yakushima

[keithinoz]

Is the best time to visit Yakushima in spring to see cherry blossom or autumn (fall)? Roughly what are the best dates to visit

[the_pink_tako_yaki]

Cherry Blossoms surely hit Yakushima quite early, right?

[quato]

I heard it's really shi44y when i rains, so make sure you don't go during the rainy season.

[arashigoaka]

There are no proper cherry blossoms on Yakushima, but spring is a good time. Autumn is also good but the changes to autumn leaf colour don't happen until December. Any time is good for Yakushima - it's a bit of a myth about the rainfall - however - avoid May/June rainy season and avoid the September typhoons.

[ВасИ]

Yakushima island, home to the Jomon Sugi (Jomon Cedar) and 46 mountains more than 1,000 meters high, lies 60 kilometers south of Satamisaki cape, Kagoshima Prefecture, the southernmost tip of Kyushu.

Because of its large number of peaks, the island is known as the Alps of the Sea. Among these mountains is Miyanouradake, which at 1,935 meters is the highest peak in the Kyushu region.

The Black Current flows to the southeast of the island, sending warm humid air wafting up into the mountains, resulting in a rainfall that keeps it lush with vegetation.

While the 130-kilometer coastline and other low-lying areas receive an annual average rainfall of 4,000 millimeters, mountainous areas receive 8,000-10,000 millimeters--three times the amount that falls on Tokyo in an average year. In fact, the rainfall on Yakushima is the highest among monitoring points operated by the Meteorological Agency.

Yakushima, which has an area of 500 square kilometers, is justly famous for its cedars. Trees 1,000 years old or more are called Yakusugi cedars by the islanders, while younger trees are referred to as kosugi. Besides the Jomon Cedar, about 40 other Yakusugi trees have been given names.

The longevity of the cedars on Yakushima is far in excess of the normal life span of a cedar, which is about 500 years. So why are so many cedars on Yakushima more than 1,000 years old?

Hiroshi Hata, a local guide, has the following theory: "Yakushima is a mass of granite covered with a thin layer of soil. As the soil is sparse, the cedars do not receive enough nutrients. Therefore, their growth is extremely slow, resulting in dense growth rings. This means they contain a great deal of resin, and as a result they resist decay better and live longer. In short, a sparse diet is the key for a long life."

The Jomon Cedar is at an elevation of 1,300 meters. To reach it, visitors have to trek through the mountains for five or six hours. This means that those who want to gaze at the tree should plan on a day trip starting early in the morning.

But the journey is well worth it. The Jomon Cedar is 30 meters tall and the circumference around its bole is 43 meters.

The heartwood of the tree, the oldest part of the tree at the core of the trunk, is rotten and hollow, so it is impossible to accurately determine the age of the tree. Estimates vary from 2,170 to 7,200 years.

Those who have made the journey usually stand transfixed before the tree, trying to imagine the immense length of time it has existed.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/0005/lens190.htm

[ВасИ]

BakV/ DO you know the link to the story and questions about why japanese take there shoes off before they commit suicide. I think it it was in the same thread about that woman who jumped in front of a bullet train. I was intersted in one of the links from a poster that had all kinds of good information and facts about Japan. It was in the form of questions and answers myth vs fact and usaully answerd by a prof.

How is this information related to Yakushima?

[ВасИ]

I think I was asking you because yuo originally posted the question. Can you guide me to the thread and or link?
Can anyone? Are you offended by my post BakV1? You sound irritated.

Lancelot

No, I am not irritated but I never asked a question like that so I did not understand your post, especially in the Yakushima thread. Furthermore it seems you know where the link is, it is in the place you pointed at, but here it is...
http://www.quirkyjapan.or.tv/saq.html

[arashigoaka]

For anyone interested in visiting Yakushima - There's a new guide to Yakushima at http://yakumonkey.blogspot.com/