A few Japanese terms that you may hear in Yakushima:
- Yaku (屋久)
- Just about anything endemic or unique to Yakushima gains the prefix Yaku. For example, Yakushima’s subspecies of deer (shika) are called Yakushika. Old sugi growing in Yakushima are called Yakusugi.
- Sugi (杉)
- Japanese cedars, Cryptomeria japonica. They are a separate genus from other cedars.
- Kodama (木霊)
- Forest spirits. In pop-culture, they are often depicted as cute, white beings with bubble-like faces. Taking pictures of kodama is quite popular in Yakushima.
The same kanji with the alternate reading of mokurei has the more formal nuance of a tree god. - Minshuku (民宿)
- Private homes turned into hotels or hostels.
- Umigame (ウミガメ)
- Sea turtles. There are two species that nest on (mostly western) beaches from May to July.
- Tobi-uo (トビウオ)
- Flying fish. An important industry in Yakushima.
- Ame (雨)
- rain
- Torokko (トロッコ)
- Trolley, or the train tracks that you'll follow if you're going to Jomon Sugi.
- Hokora (祠)
- A small shrine. They can be found around the island and at most of the mountain peaks.
- Onsen (温泉)
- Natural hot springs, although the term is used loosely. Kaichuu-onsen (海中温泉) are ocean-side onsen that go underwater at high tide.
- Taifuu (台風)
- Typhoon.
- Torekkingu (トレッキング)
- Hiking.
- Keihou (警報)
- A warning, such as a weather warning.
- Shima (島)
- Island
- Mae-dake (前岳)
- The Exterior Mountains, peaks around 1500m or less.
- Oku-dake (奥岳)
- The Interior Mountains, including the 7 (or 8) highest peaks in Kyushu.
- Mitake (三岳)
- The three sacred peaks: Mt. Miyanoura, Mt Nagata, and Mt. Kurio. (Actually, this is a bit of a simplification. Traditions of religious mountain pilgrimages vary by village.) Also the name of a local sake.
- Tozan-guchi (登山)
- Trailhead.
- Yama-michi (山道)
- Trail. In Yakushima the term, hodoh (歩道), or footpath, is used to distinguish them from the many old logging roads.
- Koya (小屋)
- Mountain hut or shelter. Yakushima has five koya that you can use freely, but they are unstaffed, spartan block buildings.
- Sawa (沢)
- A mountain stream. In Yakushima, even small brooks become raging rivers with rapids and cateracts when it rains enough.