Arakawa Trail
The Arakawa trail is the most used path on Yakushima as it goes past the most famous of Sugi trees – Jomon Sugi.
The route starts at the old railway terminal and follows the train tracks past the following places…
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| An abandoned wagon at the beginning of the trail |
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| A bridge for the stream |
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| Water flows over the tracks and drops down the other side |
… and onto KOSUGIDANI, an abandoned logging village beside the river.
Here is a short guide to the Arakawa trail up to here made by myself and George (who will kill me when he finds out I did actually upload it so enjoy it before he takes out a parental court case and removes both me and it from his home).
WILSON’S STUMP – an extremely large tree stump
JOMON SUGI – the oldest tree of them all:
TAKATSUKA HUT (see the section on the mountain huts) – to stay.
MY REVIEW
I have hiked this route many times. It’s a bit tough but Jomon Sugi and back again is a day trip. Most tourists start at an obscenely early time in the morning but that is only because they have to get back and bathed before dinner time in their hotel. I once did the return trip in 6 hours by myself but then again 12 hours with my family. The average is around 9 hours.
The path is incredibly monotonous in places – especially the railway track and in comparison with some of the other trees on the island which are less visited and more accessible (yet equally impressive), it’s a bit of a let down.
There are no sweeping views on the path so if it is cloudy and raining, despite the soggy waterproofs, it’s still OK to hike. In fact, sometimes the forest is more beautiful in the rain. And unless you’re particularly interested in the local flora and fauna, you don’t need a guide as the path is unmistakable all the way.
For more information about hiking along the Arakawa trail – check out the one and only Yakumonkey Guide to Yakushima
Agreed. The trail on the tracks was monotonous and difficult especially coming back as the footing is incredibly irregular and your feet are already pummeled from 8 hours of hiking. One absolutely needs good fitting boots. The trail off the tracks was technical but I enjoyed it. I must give a big thank you to those who have made this trail accessible. It has taken excruciating work to maintain I imagine. I probably wouldn't go again though. Once is enough! Jomon Sugi, like all the ancient cedars is impressive.
What other hikes are there that are less visited, more accessible, and equally impressive when it comes to the tree(s)?