Hiking across Yakushima, Mt. Miyanoura dake

Read about the 1st day of the 3-day hike.

Or read about the 3rd day of the 3-day hike.

Our second day of hiking through Yakushima was GREAT! The weather was amazing! We could not have believed it ourselves after reading about how much it rains on this island! It was so much better than we had expected! Full sunshine with a gentle breeze! We couldn’t have asked for better! And the view! Need I say more?! 🙂

Deer spotted grazing at the highland marsh intersection.

We were up and about just before sun rise but we did not manage to get moving until 7:30 or 8am that morning. The sky was clear and the sun was within sight. It took us close to 2 hours to hike back through the Hana-no-ego trail (花之江河) and back to the highland marsh intersection to join the Yodogawa trail (淀 川登步道) again. While it was easier to hike uphill, the trail that morning was a little challenging especially on the boarded paths as a layer of ice had formed on them. Still, with proper hiking shoes, walking poles and careful movements, we managed to get to the intersection efficiently and without any accidents.

At the highland marsh intersection, we wanted to see whether any deer were in sight. I was skeptical but the hubby insisted and to our surprise, we found a small herd of deer grazing in the sun. They were small, smaller than the ones here in south Germany, with a distinct white patch around the tail. And unlike the deer I have seen which were all grey, these were a lovely brown colour. We stayed as quiet as we possibly could but eventually, the deer took notice of us. Thankfully we left a considerable distance between us and them so they stayed to graze when we finally left them in peace.

Ice under the shade of a bush along the Yodogawa trail.

We hiked uphill from here through forests and then out in the open along rocks and bushes. It was amazing to see Rhododendron bushes thriving at this altitude. Also along this part of the trail, the path was no longer boarded and was, in fact, rather adventurous. At some parts, we needed to climb rocks using ropes that were provided. At others, snow still covered the paths even through they are exposed to the sun. Despite the terrain, the paths were clearly marked out and it was impossible to lose your way.

Pure adventure along the Yodogawa trail! The paths varying in construct and conditions!

As we walked from peak to peak, we came across many rock formations so queer that it was almost as though someone had put them there on purpose. Nature is truly amazing! We eyed the indistinguishable Tofu rock, named for its resemblance to sliced tofu, on the neighboring hill top. Other peaks we went by along this part of the trail were the Mt. Nageishi dake (投石岳) (1830m), Mt. Anbo dake (安房岳) (1847m), Mt. Okina dake (翁岳) (1860m), Mt. Kurio dake (栗生岳) (1867m) and finally, Mt. Miyanoura dake (宮之浦岳) (1936m).

Tofu rock on the peak of an adjacent hill (left). Famous for looking like sliced tofu, it is also depicted in many drawings and artwork on souvenirs. We bought ourselves a small painting of it glued to a thin piece of cedar wood! (right)

Rock formations along the Yodogawa trail before reaching Mt. Miyanoura dake.

At Mt. Miyanoura dake, the view was spectacular. We had a 360° view and with the clear sky that day, it was breath-taking. We took a break here with 2 other hikers, taking pictures, enjoying the breeze and the feeling of being on top of the world for that instance. The peak was a great spot for preparing lunch as the area was not too narrow or small even for the 4 of us. It was a prefect lunch break!

Clouds over the forests and threatening to roll in.

Everything that goes up must come down! And that was exactly what we did right after lunch. From Miyanoura dake, it was nothing but downhill. That would not have been a big problem except that the paths hid in the shadows most of the time and because of that, most of the paths were still covered by snow. Since we had already rented them, we decided to put on the ice cleats to assist in climbing downhill. The quality of the ice cleats weren’t great. During the course of our climbing I lost a few metal spikes but for most of the time, it was convenient to have them.

Along the Yodogawa trail on the way up to Mt Miyanoura dake.

Snow among the densely packed trees. It was a little bit precarious as some parts had started melting and breaking through when we walked over them

We reached the Yakeno sansaro junction (焼野三叉路) in no time and took the Miyanoura trail (宮之浦步道). Before long, we reached the forests and  I must admit that at some sections of the trail, the snow was so abundant that the paths were gone (but the hot pink ribbons in the trees were still highly visible marks to follow) and we were almost walking along the tree tops!

Despite this, we covered a decent distance on this day. We went by a few other hikers walking in the opposite direction. Most were either hiking alone or as a pair. Nevertheless, we found ourselves secluded in the forests most of the time with the occasional deer spotting in the distance. We also came by the Shin-takatsuka hut  (新高塚小屋) but decided against staying here as we wanted to cover as much distance as we could to make the next day’s hike easier.

View from the balcony on the top level of the Takatsuka hut. You can spy someone’s tent on the left edge of the picture!

Our second day came to an end when we reached the Takatsuka hut (高塚小屋). In the midst of the trees, the hut stood as a tall wooden building with a wooden platform close to it where people could pitch tents. Inside the hut, it was obvious that the building was newly built (in 2013) as it looked nice and clean. The building can pack 20 people but thankfully not so many were using the building that night. There were 3 levels to chose from; a pair of elderly Japanese men had already occupied the ground floor and were preparing dinner with a small camping stove while lying in their sleeping bags. The next floor up was empty but we decided to climb up to the next level (top level) to get some privacy. The top level was a much smaller area, with access to a small balcony, that was perfect for accommodating two so we stayed here for the night. As evening turned to night, a couple more young Japanese guys entered the hut. While we and the elderly Japanese men were well equipped, the young guys came with barely anything on their backs. We wondered how they were going to get through the night when we noticed them pulling out large plastic bags and started wrapping themselves with them! As we walked past them during the night and noticed the condensation accumulating in the plastic bags, I even started feeling a bit concerned about whether they would freeze or suffocate in the plastic. While we heard the constant rustle of plastic throughout the night, I was thankful to hear movement in the morning and to walk through the clean open space the next day.