What to Pack

Backpack*

At least big enough to stash your rain gear and your water bottle. You'll want your hands free. A rain-cover is also nice, but please don't rely on it to keep your things dry! Alternatively, you can keep your things inside a plastic bag inside your backpack.

Rain Gear*

Including pants a jacket. It may be sunny in town, but cold and rainy in the mountains. A cheap poncho is NOT okay!

Appropriate Clothes

Quick drying synthetic materials are advised. No jean pants, please. Warm layered clothes especially in fall and winter.

Hiking Shoes or Boots*

Sneakers are okay only if you don't mind getting them muddy and slipping on rocks. You will slip!

Water Bottle

A 500mL plastic PET bottle is fine. There's plenty of natural, potable water along the trail.

Optional

Gloves, towel, personal items and medications, snacks for the trail, camera and ziploc bag, folding umbrella for eating or taking photos.

You probably won't need sunscreen unless you are very sensitive. Bugs don't tend to be enough of a problem to warrant bug repellent, but please don't wear perfume. There are no bears in Yakushima.

About this hike:

This trail has recently received some nice maintenance work, but it's not very well known and can sustain a lot of damage from storms. Even in good conditions, if you're not nimble on your feet, you could easily end up in the river. But it's a lot of fun if you enjoy going where the footprints of those before you have been covered with moss.

The animals, especially the deer, in this area of forest are rather timid, but I have run into monkeys several times. The trail passes the remains of a charcoal-making pit, massive stumps from Edo times, and a pair of old Yakusugi trees that seem to be holding onto life by a thread, if that much. A large spruce tree that must be several hundred years old offers stark contrast to the young cryptomeria that have been planted to reforest much of the area. Near the peak, evidence of recent rock slides is apparent, but fortunately the path has remained intact.

In the case of bad weather

This hike will be canceled if a severe weather warning is issued or flooding due to heavy rains seems likely. If no weather warning is issued, I may suggest Yakusugiland as an alternative.