Jomon Sugi Trekking
Along the railroad and up into the mountains, these popular trails take you 20~22km round trip to the mysterious Jomon Sugi tree, by far the largest tree on the island and easily the most famous tree in Japan.Trekking
Time: 9~11 hours
Jomon Sugi Trekking
- Experience Level:
- Intermediate
-22 km long - Trail Head Access:
- Bus or Taxi (or Car December~February)
- Time:
- 8~11 Hours
- Round Trip Distance:
- 22 km
- Trail Head Elevation:
- 600 m
- Peak Elevation:
- 1285 m
Deer/Monkey Sightings | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Yakusugi Trees | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Mossy Forests | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Vista Views | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Endurance | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Strength & Technicality | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Crowds | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Weather Cancellations | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ (Extreme rains, rarely snow) |
Time: ~12 hours
Jomon Sugi via Shiratani Unsuikyo
- Experience Level:
- Advanced
-time requirement - Trail Head Access:
- Car or Taxi
- Time:
- 10~12 Hours, assuming a fast pace
- Round Trip Distance:
- 21 km
- Trail Head Elevation:
- 600 m
- Peak Elevation:
- 1285 m
Deer/Monkey Sightings | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Yakusugi Trees | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Mossy Forests | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Vista Views | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Endurance | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Strength & Technicality | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Crowds | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Weather Cancellations | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠(Extreme rains, flooding, rarely snow) |
Time: ~34 hours
Jomon Sugi 2-Day Trekking
- Experience Level:
- Intermediate
-You must bring/carry out all supplies except water. - Trail Head Access:
- Car, Taxi, or Bus
- Time:
- ~ 7 Hours + 1 Night + 7 Hours, leisurely pace
- Distance:
- 11 km + 11 km
- Trail Head Elevation:
- 600 m
- Camp Elevation:
- 1300 m
Deer/Monkey Sightings | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Yakusugi Trees | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Mossy Forests | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Vista Views | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Endurance | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Strength & Technicality | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Crowds | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ |
Weather Cancellations | ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ (Extreme rains, rarely snow.) |
JOMON SUGI
RECCOMMENDED FOR: Pople who are physically fit but have limited hiking experience, enjoy long walks, or are interested in Yakushima's logging history.
ABOUT: Of all Yakushima's known cryptomeria, Jomon Sugi has by far the largest
girth (over 16 meters) and it may also be by far the oldest. (*Update: Supposedly, they've found a bigger one, but I am not totally convinced.)Overzealous estimates based on girth yield an age of over
7,000 years (1968).
However, carbon-dating of wood near the center of the trunk only yeilds an age of around 2,170 years. That said, the trunk is hollow, and DNA tests show that all present
limbs originated from a single tree. It survived Edo-period logging when most of its neighbors were cut down, and was rediscovered
in the 1960's by a local searching for the subject of a local legend. He named it Oh-Iwa (Big Boulder) Sugi, which referred to the tree's rock-like appearance, as well
as his own name, Teiji Iwakawa. (Needless to say, that name didn't stick.)
During summer holidays, it can draw over hundreds of hikers in a day, but its fame comes at a price: Soil erosion, UV rays,
and direct damage. These days you can only view the tree from part of an observation platform. (See my blog story for details.)
TRAIL OPTIONS: Jomon Sugi can be approached from the east by trails leading from Shiratani-Unsuikyo or the Arakawa Trail Head.
It can also be approached from the west by a trail leading down from Mt. Miyanoura. The trail from Arakawa is the most popular route, and
is the one I describe here. For a two-day options, spend the night in the Takatsuka Shelter about ten minutes beyond Jomon Sugi. (There is
no water here, so bring water from the spring near Jomon Sugi.)
ARAKAWA to OKABU HODO to JOMON SUGI: If you're hiking between March 1 and November 30, traffic to the Arakawa Trail Head
is limited. Before your hike, stop at an information booth (Open daily, 8:30am-5:30pm)to check the bus schedule and buy a
round-trip bus ticket (1700 yen). It's possible to buy a bus ticket at the Yakusugi Shizenkan (Museum) bus stop
the morning of your hike as well.
The trail head has restrooms, a rest area, a box to submit hiking notification forms, and a collection bin for disposable toilet packs.
From the trail head, train tracks strech inland for 8.5 km. Follow the signs when the railroad forks. From 1923 until 1970, these tracks served the logging village of Kosugi Dani (You'll pass
the abandoned remains.) and were used to transport logs down to the town of Anbo. Now they are used mostly for maintenance operations.
At the end of the train tracks, you'll come to another large rest area with restrooms. Drinkable water is siphoned from the river. At this point,
the trail follows the Okabu Hodo for 2.5 km to Jomon Sugi. This is a steep trail with lots of roots, rocks, and stair cases.
About ten minutes into the Okabu Hodo is a small stream, which is uncrossable after extreme rains. Pause for rest at Wilson's
Stump. Quite a site in itself, this stump was named after Ernest Wilson, the plant-collector who visited Yakushima one hundred years ago.
From here on, fill your water bottle almost anywhere you see water along the trail. Ohkabu Hodo is marked with numbered yellow tags. Jomon Sugi is at
#50.
NEED TO KNOW:
THINGS TO SEE:
remains of Kosugi Dani Village, service train, Wilson's Stump
NAMED YAKUSUGI (THOUSAND-YEAR CRYPTOMERIA):
Ni-O Sugi, Okina Sugi(recently fallen), Wilson's Stump, Dai-O Sugi, Husband-&-Wife Sugi, Jomon Sugi. Also of interest is
the Third-Generation Sugi.
ANIMALS:
Deer, monkeys, and the varied tit (Parus varius).
PLANTS:
Cryptomeria, fur trees (Abies firma), Tall Stewartia, Kalopanax septemlobus,
various hydrangeas, Camellias, Symplocos myrtaceae, Rhododendron tashiroi and keiskei,
Styrax japonica, Sorbus commixta, Sakaki, Illicium anisatum,
bug-eating sundews (Drosera rotundifolia), Arisaema serratum, violets,
filmy ferns, and many others as well as countless mosses.
FYI:
The cryptomeria trees with really big girths are over 800 years old. It's pretty safe
to say that most other trees are around a few hundred years old or less (or else it they have been cut down).
Arakawa Trail Head
(Restrooms)
elev. 670 m<---------->
8.5 km of train tracks
Õkabu Hodō Entrance
(Restrooms)
elev. 910 m<---------->
0.6 km trailWilson's Stump <---------->
1.9km trailJomon Sugi
elev. 1280 m
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