Spots in Tanegashima / Yakushima Area

Area

Kagoshima
- Japan
- Hokkaido / Tohoku
  
  Hokkaido
  
  Aomori
  
  Iwate
  
  Miyagi
  
  Akita
  
  Yamagata
  
  Fukushima
- Kanto
  
  Ibaraki
  
  Tochigi
  
  Gunma
  
  Saitama
  
  Chiba
  
  Tokyo
  
  Kanagawa
- Koshinetsu / Hokuriku
  
  Niigata
  
  Toyama
  
  Ishikawa
  
  Fukui
  
  Yamanashi
  
  Nagano
- Tokai
  
  Gifu
  
  Shizuoka
  
  Aichi
  
  Mie
- Kinki
  
  Shiga
  
  Kyoto
  
  Osaka
  
  Hyogo
  
  Nara
  
  Wakayama
- Chugoku
  
  Tottori
  
  Shimane
  
  Okayama
  
  Hiroshima
  
  Yamaguchi
- Shikoku
  
  Tokushima
  
  Kagawa
  
  Ehime
  
  Kochi
- Kyushu / Okinawa
  
  Fukuoka
  
  Saga
  
  Nagasaki
  
  Kumamoto
  
  Oita
  
  Miyazaki
  
  Kagoshima
  
  Okinawa

Tanegashima / Yakushima

Category

Seibu Rindo Forest Path

4.5

211 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Yakushimacho

This roughly 20-kilometer road connects to the communities of Kurio and Nagata on western Yakushima Island. It runs through along the coast through one of the largest evergreen forests in Japan with little or no human sign of human presence. The Yakushima macaques, Yakushima deer, and other wildlife that inhabit the area can frequently be spotted along the road. The roughly 15-kilometer-long section from the Segiri Ohashi Bridge to about a kilometer before the entrance to the Yakushima Lighthouse is part of the Yakushima World Natural Heritage site. This portion of the road runs through virgin forests untouched by human hands.

Deer and macaque haven. Another harrowing drive but so worth it. The macaques do not move off as you approach so you have to drive around them. Stunning views all around. One of the best experiences...
Yakusugi Museum

4.0

89 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kagoshima Pref. Kumagegunyakushimachou Ambou 2739-343

This museum located on the east side of Yakushima Island provides information on Yakushima cedars and the ecology of Yakushima. The museum contains numerous hands on exhibits such as the Inochi Branch, a tree branch which broke off of the Jomon Sugi due to the weight of a heavy snow, and a cross section from a 1,660 year old Yakushima cedar tree. The exhibit which lets visitors shave off Yakushima wood to smell the distinctive perfume and a cedar wood grain puzzle are particularly popular with children. Normally requires around 45 minutes to see the whole museum.

This museum is small, but very nice. You have to take off your shoes and the floor is made of Yakusugi wood, which is moving, something that is great in my opinion. The surroundings of the museum...
Tanegashima Development Center Firearm Museum

4.0

69 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kagoshima Pref. Nishinomoteshi Nishinomote 7585

The distinctive exterior of this museum is modeled after a “nanbansen” one of the foreign European ships that first visited Japan. The museum displays a variety of ancient firearms, such as a Portuguese gun which made its way to Tanegashima in 1543 and examples of the first guns ever made in the country. The museum also has dioramas and videos presenting the history and culture of Tanegashima; stopping by the museum first before exploring the rest of the island will make your visit that much more interesting. A 10-minute walk from Nishinoomote Port.

種子島と言えばロケットと鉄砲伝来ではないでしょうか。鉄砲だけではないですが、種子島の歴史を学ぶことができます。展示の仕方も人形劇？みたいなものもありちょっと楽しむことができました。展示スペースは広いように感じましたが、１時間もあればゆっくり見学することができます。
Shidoko Banyan Park

3.5

52 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kagoshima Pref. Kumagegunyakushimachou Shitogo 133-1

This botanical garden is located in Yakushima Town, Kumage County, Kagoshima Prefecture. Visitors to the garden can appreciate the grove of gigantic Banyan trees that are representative of subtropical regions and are said to be over 500 years old. In addition to the luxuriant grove of Banyan trees, there are also other subtropical trees that grow densely here, such as Machilus thunbergii and Japanese Sea Fig.

This is the largest collection/garden of banyan trees on Yakushima and is located northwest of Miyanoura in the Shitoko area. It is located near bus stop 14 and toward the seashore. There is a...
Yakushima Fruit Garden

3.5

59 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Yakushimacho Nakama 629-16

This botanical garden raises nearly 2000 wild and cultivated varieties of tropical plants and fruits. Sweet scents hang in the air at the garden, which offers visitors a rare glimpse at bananas, mangoes, papayas, guavas, and other tropical fruits actually growing on the plant. Visitors can also sample fresh-picked tropical fruits, jams, and other items at the garden's restaurant. It sells juices such as tankan citrus juice and guava juice as well as handmade jams such as Japanese plum jam. Both make excellent souvenirs.

I drove back into the bush of the Nakama area to find the Yakushima Fruit Garden and see what types of fruits are native to the area, but it was not open on Monday afternoon. I suspect that it has...
Yakushima Environmental and Cultural Village Center

4.0

53 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kagoshima Pref. Kumagegunyakushimachou Miyanoura 823-1

This science facility is located in Yakushima Town, Kumage County, Kagoshima Prefecture. It provides information about the wildlife and culture of Yakushima, as well as guides and community events. Inside the center, there is are models and panels, as well as a large video hall where the wildlife of Yakushima is displayed through dynamic exhibitions. There is also a cafe corner that overlooks Miyanoura Port and a product shop that sells souvenirs.

高速船やフェリーが発着する屋久島の宮之浦港。その港に面して、屋久島環境文化村センターがありました。館内には、屋久島についての展示がなされています。有料ゾーンになりますが、大型映像ホールでは毎時1回、屋久島の自然を紹介した迫力ある映像が上映されていました。私たちがこの施設を訪れた日は雨で、予定していたトレッキングは翌日に変更してこちらを訪れたんですが、この映像で、屋久島を深く知ることができてよ...
Yakushima Tourism Center

3.5

28 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Pref. Kumagegunyakushimachou Miyanoura 799

A tourist information center located near the “Miyanourako Iriguchi” bus stop. Visitors can get information such as on traffic conditions and recommended sightseeing destinations. The center’s souvenir and gift market carries over 5,000 local Yakushima specialty products, and visitors can purchase everything from Yakushima cedar handicrafts to original confections and other products offered no place else. A restaurant “Rest-In Yakushima” on the second floor boasts a view of the sea and diners can enjoy local Yakushima dishes like fresh seafood cooked with rice, and local delicacies such as flying fish.

屋久島ギャラリーレストは、屋久島観光センターの2階にありました。 2回目のお昼は、前回飛魚のフライなので、姿焼きかラーメン、或いは屋久島環境文化村センターにあるBay’s Caf’e JANE の飛び魚丼を予定。私はスーパーヤクデンの巻寿司で主人は飛魚ラーメン860円にした。飛魚ラーメンには1尾の飛魚の姿焼きが入っていました。
Yaku Shrine

4.0

33 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Yakushimacho Miyanoura 277

"This shrine listed in the Engishiki Shrine Name Book stands on the western side of the Miyanoura River estuary. It enshrines Ippon Hoju Daigongen, the deity venerated by the traditional mountain worship religion. This shrine of high social standing is extremely revered as the tutelary shrine of the islanders of both Yakushima Island and Tanegashima Island. A number of items on the shrine's grounds including a pair of Deva king statues and the shrine's chozubachi (hand washing basin) have been designated as cultural properties of the Yakushima Town. The two characters that comprise the name ""Yaku"" have a connotation of ""ever-increasing divine salvation."" Consequently, the shrine is also called ""Sukui no Miya"" (shrine of salvation)."

高速船やフェリーが発着する屋久島の北部に位置する宮之浦の海岸近くに、益救神社がありました。益救神社は「やくじんじゃ」と読むんだそうです。この神社は、古い書物にも書かれている、歴史のある古社なんです。駐車場から境内に入り、本殿までの参道沿いには南国の木々が生い茂っていて、神秘的な雰囲気でした。またこの神社は、「救いの宮」とも呼ばれています。古来より益々救われますようにと願うとともに、今後もます...
Sen-no-Ie

4.5

22 Reviews

Accommodations / Hot Spring

Kagoshima Pref. Kumagegunyakushimachou Miyanoura 2567-2

A hidden inn located close to the “Ushidoko Koen” bus stop. Each of the inn’s four wooden cottages, surrounded by natural beauty and situated on the bank of the Shiratanigawa River, are filled with touches which speak of the owner’s care and taste. One of the inn’s biggest draws is that it enables guests to relax and feel like they are in their very own home while at the same time taking in the delights of Japan through a bath carved out of a 1,000 year old Yakushima cedar, a Goemon bath heated underneath by firewood, and a traditional irori sunken hearth. The inn overflows with hospitality, and elements like the handmade informational signs and picture scrolls, and a class provided by the inn in which you can make your very own chopsticks while experiencing the fragrance and age of long-lived Yakushima cedar, provide guests with a truly special stay.

Nice cottage style accommodation. Very friendly service. There was a wood-heated shared hot tub style bathing facility but no shower in the cottage. The cottage had a small equipped kitchen. There...
Yakushima World Heritage Conservation Center

3.5

26 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Yakushimacho Anbo Mae Take 2739-343

This exhibit facility was created by the Ministry of the Environment after Yakushima Island become a World Heritage Site in 1993. It informs visitors about subjects including the charms of the Yakushima World Natural Heritage site and Yakushima National Park, the origins of the island's nature, and environmental conservation efforts on the island. Exhibits including informational panels about the World Heritage Site and sound gallery featuring a collection of audio recordings of Yakushima's unique nature allow visitors to enjoy deepening their knowledge of the environment. Many visitors to the center also visit the adjacent Yakusugi Nature Museum.

ヤクスギランドの奥にある紀元杉から、安房の町に向かって屋久島公園安房線を降りてきました。道路も片側１車線のしっかりした道になり、町が近づいてきた右手に、屋久島世界遺産センターがありました。この施設は、環境省のビジターセンターです。館内には屋久島はもちろん、日本の世界自然遺産や国立公園を紹介する立派なパンフレットがありました。それに伴って、屋久島の世界自然遺産と国立公園の魅力を紹介する展示があ...
Homan Shrine

4.0

21 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Minamitanecho Kukinaga 3786

"This shrine commonly known as Homan Daimyojin enshrines Tamayori-hime, a goddess who appears in Japanese mythology. It holds an annual rice planting festival during which red rice called ""akagome"" or ""miine"" is planted to pray for a bountiful harvest. The festival has been registered as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Planting rice in ""osemachi,"" the shrine's rice field, and then eating a rice ball made with red rice harvested from the field last year is said to grant a year of sound health. The adjacent Homan-no-Ike, the largest pond on Tanegashima Island, is a mystical place visited by many wintering seafowl each year. Many people involved in the Japanese space program visit the shrine before rocket launches."

赤米伝来に纏わる言い伝えがあり、海宮から五穀の種子を持参し種子島に蒔いたと伝わる玉依姫を祭る神社だそうです。入口近くには赤米の資料館もあり参考になります。日本では対馬経由で朝鮮半島から伝来したとされる米が日本全国に広がったようですが、南の方からもこの赤米が伝わっていたと初めて知りました。興味深いです。
Tanegashima Akagome Museum

3.5

17 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Minamitanecho Kukinaga 4058-banchi 1

Tanegashima Island is thought to have been strongly connected with rice since ancient times. This museum features exhibits related to red rice, which is believed to have been introduced to the island long, long ago from the south. Exhibits cover subjects including the folk customs involving red rice practiced at the Homan Shrine as well as the culture of rice cultivation on Tanegashima Island. Visitors can learn about Minamitane Town through a video about the town's highlights, performing arts, events, and more that is played in the museum's theater. There is also a museum shop that sells red rice, akagome amazake (a sweet drink made from fermented red rice), and other great souvenirs.

古代米といえば黒米を思い浮かべますが、赤米も古代米の一つでそれらに関する展示がされていて、入場も無料です。展示もそんなになく短い時間で見られますので宝満神社の参拝とセットで立ち寄ってはいかがでしょうか？駐車場もあるしトイレも綺麗なので。
Gessotei Akaogi Castle Cultural Museum

3.5

15 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Nishinoomote Nishinoomote 7528

鉄砲館から歩いて５分もしないところにあります。鉄砲館との共通券も売られています。訪れると、お茶とお菓子を出してくれます。のんびりしながらビデオを見せてもらいます。あとは自由に見学することができます。
Shiratani Unsui-kyo Gorge

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Pref. Kumagegunyakushimachou Miyanoura

This is a ravine located on the Shiratani River, a tributary of the Miyanoura River flowing in the northern part of Yakushima. At an elevation of 620 meters, this is situated at a transition zone from evergreen forest to Yakusugi (a type of Japanese cryptomeria or cedar) forest, and here visitors can see Yayoisugi and stout Yakusugi with an estimated age of 3,000 years, and splendid waterfalls cascading through openings in granite builders can be seen at every turn. This is a magical old growth forest that reportedly served as the model for the animated film Princess Mononoke, and visitors will enjoy the mountain streams weaving through the natural beauty.
Great Sago Palm Tree of Sakai Shrine

3.5

8 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Nakatanecho Saka Imoto Mura

"This massive sago palm located on the grounds of Sakai Shrine has become a symbol of Nakatane Town. The seven-meter-tall, 10-meter wide cycad has a trunk that measures more than two meters around. Estimated to be more than 700 years old, it is purported to be Japan's oldest sago palm. The site of its curved boughs supported by stout pillars is quite stunning. The Japanese name for this iron-loving plant, ""sotetsu,"" is said to have originated from a legend that giving iron to a weak sago palm will rejuvenate it."

日本一と言われる大きなソテツがある神社です。その大きなソテツが見られるようなちょっとした展望場所も設けられています。ソテツもすごいのですが入り口の鳥居近くの巨木もすごいです。
Minamitane Town Kawachi Onsen Center

3.5

8 Reviews

Accommodations / Hot Spring

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Minamitanecho Nakanokami 341

This municipal hot spring bathhouse is located about a three-minute drive from downtown Minamitane Town. Bathers can enjoy simple hot springs long known for their health and beauty benefits in the large indoor baths. The water is nonirritating on the skin and has a beautifying exfoliating effect, so weary travelers can refresh themselves while also caring for their skin. It is also said to promote convalescence and recuperation from physical trauma, among other benefits. The well-equipped bathhouse features ultrasonic baths, saunas, family baths, and more. A hot spring swimming pool and walking pool, the island's first, was completed in 2008.

南種子の上中交差点から宇宙センターに向かっていくと坂を下ったところに温泉の看板が見えてきます。行った日は休日の昼中でとても空いていました。男湯でも数人。お客さんは地元のお年寄りが多いです。泉質は残念ながらあまり温泉を感じません、
Kozue Kairo Canopy Walk

4.5

5 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Yakushimacho Hara 677-44

"This theme park developed in the rural woodlands of Yakushima features two attractions that allow visitors to enjoy the forests of this World Natural Heritage site from the air. The first is the Canopy Walk, a fun and challenging tree-top walkway. The second is the Canopy Rope, which allows visitors to zip through the trees like a bird. The park's biggest characteristic is that it proposes ""a more natural way to have fun"" than other leisure facilities. All of the materials used to build the attractions other than the metal fittings and other industrial components are sourced locally on Yakushima. The park even made use of the slabs that are a byproduct of the timber milling process where possible as part of a zero emissions initiative on the island."

Mr Tanaka is an excellent guide, and as owner and operator, he has crafted a really fantastic experience for a wide variety of folks. He loves what he does, and he is so good at it. Each ride (we...
Tanegashima Space Center Space Science and Technology Museum

Leisure / Hobbies

Kagoshima Pref. Kumagegunminamitanechou Kukinaga Mazu

A museum adjoining Japan’s largest rocket launch site. The museum presents exhibits on the construction of satellites and the design of JAXA rockets. With an advance reservation, visitors can enjoy an expert guided tour of not just the museum but the entire Tanegashima Space Center. The tour is free and held three times a day (excluding Mondays and the New Year’s holidays). Reservations are accepted by phone on a first come, first serve basis. Approximately 50 minutes by car from Tanegashima Airport.
Tanegashima

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Nakatanecho

A 30-minute plane ride from Kagoshima Airport. This island is famously known as the place where guns were introduced to Japan. The design of the Tanegashima Development Center and Firearm Museum building is modeled after the Portuguese ships which brought guns to Japan; the museum displays guns brought to Japan from Portugal as well as early examples of domestically produced matchlock firearms. The Tanegashima Space Center on the southeastern tip of the island is the only space center in the country from which practical satellites are launched. In addition to facilities connected to guns and space, the island has scenic destinations such as beaches and mangrove forest; visitors can also enjoy scuba diving and other marine sports.
Hombo Shuzo Yakushima Densho-gura

4.0

4 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kagoshima Kumage-gun Yakushimacho Anbo 2384

"This shochu distillery with deep roots on Yakushima Island, the ""Alps of the Sea,"" has created handcrafted honkaku shochu in traditional earthenware pots since being founded in 1960. It is the only distillery that makes sweet potato shochu with sweet potatoes grown on Yakushima Island. Visitors can even watch the mashing process if they visit at the right time. The distillery uses 56 irreplaceable earthenware pots passed down since 1887 and the island's extremely soft water, which is listed amongst the Top 100 Famous Waters of Japan, to create shochu with a smooth taste and fine flavor."

Short tour and explanation of production of Shōchū (焼酎) followed by tasting session afterward. Tour is in Japanese so you will require a translator.

Leisure / Hobbies Shopping Gourmet / Alcohol Style / Fashion Life / Living / Hospital Accommodations / Hot Spring Travel / Tourism Transportation

Kagoshima Areas

Over 100 active volcanoes across Kagoshima make it one of the Japan's most exciting prefectures. The prefectural capital, Kagoshima city, looks out to one of the prefecture’s most spectacular volcanoes, Sakurajima, an island of its own that can be visited and seen close up or admired from afar, with the promise of breathtaking sunsets complete with frequent puffs of smoke and ash. Down the Satsuma Peninsula, the most southerly part of mainland Japan, waterfalls, sand onsen, and fascinating history await, while Kagoshima's abundance of satsuma imo (sweet potato) provide a wholesome snack as well as one of Japan's favourite drinks - shochu.