So Im continuing to plan for a japan trip even though its been postponed for a few years. Note that the plan is to go during May after golden week. One of the places we’re planning on going is Yakushima and currently we plan on not renting a car since driving in a country where we dont speak or read the language is kind of terrifying to us. We dont mind taking things slower and if we dont see the entire island. We tend to be very laid back when traveling. The plan is to spend 4 nights on the island, arriving early the first day and leaving midday on our last.
What Im wondering is if anyone who has been there can let me know their thoughts on us relying on the bus system there to get around? We enjoy walks and hiking so walking places are no problem to us. But I’d hate to plan something for our group and then have it be a waste of thier limited time in Japan.
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The buses in Japan run like clockwork, Yakushima is no exception. I took the slow ferry over and spent two nights there, managed to get up to the trailhead to Jomon Sugi and back a different way, no problem.
Definitely less English on Yakushima, but the tourist center is right off the ferry and they can answer any of your questions and help you get to where you’re going
I was there for over a week. The bus schedule are in English, making travel very easy. Just remember that you have to plan out your trip once you get the schedule, because the roads go around the island.
It’s very doable, but yakushima is probably the one place in Japan you don’t have to worry about driving in another country. I was there for 5 days last year and was often one of if not the only car on the road. It’s basically just one big road, one lane in each direction, that goes around the island.
Taking a bus is doable, but with a car you are exposed to so many little treasures. Getting to the ocean-side hidden onsen without a car is a pain in the ass, as is enjoying the western side of the island
So I did this a few years ago. Makes sure you give yourself TONS of time, sometimes the busses there can be a bit infrequent and oh boy a taxi right will cost you an arm and leg on that island bc of the size. So yeah just make sure you have time and you know for sure when the busses come and go. Also imo the jet boat is worth the extra money to save time to get to the island. Speaking of boats like sure you know that schedule too. I spent 3 days on the island and I felt I needed at least a couple more day to enjoy it to the fullest. Pack light to the island if you can! You really don’t want to haul a lot to the island. Airbnb are cheap in Kagoshima so think about renting one just to leave your stuff during your time on yakushima. Shouldn’t be a problem too if there are a few of you in the group.
Hit up the onsen there if you can my friends loved it (I have “yakuza” style tattoos and part Japanese so that speaks for itself). If you can too they have many sea turtles on that island that come to lay eggs, so if you can time it right, it’s a sight to see.
I also stayed at a hostel on the island and it was a fantastic experience. The old man running it spoke perfect English which was helpful for my friends when I wasn’t around.
We did 3 days on Yakushima with no car, and our solution, since none of us could get international driver’s licences in time, was to book tours for each of the two full days we were there, and use the afternoon of our arrival (we took the earliest jetfoil ferry from Kagoshima) to explore Miyanoura and the surrounding hillside on foot.
It was actually a lot of fun, and while I know Yakushima is known for its camping and hiking, none of us (we were a group of 4) are particularly outdoorsy.
So day one, we took the 7 or 8 am jetfoil, arrived just before 11ish, found our hotel (Minshuku Iwakawa, which was basic but nice) and spent the rest of the day wandering the little town, the river’s edge, the breakwater and a few of the trails that start at the edge of town – we didn’t go far.
Day two, we booked a guided kayaking trip up the Anbo River. The guide came to pick us up in a van. Now we’re Canadian, and used to sea kayaking, so we were expecting a bit of a challenge, but nothing too crazy. The funny thing was, our guide was insistent that the water was too cold and we HAD to wear wetsuits – but they only came in Japanese sizes. We’re, um, not small folks, so it was quite a production getting into them. The trip itself was delightful, but not actually challenging at all. The river has extremely slow current, and the water was tepid (didn’t need the wetsuits!), so we actually spent a lot of the tour getting excited over different plants and wildlife on the steep banks (me and my sister are biology nerds). Once we got to the top of the tour, the view of the bridge was gorgeous…. and then we just set down our paddles and drifted down the river in the slow current back to where we started. It was a very relaxing time.
Day 3, We booked the Yes Yakushima round island tour. I forget the tour guide’s name, but he is one of the only british expats living on the island, so he’s not hard to find. He picked us up in a large (for Japan) passenger van and off we went. Full day tour with included lunch, and I think there were 6 or 7 stops total. Two waterfalls, a tea plantation, a seaside onsen pool, some good macaque observation points, the bridge we had kayaked to the previous day, and the turtle beach on the west side of the island. Lots of good info and discussion from the guide.
Day 4 we left in the late morning, but it was cool because the returning jetfoil also stopped at Tanegashima, where JAXA is located.
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[Yakushima pics](https://imgur.com/a/b8BbpI6)
Have you seen [YES! Yakushima](https://www.yesyakushima.com/)? They are super helpful – they organised my ferry, car rental, accommodation, restaurants and suggested things to see and do on the island. The best part if that it is a free service! Can’t recommend them enough!
For Yakushima, I would strongly recommend a car. The traffic is nearly non-existent on the island, and it makes a HUGE difference in getting around as you don’t have to wait around or plan quite so carefully. And when you get back a bit late from a walk or hike, your car is still there – unlike the last bus.
A few years of planning should also include a few years of Japanese language study. Try it out!
I studied for six months before I went to Japan and it was really helpful.
There are buses (and they are on time! plus you can buy multiday passes) but they are limited around the island and head back to the port around 5:30PM for the night so if you plan on doing anything later you might want to consider a car. There were also bike rentals if that’s more your jam. Yakushima was the highlight of my trip. Be sure to bring lots of rain gear, you will get wet.
We rented a car in Yakushima and honestly it’s such an effortless thing driving there. There is little to no traffic and unlike most places everyone is respectful on the roads.
Just another sidenote, make sure you take enough cash with you in advance as 99% of places only accept cash and there are limited options for withdrawing (post office).
As was pointed out already, yakushima is probably one of the easiest places in Japan to drive around. Few roads and little traffic.
If you plan to book a tour I can recommended [yes yakushima](https://www.yesyakushima.com). You can also book ferry (and rental cars if you change your mind) via them. We booked a turtle tour and although we only saw one turtle it was still worth it as the guide was very talkative and provided us with tons of stories, not only about the turtles but also about Japan in general.
Apparently [yakumonkey](http://www.yakumonkey.com) is a very good guide book about the island.
Don’t forget to watch Princess Mononoke before or during your stay at yakushima 🙂
Sounds dreamy tbh.
We rented from [http://www.destino-rentacar.jp/](http://www.destino-rentacar.jp/) and it was very easy for a foreigner with an IDL. It took a little getting used to driving on the other side of the road but it was all good. BTW, once you get onto the western-side of the island, the driving is slow anyway since monkeys and deer were all over the road.
As a side note, be mindful that most stores and restaurants close early on Yakushima. It seemed that after 10pm, everything was closed.
Driving is great, we drove from Kanazawa to ShizuokA earlier in the year with a people mover (El Grand). Basically you can use Google maps everywhere, the drivers there are quite patient and it one of the more pleasant driving experiences I’ve had overseas (worst so far being driving in London).
I personally recommend renting a car. It was my first time renting overseas as well and it’s an easy drive on the island. You just have more flexibility with a car rental vs planning around a time schedule. I felt way more relaxed for time as I took my time on the hikes.
I went to Yakushima a few years ago and relied on the buses.
You need a car.
I repeat, you need a car.
We found the bus timetable to be truly bizarre, often the buses would drive you to a tourist spot then leave shortly after and there would be no return journey for 4 or 5 hours.
When we went to Yakusugiland we felt stressed and rushed because there are only two buses a day back so didn’t get to spend as much time as we wanted there. In addition there were quite a few tourists unable to get on the last bus back because it filled up really quickly.
I really enjoyed my few days on the island but I want to go back because I missed so much because the bus service is so infrequent.
Driving anywhere in Japan is very easy.
I went without a car and you could get to the trailhead for all the major hikes but the buses were pretty infrequent. If you have an international permit, it would be better to drive.
If you’re up for cycling, Yakushima’s low traffic is perfect for that. There is an annual cycling race around the island, and I met a few people who were cycling around the island when I was there.
I wouldn’t recommend the west side (the forest road area) unless you’re super fit and can cycle long distances because it’s a long stretch with no village or rest area.
Went to Yakushima on 2018. Buses run on schedules however you will greatly benefit if u check their schedules early on. Because its not a ‘busy’ town, buses are infrequent. I’m talking like 1 every 2-3 hours. I went to a beach and even after swimming and eating my packed lunch I had to wait a good 45min for the next bus to arrive (literally next bus after the one I got off).
However considering u enjoy hiking/walking, it probably won’t be much of an issue as u can just take that extra time to explore. Just be careful to make sure you’re at the stop in time.