Exterior Mountain #1. Mocchomu-Dake

 Of all of Yakushima's Exterior Mountains, this is one of the most popular peaks. It's an intense uphill climb, and, tragically, weary hikers have gotten lost, but the rewards are plentiful.

 屋久島の前岳の一つ、モッチョム岳は最近、遭難事故があったが、モッチョム岳はかなり魅力的な山で、とっても人気です。この激しい登山を挑戦すれば、「洋上のアルプス」に一目惚れするでしょう。

Senpiro Falls

 The trail head is located next to the Senpiro Falls viewing area, in Yakushima's relatively sunny south. To see this waterfall is to understand the treacherous nature of Yakushima's geography. It's said that a group from mainland Japan was enjoying the river upstream, when they were caught in a storm and washed away while trying to cross. 

 登山口は屋久島の天気のいい（まぁ、北部に比べて、、）南部にある千尋の滝の展望台の近くに位置しています。とっても美しい滝です。普段は水量は少ないですが、屋久島の特徴である険しい花崗岩の斜面と川の危険がとてもわかりやすいです。上流で人が亡くなった例もあります。



If you've done a lot of hiking in Japan before, than you may be used to this sort of medium-maintenance trail. As with most hikes off the beaten path, you won't find any wooden staircases. Instead you'll be searching for trail markers (pink tape) as you go an navigating rocks, roots, and a couple streams. The terrain can be slippery and foggy. Get an early start so that nightfall doesn't catch you on this trail.

日本でハイキングの経験を富んでいる方は、こういうまま整備されている山道に慣れているかもしれませんが、屋久島のマイナーなルートとして、木製階段は一つでもありません。その代わりにピンクテープを探しながら、石、根っこ、沢渡みたいな障害物が多いです。雨の後、滑りやすくなって、霧も多いです。朝一でスタートして、暗くなる前に下山を終了しましょう。

Bandai Sugi

Taro

Between the first and second stream, it's a steep uphill climb. But two large Yakusugi, Bandai Sugi and Taro are waiting ahead. (If you feel warn out, know that the local kidergarten does an annual hike to Bandai Sugi!) Be careful not to injure the tree as you take a rest among the roots of Bandai Sugi.

一つ目も二つ目の沢の間は、かなり険しいクライムですが、その日本の屋久杉が待っています。それは、万代杉とモッチョム太郎と呼ばれています。麓の集落の幼稚園の子供たちは、毎年万代杉まで登っていますよ。あんまり疲れたら、根っこに傷をつけないように気をつけながら、万代杉で休憩しましょう。笑

Coptis Ramosa

Fill up your water bottle at the second stream, and the third one if it's flowing, because it's much dryer near the peak. Notice how the flora changes from mossy valleys and subtropical broadleaf species to conifers and even bamboo grass after you pass over the ridge and head down to the summit. Watch for coptis flowers in late winter, high-altitude rhododendrons in the late spring, and colorful insects in the summer. In the fall, keep an eye out for parasitic plants near the bottom. Oh, and don't overlook the bug-eating sundews in the parking lot! If you're lucky, you may stumble across an orchid in bloom, a piece of quartz, or a tribe of monkeys, but remember that this is part of the protected Natural World Heritage Site.

コケに覆われた谷に付き、おいしい水はありますし、どんどん登ると、植物の垂直分布はきれいに見えます。標高が高くなると、冬か春ならオウレン 、夏ならシャクナゲが咲いて、色とりどりの虫が飛びます。秋なら、標高の低い所で、寄生植物が見つけられるかもしれません。駐車場にも面白い植物がありますよ。それは、虫を食べるコモウセンゴケです。（本当の苔ではありません。）運が良ければ、ランの仲間、水晶、猿との出会いも可能ですが、この山道は世界遺産に含まれていますので、充分ご注意下さい。

Alas, the peak!

To visit Mocchomu-Dake, you should be in good physical shape. You'll be climbing over roots and rocks in one minute and holding on to them tight the next. To make it up the last few meters, you'll want your hands completely free to hoist yourself up a final rope. Bring a lunch, a water bottle, and a light jacket even in the summer. Depending on your cell phone carrier, you'll be within cell phone contact for most of the way, but especially if you don't have a cell phone, I suggest carrying even a minimal first aid kit and a whistle.

モッチョム岳を挑戦するのには、ある程度体力が必要です。根っこや岩が多く、手足を使いながら登ります。最後にロープを使って登るところ2ヶ所ぐらいあります。夏でも、軽いジャケットと、そうして弁当とお水を持参して下さい。携帯は会社によって、だいたい繋がりますが、基本の救急箱や笛の持参も進めます。

Shrine at the peak

The beauty of this mountain goes beyond its physical description. There's a certain peace to be had after visiting the small shrine and sitting on the rocks at the peak, looking out over southeastern Yakushima.

この山の独特の魅力は説明しにくいものです。祠を見つけ、山頂の岩の上に座りながら、屋久島の南東の山々や集落を見渡して、深い空間を楽しめます。

Peak Elevation: 940m
Trail Head Elevation: ~350m
Map time: 6+ hours round trip for people in top shape. 8+ hours is typical.
Bus stop: It's a long walk from the main road, but that doesn't stop people.

A two-day hike ～2日間のトレッキング～

Oct 18-19, 2012
Yodogawa -> Mt. Miyanoura -> Shin-Takatsuka hut -> Jomon Sugi -> Shiratani -> Kusukawa
淀川→宮之浦岳→新高塚小屋→縄文杉→白谷→楠川

So the typhoon cleared out faster than everyone expected, and I hopped a bus to the mountains, intending to retrace half the route I took my first trip to Yakushima. Japanese hikers like to get started early, and the trail was empty by the time I got to the entrance to the Yodogawa Trail.
台風の後の天気は一番ですね。だから18日、バスに乗って山に向かった。始めて屋久島に来た時のコースの一部を歩くつもり。出発が遅いから、淀川登山口に着いたら、人は少ない。

The skies are so blue. In this land where it rains "35 days a month", today is the first time I've been able to see "Tofu Rock" atop Mt. Kohban. I hadn't even known that mountains overlooked Hananoego, the high-altitude peat marsh.
月35日が雨と言われている屋久島だけど、今日は頭上は一つ雲もない青空。始めて高盤岳の豆腐石や花の江川から見えるはずの山々が見える。

And then, the outlook where I fell in love with Yakushima. The first time I was here, 3 years ago, it was about 5:30am, and the world below glowed with mountains poking up from an orange fog.
そうして、三年前、屋久島を一目惚れした展望台。その時は朝の5:30の朝日に染めたオレンジ色の霧から浮かび上がった山を眺めてた。。

I meet a group of about 30 senior citizens doing a one-day roundtrip to Mt. Miyanoura (altitude=1937m). Why do people come from so far to climb Mt. Miyanoura? This is why: A 360 degree view of Yakushima with funny granite boulders dotting the green mountains surrounded by ocean. I'm alone at the top, and I have a nice little cry. When I sit down next to the peak marker, the wind dies down, and it's perfectly silent. I can hear only the feint ringing of my ears.
途中で、日帰りのトレッキングから帰って来た約30人の年配の方と出会った。すごいな、、、宮之浦岳は標高1937ｍの山だよ。なんでそんな年でもわっざわざ登らなきゃの？もちろん山頂からの眺めが素晴らしいからです。360°の海、周りの緑な山岳から出っ張る花崗岩。涙。今一人だ。しゃがんだら、風が急に消えて、静かになる。自分の耳鳴り以外の音は全くない。





I meet all kinds of animals: numerous deer and monkeys, a weasel, and several interesting birds such as the Japanese Wood Pigeon and the Eurasian Jay.
屋猿、屋鹿、コイタチ、カラスバトやカケスと出会う。

When I get in to Shin-Takatsuka hut, it's already getting dark. Someone has started a small fire--off the scale of things you shouldn't be doing in this area of Yakushima--but it's been burning for a while and I let it go. Besides, it's cold and the company is nice. Most of the folks staying in this hut have come up the trail from the Jomon Sugi tree, and they're hoping to see the sunrise over Mt. Miyanoura. I'm tempted to join them, but today I'm planning my descent down a trail I haven't walked before. For breakfast, I eat a package of boiled chestnuts someone had dropped around Mt. Miyanoura, and head out around sunrise.
新高塚小屋に着いたら既に薄暗い。誰かたき火をしてる。この場所ではもちろん激禁だけど、もう遅いし、寒いし、心地よい。新高塚に泊まる人はだいたい宮之浦岳の周辺から日の出をみたいんだ。私もそうしようかなと迷ったけど、今日は新しい山道が待ってる。朝ご飯には、誰かが落ちた栗の一袋。そうして出発。

From Shin Takatsuka hut, it's not far to Jomon Sugi, and by now I know the Okabu Hodo (aka the Jomon Sugi Route) like the back of my hand. It's full of great sights like Wilson's Stump and the Husband-and-Wife Sugi trees, but when I'm on my own none of that matters, and I can soak in the feel of the overall forest. It's a pleasant stroll down with my headphones on. This would be a great trail for trail running, but there's too many people most of the time.
新高塚小屋から縄文杉まで遠くはないし、そこからおりる大株歩道はよく知ってる。今日は有名なウイルソン株や夫婦杉などはどうでもいいから、音楽を聞きながら森の全部を楽しみながら散歩する。

Soon I'm on the railroad tracks, pausing to greet the guides and let them pass with their clients on the way up. I turn off the tracks at the branch to Shiratani. Shiratani is full of up-down trails, and I'm a bit tired, but everything is so green, and the weather is perfect.
そろそろトロッコ道に出て、縄文杉に向かってるガイドさんと軽く挨拶しながら、白谷の分かれまで歩き続く。白谷はやはりアップ・ダウンが多いけど、緑できれい。天気も最高。

As planned, I veto the normal bridge towards the parking lot, and head down the old stone trail the loggers used in Edo times. It's a long trail down that ends just a couple kilometers from the ocean, and it's full of slippery pebbles and stones, and I just realized my new shoes are too short. . . but the trail has been recently cleared, and it follows the beautiful Kusukawa river. This could be a mountain river in Anywhere, Japan. And that's why I love Japan.
駐車場の道の代わりに今日は楠川歩道を歩く。江戸時代にできた石の道だそうだ。長い、歩きづらい小石ばっかりだし、私の新しい靴が短すぎる、、、でも！この山道は最近に掃除されたり直されたりしたようだし、楠川はとっってもきれい！この川は日本の各地にある川とあまり変わらない。だから日本が好きだよ！

　

When I reach the town below, there's a lady airing out some mattresses. She runs inside as I pass. But then she comes running back out with a bunch of "kakarandango,"  a sweet confection of mochi wrapped in a leaf.
町に辿り着いたら、布団を干してる女が速く家に消えてしまう。そうして、かからん団子を持って、私の後に声をかけてくる。わ～～嬉しいな。ありがとうございます！

だから屋久島が好きだよ！

And that's why I love Yakushima.