Japan June 2011 - Day 10 - Yakushima

Day three on Yakushima and we were lucky enough to be waking up in the gorgeous and luxurious surroundings of Sankara Resort. I have never had a big bathroom and having the choice of two showers and double basins was already a good start to the day for me :P Once we were ready we rang reception and they sent the buggies down to pick us up and take us to the main building for breakfast. Breakfast here is wonderful! We assumed it was buffet style and in a way it was - except more like a 'private on your table buffet'. They started off with drinks of your choice, I tried the local Tankan juice (like a citrus fruit) and it was so nice. We then were served a beautiful antipasto style platter with a number of cured meats, vegetables and pickles along with a super fresh salad. THEN the best part was the pastries, a basket of 10 or so assorted, baked that morning onsite pastries accompanied with a selection of jams and butter. There was a banana croissant style pastry that morning which was the yummiest pastry I have ever eaten - delicious! We were then given our choice of hot breakfast, I got scrambled eggs & bacon. And to top it all off there was a yummy little soup, fruit salad, cheesecake, tea & coffee. AMAZING. I can't believe I just wrote a full paragraph about my breakfast, but it really was in a league of its own.

After breakfast we decided to do the Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine walk. It was looking like another day of on and off rain so we found a nearby convenience store and bought entire plastic outfits. I felt bad buying these monstrosities, but should have been better organised and brought some waterproof pants with me - it gets SO wet. So we donned our plastic pants and raincoats and drove off up the mountain towards Shiratani. I had also brought along a small towel and plastic cover to fashion a flimsy hood for my camera and have something to dry everything with. Everything ended up soaked, but it helped a bit. After passing a few more deer and monkeys we arrived at the parking lot and it started to rain extremely hard. We ended up sitting in a hut at the entrance for a good 30 minutes waiting for the rain to die down before we started. People were finishing the trail and coming back and they were soaked to the bone, and some had backpacks/undergarments that they were wringing out.

Eventually the rain died down a little so we gritted our teeth and began our walk. Like Yakasugi the scenery was simply beautiful, the trails here are a little more on the 'hiking' side though, the Yakusugi trails are very easy, built up platform style - whereas the Shiratani walks involve dodging tree roots, rocks, rivers, stepping in puddles, mud, climbing up steep inclines etc so come prepared. A large portion of the trail follows an existing path built in the Edo period. It is certainly not a hard walk though.

The trail we did was over 3km long although there are many other longer or shorter options. It took us around four hours to do this return trip - of course it could be done faster taking into account my slow photo-taking walking speed but once again everywhere I looked was beyond amazing and photo-worthy. But once again it was raining hard so my photos don't do the place any justice! However, I will let them tell the story;

We made our way all the way to point 15 before heading back. In between point 13 & 14 of the track is the section of the forest that inspired the artists of the Hayao Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke. There are many parts of Yakushima that serve as reference points in the film and when you see them you can see exactly why they would inspire the artists. I have been a Miyazaki fan for quite a while now and was so happy to be able to see the inspiration behind the scenery. My next trip will have to be a bathhouse inspired 'Spirited Away' trip!

There are many signs posted during the walk that detail the history of the forest. This one details how 200-300 yr old abandoned wood in the forest still does not rot and is then used to create cedar objects by the local craftsmen.

We even saw some deer within the forest, another scene that reminded me of Princess Mononoke.

Then finally we were back at the entrance. Exhausted, wet but absolutely thrilled with what we had just been through. We saw many hikers coming through the entrance after what looked like entire days or overnight hikes which would be amazing.

Once we had finished our walk we rushed back to the resort. My boyfriend was desperate to make it in time to get his free drinks at the bar and he managed to make it with minutes to spare even though he had to dry off first.

Then it was time for another extravagant dinner:

Line caught fish from the morning.

Seafood & Vegetable buffet.

Delicious prawns. So so so good.

Pork three ways.

Open kitchen.

A choice of 8 desserts, my bf chose all 8. I was jealous.

Activities


Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine
Price: ¥300
Location: 30 mins drive from Miyanoura
Tips: Bring as much waterproof gear as possible. Wear sensible shoes. We went past one camp hut/toilet stop near point 13 and it smelt terrible - would be wise to go to the toilet before your walk.

Accommodation

Hotel: Sankara Resort & Spa
Price: ¥60,000 for Samudra Villa for two people.
Location: 553 Haginoue, Mugio,Yakushima-cho,Kumage-gun,Kagoshima 891-4402 JAPAN
Additional: Rate inclusive of Japanese full course dinner in Ayana restaurant and Breakfast.
Web: http://www.sankarahotel-spa.com/en/
Booking: We booked through via Ryokan Collection again http://www.ryokancollection.com/eng/small/ryokan_story.htm?ryokan=sankara. Or you can book directly through the hotel's website: http://www.sankarahotel-spa.com/en/.