トッピフェリー屋久島

There are several ways of getting to Yakushima, an island that is a World Heritage Site located off the coast of Kyushu.

From Kagoshima, perhaps the most pleasant option is a two-hour ride on the "Toppy" jetfoil.

"Toppy" means flying fish in the local dialect, and the boat does indeed "fly."

On the day we rode across the bay to Yakushima, the seas were rough but the ride smooth once the jetfoil kicked in and the boat lifted up and out of the water as it glided forward.

The fee is 7,000 yen one way.

For those who prefer a slower, cheaper, and possibly rougher ride, regular ferry service is also available. The Yakushima Ferry 2 departs Kagoshima New Port in the morning, and costs 5,000 one way for a four-hour ride to the island. For an extra fee, you can bring your car as well.

(Flights are available from Kagoshima Airport, but as the airport is so far outside the city this is not a good option. If you are coming , however, from Kansai - Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara - flights from Itami Airport take one hour and 15 minutes.)


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桜島噴火

On a brief trip to Kagoshima, we toured around the city ending up at an overlook above the center of downtown.

As we joined a group of Chinese tourists, we were afforded a splendid view of Sakurajima, the volcanic island just across the bay.

The day was clear and bright with only a few clouds. Sakurajima was framed by a blue sky, with only one small cloud just to the right of center.

After a few minutes though the mountain came to life.

Great plumes of white smoke puffed out of the right side of the volcano - see below left.

This elicited great squeals of delight. It lasted for roughly ten minutes - then just as suddenly stopped.

Later in the day, it started up several more times.

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蒲生の大楠

The biggest known tree in Japan, as measured by girth, is the Kamoh no Ohkusu (aka Kamo no Kusu, a Giant Camphor Tree) in Kagoshima prefecture.

The kusunoki, or camphor tree, (Cinnamomum camphora) is an evergreen tree native to southern Japan, Taiwan, south-east China and Indochina. Camphor is a solid aromatic substance with a wide range of uses, including medicinal, culinary, and ritualistic. It is also an insect repellant, as a component of smokeless gunpowder, and in celluloid production.



This massive camphor tree known as "Kamoh no Ohkusu" ("Giant Camphor Tree of Kamoh") is on the grounds of the Kamo Shrine. It has a trunk diameter of 24.2 meters (79 feet), a root circumference of about 40 meters (130 feet), and a height of 30 meters (98 feet). It is believed to be between 1,500 and 3,000 years old.

Kamou no Ohkusu was designated a Special National Natural Treasure in 1952. A wooden walkway was added on top of the exposed root system in 2001, making it possible to walk right around the trunk itself. After a program to rejuvenate the tree, it is now producing brilliant green foliage and masses of small white flowers once again every spring.

It's base is so massive that there is a door in it, suggesting it was once hollowed out for use as, perhaps, a refuge or storage place.

Google Map

Kamoh no Ohkusu
Kamoh Hachiman Shrine,
Kamigyutoku, Kamoh-cho, Aira-gun, Kagoshima-ken 899-5302
Tel 0995-52-1211

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