Shiratani Unsuikyo Hike – Yakushima, Japan

[케이드]

This Shiratani Unsuikyo Guide Map provides some further detail regarding access and directions, and also provides a good map of the Shiratani Unsuikyo hiking trail itself.

The Hike

1. The starting point for this hike is quite obvious, only a short walk from the carpark with numerous signs and a manned hut at the entrance (donation entry if I recall correctly).

Shiratani Unsuikyo Carpark

2. Follow the sealed path along the right hand side of the river until you reach the turn off to the Yayoisugi Cedar (marked on the map in red as the Yayoi Hiking Trail).

If you don’t have time for the Yayoi hiking trail then you can skip this by continuing up the river for another 500m to the Satsuki-tsurihashi suspension bridge.

Turn off to the Yayoisugi Cedar loop walk (on the right)

3. The Yayoi hiking trail takes you on a 30 minute loop walk through the lush cedar forest, stopping by the massive Yayoi-sugi about half way in. If this was the only walk you did at Shiratani Unsuikyo you would leave a very happy person! But you have to trust me when I say that this is nothing compared to what was to come!

Kikon-sugi at Shiratani Unsuikyo

4. The Yayoi hiking trail loops back and rejoins the main trail just prior to the Satsuki-tsurihashi suspension bridge. At this point you can either take the Kusogawa trail over the bridge to the left and walk directly to the Shiratani Cabin, Tsujitoge Pass and Taiko-iwa Rock, or you can take the longer (and in my opinion far more rewarding!)  Genseirin trail to the right.

Satsuki-tsurihashi suspension bridge

5. What can I say about the Genseirin hiking trail that will do it justice? Words honestly aren’t enough to describe the feeling you get as you walk beneath the towering green cedars. Verdant moss draped over every surface, moisture dripping from branches, capricious swirling mists teasing you with glimpses of the dark forest depths. Occasional beams of sunlight, lancing through the canopy and illuminating the rich red trunks of the massive trees that surround you. The trickle of the numerous tiny streams carving their way down the mountainside, or the gush of a waterfall roaring between hard granite boulders. Simply stunning.

Waterfalls of Shiratani Unsuikyo

Gnarled and ancient

Resting

6. After about 2 hours we arrived at the Shiratani Cabin. While the toilets were welcome, the accompanying aromas certainly weren’t! I’m sure if you decided to camp the night here you would get used to it fairly quickly, but the conditions were pretty basic.

If you were strapped for time you could turn back at this point and make your way back to the car park, but we were keen to do the full walk up the valley to Taiko-iwa Rock.

There were heaps of these little guys along the numerous trails. Totally harmless yet quite bizarre!

7. The trail continues on up the valley for the next half an hour, passing through more of the incredible forests. These ones in particular are alleged to have been the inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Princess Mononoke‘ anime film.

Beams

8. We eventually arrived at the Tsujitoge Pass, at the saddle in the mountain range. A good place to catch your breath and have a bite to eat before tackling the final climb.

The path to Taiko-iwa Rock is a loop commencing from the right hand side of the sign in the photo below (near the pink flag). The path returns to the left hand side of the sign and it’s clear that they would prefer that people do the loop in an anti-clockwise direction. The terrain is such that it’s also physically easier to do it this way.

Tsujitoge Pass

8. The climb from Tsujitoge Pass is pretty steep! Using ropes, roots and a lot of scrambling, after about 15-20 minutes of hot and sweaty climbing you’ll reach Taiko-iwa Rock. Stunning views greet you to the north, looking across the valley on the other side of the range.

The view from Taiko-iwa Rock

The next valley over

Looking back the way we came

9. After a breath-taking rest at the top, we made our way back down to the pass, past the cabin, and alongside the river on the opposite side to that which we followed earlier in the day. The final reaches of the river were quite beautiful in their own right, with the lively stream dancing over the boulders and gushing down long narrow chutes carved into the rock over the ages.

The river

Conclusion

Again, words fail to describe the incredible experience that is Shiratani Unsuikyo. This place has changed me for the better, and it won’t ever be forgotten.

Regarding practicalities, the hike took us around 5 hours in total, obviously including many stops for photos! If you were fit and quick you could easily do it in 4 hours, but honestly, why would you?

The level of fitness required for this hike isn’t high. While the final climb up to Taiko-iwa Rock should only be attempted by those with a very good level of fitness, all the other sections of the hike could be completed quite easily by anyone with a low to moderate level of fitness, as the path generally follows the contours of the mountains, as opposed to climbing steeply.

To anyone considering a visit to Japan, put this at the top of your list!!

If you’re interested, there’s some more info on the hike in the travel blog that I wrote while staying in Japan.

Yakusugi Land Hike – Yakushima, Japan

This brochure provides some further detail regarding access and directions, and also provides a good map of the Yakusugiland hiking trail itself.

The Hike

1. The Yakusugi Land trail is the most popular one in Yakushima, resulting in some extensive facilities and car parking at the trail head. Toilets and a souvenir shop are available if needed. A Y300 donation is encouraged on entry.

There are numerous short and long walks available but as we had plenty of time, we chose to do the longest walk.

Entrance to the Yakusugi Land hiking trail

2. The hiking trail immediately descends into the depths of the gloomy rainforest. It was quite damp and misty while we were there, adding to the ghostly ambience of the ancient cedar forest. Made of timber and located above the forest floor, the trail is initially easy for walkers of any fitness level but does eventually become a well made dirt path.

3. 40 minutes of walking will bring you to the rest shelter located near the fallen Jamonsugi (fallen cedar). My Japanese translation skills are dodgy at best, but I believe that to be classed as a ‘Jamonsugi’, the tree must have been approximately 7,200 years old!! Yakusugi trees however are closer to (only) 3,000 years old.

Jamonsugi rest shelter

4. For the next hour the trail winds its way back through the forest and down to the Sawatsuhashi Bridge. In some sections the trail is built into the mountainside, with a very sharp drop down to the river below if you happen to stumble!

The view looking upstream from the Sawatsuhashi bridge

The view looking downstream from the Sawatsuhashi bridge

Another half an hour of walking will bring you back to the car park.

Conclusion

If I hadn’t experienced the jaw-dropping Shiratani Unsuikyo only two days earlier, this hike through Yakusugi Land would have received a few more superlatives!

It is an awesome place to experience and is thoroughly recommended, particularly if you are limited in the amount of time you have on the island, or if your mobility is restricted.

While the terrain was similar to that at Shiratani Unsuikyo, the forest differed subtly. It felt to me like Shiratani was the great-grandfather, with Yakusugi Land his younger son. Old in itself, but lacking the truly ancient atmosphere evoked at Shiratani.

The hike took us only two hours in total, including the one rest approximately half way in.

The level of fitness required for this hike is low. While there are quite a few steps and there were a few sections that were relatively steep, we were never really challenged at all.

If you’re interested, there’s some more info on the hike in the travel blog that I wrote while staying in Japan.

[자파리]

저 멋지고 깨끗한 하이킹 코스를 걸으면. 저절로 힐링이 될 것 같습니다.
멋진 사진과 정보 감사합니다.

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부럽! 부럽!~멋진길 ,재미나게 걷고 오세요♥

[사랑초]

300엔 기부로 누릴수있는 행복한 곳에 가보고싶네요.ㅋㅋ

[레드망고]

말로는 설명이 안되는곳~~직접 볼수있는 기회를 주셔서 감사 합니다*~~**