerous with tight bends and narrow lanes but the widening work has improved it a lot. The live camera in Miyanoura faces the mountain road – Look at the mountain
Read moreBus Timetable Changes
NEW! For 2012 changes see the 2012 bus timetable page NEW! There are two bus companies on Yakushima: ‘Yakushima Kotsu‘ and ‘Matsubanda‘. Matsubanda has just revised its timetable in March 2009 and changed some of the bus times as detailed in my book. *Please note the following important changes to
Read moreArakawa Trail Entrance Shuttle bus
The Arakawa Trail Entrance Shuttle bus. The stretch of road between Arakawa junction and the Arakawa Trail Entrance is closed to traffic and walkers between May 2th and 5th for 4 days and July 7th and Sept 22nd for 67 days. The only way you can get to the Trail
Read moreMoving around Yakushima 2016
Rental Car Most tourists choose to rent a car for convenience and there are many car rental outlets on the island – mostly near the airport and ports. I have been around many of the local rental companies in Yakushima and the few that seemed foreigner friendly were Suzuki Rentals
Read moreTransport to and from Yakushima 2016
BY AIR 1. VIA KAGOSHIMA JAL operates a JAC propellor plane 5 times a day from Kagoshima airport and the flight takes around 35 mins to cover 102 miles. The route south flies over Sakurajima volcano and offers wonderful views. One way: 13,900 yenReturn: 26,500 yen Current schedule up to
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