Yakushima / Mt.Miyanoura ③: From “Jomonsugi” cedar forest to “Shiratani Unsuikyo”, laurel forest

From Shin-Takatsuka hut to Jomonsugi cedar

After walking through the paradise of megaliths and clear water at Mt. Miyanoura, head to the forest of giant trees.

In the early morning, I left the new Takatsuka hut (1501m) and descended to Jomon cedar (1292m).

As you lower the altitude, the forest gets deeper and the air gets damp.

 

The big advantage of visiting Jomonsugi cedar on the vertical run of Mt. Miyanoura is that you can see Jomonsugi cedar when there are few people.

At Mt. Miyanoura on the first day, we will walk in glassland, which exceeds the forest limit. The mountain top, which snows in winter, is a subalpine landscape.

After lowering the altitude and passing the new Takatsuka hut, the forest is finally getting deeper.

 

The forest leading to Jomon cedar is mainly coniferous. It is a mixed forest where broad-leaved trees are mixed with coniferous trees such as hemlock and fir, including the famous Yakusugi (Yakusugi).

Thick trunks stand on steep slopes toward the heavens. The air that fills the forest is clearly different from the glassland on the mountain.

 

I arrived at Jomonsugi cedar around 7:30 in the morning

 

Giant tree of 4000 year old, "Jomonsugi" cedar

The Jomonsugi cedar that I visited in the morning was quiet and I could only hear the chirping of birds.

The first sunshine shines into the forest, and the 4000-year-old Jomonsugi cedar emerges solemnly. When you see the largest tree in Japan with a trunk circumference of 16m and a height of 30m, you will naturally feel as if you are visiting a shrine. I think it's a very primitive "fear".

 

The thickest giant tree in the world, "Tree of El Tule" in Mexico

I first encountered a giant tree a long time ago, more than 20 years ago.

The "Tree of El Tule" I visited in Oaxaca, Mexico was the thickest tree in the world with a trunk circumference of 36m. It is large enough for 30 people to hold hands and finally go around.

Like the Jomonsugi cedar, the Tree of El Tule in the park on the church grounds is overwhelmed by the wall-like trunk, which cannot be grasped as a whole just by seeing the trunk.

The Tree of El Tule, which is thought to be 1400 years old, is much younger than Jomonsugi cedar, but like Jomonsugi cedar, it feels something that transcends human time and emotions.

Born in the Aztec era, it became a sanctuary of the Catholic Church under Spanish rule, and has undergone a transition of the times. In the Aztec language, Nahuatl, this tree was called the "old man of water."

 

“Shiratani Unsuikyo” in the laurel forest

As you walk through the Jomon cedar forest and the altitude drops further, the appearance of the trees will also change. Shiratani Unsuikyo, which is about 700m above sea level, is a forest where Yakusugi forest and laurel forest coexist. The dense virgin forest is surrounded by dark green and the ground is covered with moss.

 

A laurel forest is an "evergreen broad-leaved tree" that does not fall in the fall. The leaves of this evergreen broad-leaved tree are so bright that they have come to be called as the name implies.

Near the equator, it is an evergreen broad-leaved forest called a tropical rainforest, but in temperate zones like Japan, the leaves are small and thick in order to maintain the leaves even in winter.

The laurel forest once spread on a scale that covered Japan south of “Tohoku” region and nurtured the “Jomon period”. Most of the laurel forests have already been lost, and most of the remaining forests are shrines and temples such as the "guardian forest" of the shrine.

The fact that this precious laurel forest still remains on Yakushima was a major factor in the registration of the World Natural Heritage Site.

 The ancient Japanese landscape still remains on Yakushima.

Recommended route around Mt.Miyanoura

By starting the vertical route from Mt. Miyanoura from the flower river, you can visit Jomonsugi cedar and Shiratani Unsuikyo in a time when there are relatively few people.

In the first half, you can enjoy the great view of the sub-highlands, and in the second half, you can see two kinds of scenery by walking in the virgin forest, so if you have time, you should traverse Mt. Miyanoura.