Yakushima
Encyclopedia
, one of the Ōsumi Islands, is an island of about 500 km² and roughly 15,000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū
in Kagoshima Prefecture
, Japan
. The Vincennes Strait
(Yakushima Kaikyō) separates it from Tanegashima
. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 metres (6,360 ft). It is covered in dense forest noted especially for old growth Cryptomeria
trees known as sugi in Japan and magnificent rhododendrons.
The island forms part of Kirishima-Yaku National Park
. In 1980 an area of 18,958 ha was designated a UNESCO
Man and the Biosphere Reserve. In 1993 10 ha of wetland at Nagata-hama was designated a Ramsar Site
. It is the largest nesting ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle
in the North Pacific. Yakushima's unique remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest is a natural World Heritage Site
since 1993. In the Wilderness core area (12.19 square kilometres (3,012.2 acre)) of the World Heritage Site, no records of past tree cutting can be traced. Yakushima is Japan's wettest place, and precipitation in Yakushima is one of the world's highest at 4,000 to 10,000 mm. It is said to rain "35 days a month". There are drier periods in autumn and winter, while heaviest downpours occur in spring and summer often accompanied by landslides. It is the southernmost place in Japan where there is snow in the mountains, often for months, while the ocean temperature is never below 19°C.
The Yakusugi
Forest is visited by 300,000 tourists every year. It is said to have inspired the forest setting in Hayao Miyazaki
's film Princess Mononoke
. The island was also seen in the 1996 movie Rebirth of Mothra
.
The island has been a test site for Honda
's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle research. Yakushima's electricity is more than 50% hydroelectric, and surplus power has been used to produce hydrogen gas in a small experiment by Kagoshima University
. There are no hydrogen cars stationed on the island but a few electric cars are run by the municipality.
Administratively, the whole island is the town of Yakushima
. The town also serves the neighbouring Kuchinoerabujima.
Yakushima Airport
serves the island.
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
in Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Vincennes Strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
(Yakushima Kaikyō) separates it from Tanegashima
Tanegashima
is an island lying to the south of Kyushu, in southern Japan, and is part of Kagoshima Prefecture. The island is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands....
. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 metres (6,360 ft). It is covered in dense forest noted especially for old growth Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae; it includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica . It is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi...
trees known as sugi in Japan and magnificent rhododendrons.
The island forms part of Kirishima-Yaku National Park
Kirishima-Yaku National Park
is a national park in Kyūshū, Japan. It is composed of two parts: Kirishima-Kagoshima Bay, an area of Kagoshima Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture known for its active volcanoes, volcanic lakes, and onsen; and Yakushima, an island south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, known for its cryptomeria...
. In 1980 an area of 18,958 ha was designated a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Man and the Biosphere Reserve. In 1993 10 ha of wetland at Nagata-hama was designated a Ramsar Site
Ramsar sites in Japan
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Adopted in 1971, it entered into force in 1975 and as of March 2011 has 160 Contracting Parties. Japan was the twenty-fourth party to accede, on 17 October 1980...
. It is the largest nesting ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle
Loggerhead sea turtle
The loggerhead sea turtle , or loggerhead, is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around long when fully grown, although larger specimens of up to have been discovered...
in the North Pacific. Yakushima's unique remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest is a natural World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
since 1993. In the Wilderness core area (12.19 square kilometres (3,012.2 acre)) of the World Heritage Site, no records of past tree cutting can be traced. Yakushima is Japan's wettest place, and precipitation in Yakushima is one of the world's highest at 4,000 to 10,000 mm. It is said to rain "35 days a month". There are drier periods in autumn and winter, while heaviest downpours occur in spring and summer often accompanied by landslides. It is the southernmost place in Japan where there is snow in the mountains, often for months, while the ocean temperature is never below 19°C.
The Yakusugi
Yakusugi
is a Japanese cedar that grows on the mountain 500 metres above sea level. The term "Yakusugi" refers to trees that are more than 1,000 years old. Those less than 1,000 years are called "kosugi." ’...
Forest is visited by 300,000 tourists every year. It is said to have inspired the forest setting in Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
's film Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 epic Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster...
. The island was also seen in the 1996 movie Rebirth of Mothra
Rebirth of Mothra
Rebirth of Mothra, released in Japan as , is the first in a trilogy of Kaiju films produced by Toho, in which Mothra's son saves the world from environment-threatening monsters. This film features the monsters Mothra, Mothra Leo, Fairy Mothra, Desghidorah , and Garugaru...
.
The island has been a test site for Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle research. Yakushima's electricity is more than 50% hydroelectric, and surplus power has been used to produce hydrogen gas in a small experiment by Kagoshima University
Kagoshima University
, or is a Japanese national university located in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.There are three campuses:* Shimoarata: Faculty of Fisheries* Sakuragaoka: Faculty of Medicine...
. There are no hydrogen cars stationed on the island but a few electric cars are run by the municipality.
Administratively, the whole island is the town of Yakushima
Yakushima, Kagoshima
is a town located in Kumage District, Kagoshima, Japan. The town is on the island of Yakushima and Kuchinoerabujima.On October 1 2007, the town was formed by the merger of the towns of Kamiyaku and Yaku, both from Kumage District....
. The town also serves the neighbouring Kuchinoerabujima.
Yakushima Airport
Yakushima Airport
is located on Yakushima in Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:* Japan Airlines...
serves the island.
Climate
Wildlife
- Migratory Sea Turtles
- Deer (Yakushika)
- Monkey (Yakushima macaqueYakushima macaqueThe Yakushima Macaque is a subspecies of Japanese monkey which is indigenous to Yakushima Island .It is also known as the Yaku Macaque.-Characteristics:...
), red bottomed macaque - TanukiTanukiis the common Japanese name for the Japanese raccoon dog . They have been part of Japanese folklore since ancient times...
, not a native animal
See also
- YakusugiYakusugiis a Japanese cedar that grows on the mountain 500 metres above sea level. The term "Yakusugi" refers to trees that are more than 1,000 years old. Those less than 1,000 years are called "kosugi." ’...
- Jōmon SugiJomon Sugiis a large cryptomeria tree located on Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Japan. It is the oldest and largest of nearly 2,000-year-old-growth cryptomeria trees on the island,and is estimated to be between 2,170and 7,200 years old....
- Yakushima White PineYakushima White PineThe Yakushima White Pine is a native of southern Japan, on the islands of Yakushima and Tanegashima south of Kyūshū. It has also been grown horticulturally in Japanese parks...
- Ernest Henry WilsonErnest Henry WilsonErnest Henry "Chinese" Wilson , better known as E. H. Wilson, was a notable English plant collector who introduced a large range of about 2000 of Asian plant species to the West; some sixty bear his name.-Career:...
- Wilson stumpTree stumpAfter a tree has been cut and felled, the stump or tree stump is usually a small remaining portion of the trunk with the roots still in the ground. Stumps may show the age-defining rings of a tree. The study of these rings is known as dendrochronology.... - List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments
- List of World Heritage Sites in Japan
- List of national parks of Japan
- Ramsar sites in JapanRamsar sites in JapanThe Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Adopted in 1971, it entered into force in 1975 and as of March 2011 has 160 Contracting Parties. Japan was the twenty-fourth party to accede, on 17 October 1980...