Adventurous travel in Japan can take on many different meanings. In fact, just visiting a country so different to Australia is an adventure in itself, as is choosing food from a menu without English translations, and navigating ancient temples. Even getting hot coffee from a vending machine is an adventure.
While most first-time visitors to Japan stick to the ‘golden triangle’ of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto – an itinerary I completed with my family earlier this year – we’d like to offer an alternative destination for your second visit to Japan: the southern island of Kyushu and its smaller neighbour, Yakushima. Here you’ll find the same bustling cities, historical architecture and delicious food as in the golden triangle, but you’ll also find national parks, wild forests and more outdoor adventures than you can shake a stick at. And that’s the kind of trip that really gets us excited.
Kagoshima
Just a short two-hour flight from Tokyo is the city of Kagoshima, on Kyushu. On our flight we’re lucky enough to have clear skies and a magical view of famous Mt Fuji. Like its counterparts in the golden triangle, Kagoshima has a healthy blend of old and new, with huge torii gates next to high-rise buildings. However, it also features a massive active volcano in the middle of its harbour. We spend our first evening sampling a variety of local dishes, including Kurobuta black pork in a hot broth (shabu shabu), a variety of sashimi (including chicken and fish), and unagi (grilled eel).
After our adventurous dinner, we return to the Shiroyama Hotel, where we have incredible views across the city and the bay towards Sakurajima volcano – which just happens to be experiencing a minor eruption, puffing a thick cloud of ash and smoke into the skies. We’d only arrived in Japan that morning, but already this trip is delivering high levels of adventure and excitement.
As interesting as Kagoshima is, however, I’m looking forward to getting out of the city and on to our next destination: Yakushima Island.
Yakushima Island
Leaving the sheltered waters of Kagoshima Bay, the ocean turns the adventure levels up a notch by delivering rolling swells for much of the two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride south to Yakushima Island. Our first sight of Yakushima reminds me of Jurassic Park, and it’s easy to see why it’s known as the ‘Alps on the Ocean’. Huge, forested mountains rise above the deep blues of the rough sea before disappearing into dark rain clouds. The only thing missing is the roar of prehistoric creatures.
Our ferry pulls in at Miyanoura Port and we disembark into humid conditions. One of Yakushima’s most fascinating features is that it has incredible diversity of climate and plant life within such a small space. While it may be subtropical at sea level, the mountains can become subarctic. It’s this great diversity that helped see Yakushima become recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It’s a short taxi to the Hotel Yakushima, Ocean and Forest, where we drop our bags and get changed, ready for our first outdoor adventure. The island recently experienced a severe typhoon, and there is still evidence of the damage and destruction wrought by this extreme weather as the hotel’s main door is yet to be repaired. We’ll see more evidence of the hurricane in the coming days as we experience more of the island. The hotel is perched on a small rise just above the shoreline, and the rocky coastline dominates the view from most windows.
Anbo River kayak
Yakushima Island is roughly 130km around its perimeter and, with its circular shape, locals often refer to the island as a clock face. If our hotel is at one o’clock, then we’re heading to three o’clock to meet our kayaking guide for a paddle up the Anbo River. Driving to Anbo Port, where we’ll begin our kayak tour, there’s more evidence of the typhoon’s destruction, with damaged buildings and fallen trees along the coastline.
Our kayaking guide, Mish, sets us up with our kayaks, paddles and safety gear before explaining our route up the Anbo River. Paddling inland from the port, we navigate our kayaks along the still waters, heading towards a natural gully formed by the steep, forested hillsides. Our inland view is dominated by the mountainous central area of the island. The highest point on Yakushima is Mt Miyanoura, standing 1936m. There are many other peaks above 1000m dotted across the island.
As we move further along the river, the channel narrows, the current becomes stronger, and the Jurassic Park comparisons return as we observe a variety of camellias, oaks and sea figs. We soon pass under the brilliant red Matsumine Bridge and approach a set of rapids. Unfortunately, these rough waters are a further result of the typhoon’s lingering presence, and higher waters than usual mean our journey upriver is cut short. Turning around, Mish leads us to a small sandbank where we enjoy morning tea, a swim and some (unsuccessful) fishing.
That evening, our adventurous eating continues at the hotel as we try a Japanese kaiseki dinner. It’s a multi-course set menu with a range of local seafood, vegetables and styles. The sashimi is fresh and delicious, as is the black pork cartilage cooked in a hot pot over a flame on the table.
Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine hike
Our second day on Yakushima Island begins with clear, humid conditions. However, as our van shuttles us above 600m and into the inner forests we enter a deep cloud, which we won’t be rid of until descending back down the mountain later that day.
As we wind our way up the mountain, we spot a group of Yakushima macaques in the shrub off the roadside. Smaller than their mainland counterparts, these macaques have thick fur to cope with the wetter and more varied conditions on Yakushima. After snapping a few photos (and wishing I’d brought a longer lens), we continue to the trailhead. There are several trail options to choose from at the Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine, and while we had been discussing which trail to choose on the way up, the choice is taken out of our hands somewhat as a few trails are closed due to damage from the typhoon.
Despite being in a cloud, conditions remain humid as we enter the forest. We begin climbing the trail past several waterfalls and over rocks, admiring the thick green moss that’s so important for sustaining plant life on the hillside. This area is particularly famous for yakusugi, or Japanese cedar – ancient cedar trees that grow above an altitude of 500m. Younger cedar trees are called kosugi, but you’d be forgiven for struggling to tell the difference between one enormous cedar tree and another – particularly when ‘young’ refers to trees less than 1000 years old!
As we continue along the trail, we’re detoured on to one of the original hiking trails in the ravine – again due to typhoon damage – and this takes us along a more challenging trail up the hillside. Mish, our kayaking guide from yesterday, leads the way as we climb 400 vertical metres from the trailhead towards the summit of Taikoiwa (Drum Rock) at 1050m. Along the way, we rock hop across gushing streams, passing through the thick mossy forest that’s said to have inspired the Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke.
The thick green forest is overwhelming and the foggy cloud we’re hiking through adds to the supernatural feel of the environment. Our hiking trail was built 400 years ago, during the Edo period, for the purpose of harvesting cedar trees. It’s interesting that even then the people of Japan were conscious not to overharvest the timber, leaving many large, ancient trees behind. Many of the tree stumps left from this period are still standing, a testament to the solidity of the timber and reflecting the slow growth of these mighty cedars.
Just before reaching our summit, Mish pulls out a fresh and traditional lunch, and we shelter among the trees to enjoy hot tea and a rest. The final climb is the steepest of the day as we navigate a narrow-stepped section through the forest and up on to Taikoiwa. From here, you’re usually rewarded with views to the coastline and the Anbo River. However, the thick cloud that has made our hike so beautifully moody hasn’t departed, so we can barely see over the edge of the rock, let alone to the edge of the island. If anything, the cloud has thickened. Our group members all don rain jackets for the descent.
Alongside this beautiful hiking trail, today has demonstrated the two climates of Yakushima Island, and we’ve still only climbed half the height of the tallest mountain on the island. It’s wild to think that this tiny island has a peak that’s only a couple of hundred metres less than our own Mt Kosciuszko.
Kumamoto cycle tour
As we leave Yakushima Island by ferry the next morning, I reflect on all that we hadn’t seen during our visit and mentally start planning a return trip to Japan. Alongside plenty more hiking trails across the interior of the island, there’s also the potential for a cycle tour around the perimeter, along with plenty of swimming and snorkelling on the many beaches Yakushima has to offer.
Returning to Kagoshima, we have just enough time to grab an egg sandwich from a 7-Eleven before catching a bullet train for about an hour north to the city of Kumamoto. I’m glad we’ve managed to fit a ride aboard a Shinkansen (bullet train) into our trip, as it’s such an iconic feature of this country. All too soon we arrive at the station, detouring past Kumamoto Castle on our way to our accommodation, an inner-city hotel called OMO5. It’s strange being back in the bustling city after waking up on the peaceful island, but that rather sums up the experience of visiting Japan.
After a bit of shopping and a final Japanese dining experience, we turn in for our last night, ready to head out the next day into Aso-Kuju National Park, a few hours’ drive east from the city, and one of the most spectacular national parks of Japan. The Aso crater is 25km wide and is the second largest crater in Japan. When the volcano erupted 90,000 years ago, ash from the volcano was found as far north as Hokkaido at the opposite end of the country. In fact, the Aso crater is so large and so old that there’s a smaller, younger volcano in the middle of it. This national park is a popular destination for hiking and cycling; we’ll be doing the latter, taking a short cycle tour atop a section of the old crater rim.
We meet our guide, Joe, in a quiet dirt car park, where he gets our small group familiar with the electric mountain bikes we’ll be riding. Looking at the surrounding terrain, I’m feeling pretty good about getting some gentle assistance on the ride. As a keen cyclist, it’s great to head out onto the dirt roads for a short ride to finish off our trip to Japan.
Soon we turn onto some grassy trails to get closer to the edge of the rim and enjoy views across the crater to the mountains of its interior. As we pedal, Joe talks about the history of the area and the 1000-year-old tradition of grass burning. He explains that the five central peaks of the crater are said to resemble a sleeping Buddha. The cycle tour is a great way to experience part of this national park, and much like our time on Yakushima, I’m left pondering and planning for a return trip.
A taste of adventure
Whether you’re visiting Japan for the first (or the 15th) time, I reckon you’ll always be left planning a return. There’s so much to see and do in each region, prefecture, national park and city that it’s hard to get more than a small taste of what’s on offer. First-time travellers often worry about finding it hard to navigate and travel beyond the golden triangle, but with links by air and rail, the cities, forests and national parks of Kyushu are well worth adding to your bucket list for consideration. I’ve spent just one week here, but I fully intend to spend a few more.