LOST IN TRANSLATION - Chapter 8 Yakushima
Next stop Yakushima and as you can see, it was raining and humid. This is a subtropical island off the southern coast of Kyushu and part of Kagoshima Prefecture. We would be in Kagoshima the following day. It is covered by an extensive cedar forest that contains some of Japan's oldest living trees. Trees more than 1000 years old, the most ancient of which may be over 7000 years old. Also the different flora and fauna of the island consists of around 1,900 plant species, 16 mammal species, 167 different birds and over 4000 insects and other nasty things! Not surprising that the island is so well preserved. A symphony of greenery interwoven with nature. Most tourists come to the island to hike through the forests and see the ancient cedar trees. I can hardly say we hiked but we certainly walked all day. As a subtropical island with nearly 2000 meter high mountains, Yakushima attracts a lot of rainfall around the year, with a local saying claiming that it rains &