Yakushima (屋久島) is an island off the south east coast of Kyushu next to Tanegashima and north of Okinawa in Japan. Officially a part of Kagoshima Prefecture, it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Though not too well known outside Japan, Yakushima is a popular destination for Japanese tourists, hence the infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, transportation) is good. Administratively, Yakushima Town (屋久島町) also contains another island, Kuchinoerabu (口永良部島).
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Yakushima (circumference 135 km) is a small, nearly round granite island that has an area of ~505 km2 and is mountainous with a number of mountains rising over 1,800 m, including Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 m and Nagata-dake at 1,886 m. (JNTO, 2007) These mountains catch a great deal of precipitation, earning Yakushima a reputation of being one of the most rain-soaked places in Japan, with measurable precipitation half of the days of the year. Due to its isolation, steep terrain and exceptional climate Yakushima is one of Japan's natural wonders. The rocky coastline and the verdant mountains rising sharply in the center of the island are often spectacular.
Keep in mind this is a small island with few people. Relying on buses alone to get around can limit your ability to get places quickly. Private rentals are the way to go — rent a scooter if luggage allows as the one road around the entire island takes 3 hours to circumnavigate. English is spoken less here than the cities, so bring a dictionary! Do yourself a favour and cash up before coming in if possible. There's an ATM at the post office, which, like all other Japanese Post Office ATMs, accepts foreign cards.
Most visitors come to experience the ancient cedar trees and forests. This requires some — or a lot of — hiking (see Do below). If you leave the towns, villages and main highway, you are almost guaranteed close encounters with the resident deer (shika) and monkeys (saru). Both varieties are small. If you have a car, the most accessible place to see them is the short section of coastal road in the west (south of Nagata) that has not been widened into a highway and where buses do not run.
You came to see the yakusugi cedar forests. There are three general areas to do this: the trail to and from where the Jomon Sugi was, the Shiratani Unsuikyo (白谷雲水峡) forest, and the trails of Yakusugiland. Because of the (dubious) reputation of the oldest but deceased tree on the island, the Jomon Sugi is the premier destination for most visitors. It can only be reached on foot, and to get there, hikers must be reasonably fit and start before dawn in order to complete the arduous 10- or 12-hour round trip. It is a beautiful and interesting enough hike, but the steep trail to and from Jomon Sugi does not go through the most impressive forest on the island.
Local specialties include flying fish and two varieties of orange: tankan and ponkan. On the coast road south of Anbo, by the parking lot for Toroki Falls, a produce center sells fruit in season and other local goods and produce including tankan juice, ice cream and sherbet. (The Toroki Falls are a 5-minute hike away. They fall directly into the sea, but are underwhelming.) 1 Hiyoriya (ひよりや), 1436-35 Koseda, Yakushima, ☏ +81-997435400. 12:00 - 14:30. Plant-based joint in Yakushima, serving Japanese-style dishes. Open on evenings exclusively on a reservation basis.
The local shochu is worth sampling. The most famous is called Mitake, and comes in a 25 percent and 32 percent variety.
There are some snakes. Common guidance is not to provoke or approach them. Back away slowly. When hiking, a proper equipment is required (hiking shoes, water and food, warm and rain clothes, whistle). The coastline is beautiful, but rough; bathing in the wrong place might be dangerous. There is little to no cellular service along the Western Forest Road or Route 592 (the road to YakusugiLand and Kigensugi). Prepare accordingly.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Aug, Yakushima typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 21 rainy days.
Flight prices are real fares travellers found in the last 48 hours, refreshed daily — the booking site confirms the final price. Train, bus and ferry fares are shown on the operators' booking sites. Weather data by Open-Meteo; exchange rates: ECB reference. Data updated 2026-08-07. Some links earn Stayonomy a commission at no cost to you.
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