That was not all, there were still some other wonderful aspects of this island.
Nature that inspires imagination
It is said that Miazaki was inspired by the sugi forest of Yakushima when he made “Princess Monoke”We also had our little show…
There is even a tree in one of the trails that symbolises this movie… (as I haven’t seen the movie yet, I wasn’t sure what to aim for) Is tree hugging a medicine, or a sport?
Food
Did we not mention food yet!?!!
Best sashimi we had at a little restaurant in MiyanouraAlso a speciality of this island, a flying fish (Tobiuo)(*). No joke a record was 400m!Get a closer look!Those we had in our miso soup, they are called turtle fins (kamenote).Cookies filled with sweet red beans puréeEel, one of our favourite dishes…
There was more to start with….We already mentioned this, but here we present to you the Tankan , kind of orange.Wasn’t that just breakfast??Like in a movie….But we could also taste it all !
(*) in 1783 they encouraged fishing the Tobiuo as a substitute to logging, which does not mean it was yet to be the end of giant sugi killing!
Onsen – hot water springs
Of course most often you cannot take pictures in those public baths, only from the outside – this one was pretty good by the way!
But there are also some outdoor onsenWhat is special with this one, is that it is on the edge of the ocean, so only accessible as onsen during low tides!
This particular one was by far our favourite, maybe the best of the trip ( so far)
Trekking in Yakushima
A part from our visit of Shiratani Unsuikyo ravine with Steve, we did another hike – just the 3 of us. That was our second day on island, starting form Anbo, up to Yakusugi Land by rented car.
We went up to Tachudake peak , so Patrick decided to re-baptise this Mont Tacul (as in Mont Blanc du Tacul).
Driving up to Yakusugi Land was our first encounter with the local macaques. Gives a more historical caché
Remind a bit of les tours St-Jacques, near Gruffy
Told you it was Mt. Tacul
1497mOnigiri (picnic) at the summit
For once we can be above the trees!
Before paths were for tourists, before they were for forestry… they were made by locals for annual pilgrimages to worship mountain divinity and pray for good crops
Sign posts
City area map, lots of little shops / workshops Toilets in middle of forestYou’d better not be in a hurry! 😉Maybe they should be informed of the dry toilets method!
It was also not clear at all where we should have taken the disposal bag from, there were none at the toilets. Maybe you had to ask at entrance, but you then need to be aware of this type of facilities.On the trails there were usually very good informative sign posts, must not be easy to keep them moss free…
No Comments
This section is a melting pot of other scenes, experiments we had during our 5 days in Yakushima.
Tree branches don’t just rub against each other, they can even be absorbed by one of the trees here!From cities on the coast to mountains covered with forests
Trees that don’t give up easily…Umbrella dayTidal pools
You really cannot miss them!Boulders on the sea front (under the lighthouse, where we met the fishermen)Another umbrella day…
Laundry day.You get good grip on granite
Sadly this brings us to the end of Yann’s holidays with us in Japan, we will be missing the carrot pictures…
