Botanical Research Park

If you've done you're homework before visiting Yakushima, then you know that biodiversity and particularly the "vertical distribution" of plants was one of the major reasons Yakushima earned World Heritage status. With over 1500 species of vascular plants in a space of about 500 square kilometers, it's a botanist's paradise.

With this in mind, there are several gardens around the island that were created with botanically inclined visitors in mind, or were at least created by fellow plant lovers. These include the Fruit Garden (an "agro-forest") in Nakama, the Rhododendron Park in Kurio, the Comprehensive Nature Park (I think a better translation would be "Nature and Horiculture Gardens") in Miyanoura, and the Botanical Research Park in Mugio, which I will focus on in this entry.

According to general local knowledge (i.e. hearsay), the Botanical Research Park used to be a thriving attraction where busloads of tourists would regularly stop and motorized carts would wait to carry older citizens around the vast grounds before lunch in the now defunct dining room. While the Park's heyday may be over, it still earns it's place on the map, and even though I visited the park in winter, when only a few plants were blooming or fruiting, I still enjoyed my trip.

After purchasing an entrance ticket for 500 yen (Half the price of tickets a few years back! Kids get in for 250 yen.) and receiving a rather cryptic map, a visit begins with the towering green houses visible from the main road. Check out the wood support frame for this structure!

The inside is a bit austere, but depending on the season, you may be greeted by trees bearing mangoes, guavas, star fruits, sea grapes, bread fruits and others that I've never seen before!

The second greenhouse focuses more on flower plants, and includes both exotic and local species, such as sakura azaleas. However, their is a dearth of signs that is only going to become more apparent until--if you don't read Japanese-- you just throw up your hands and just run around the park and have fun.

From fruit trees to an artificial brook lined with flowers.

Next is the pineapple field:

Can you spot a pineapple? (Hint: front left)

And then, it depends what direction you take. Coffee, bananas, lychee, tangerines, monstellas, a passion fruit vineyard, both an "edible flower garden" and an herb garden, subtropical trees, hibiscuses and hydrangeas promise to make for beautiful scenery for visitors in the spring and summer. I was happy to see that quite a few scientific names are posted, but don't expect any signs or explanations in English.

Nasturtiums in the Edible Flower Garden, Mocchomu Dake rising behind a tankan orange grove, and passion fruit vines.

Smack in the middle of the grounds in the three-story observation tower, which will give you a lovely view of the ocean in the south and Mt. Mocchomu to the northwest.

From the tower I spotted a fruiting Hawaiian screw pine (Click for a close-up)...

...and the view was as great as I expected!

Once you've found gotten your bearings again, head to the southwest corner of the park, following these signs:

They will guide you to a viewing platform for the Torohki Waterfall. In fact, this used to be the best way to view the waterfall until a public walk was built just down the street from the Botanical Research Park.

Torohki Waterfall is an unusual waterfall
that empties directly into the sea. The Botanical
Research Park offers one of two views available to
land-bound tourists.

A walk around the park can easily take over an hour, but if you've brought a lunch with you, you'll find that there are several small shelters with benches scattered around the park, or you can head back to the main building and eat in the gift shop, where your long walk will be rewarded by a small plate of seasonal fruit.

Location: Mugio 896, at the Botanical Research Park bus stop. (30.25174,130.5933)
Entrance: 500 yen, half price for children under 12.
Hours: 8am to 5pm*

*Hours of business may change, so please check or call ahead.

Yakushima Gelato Solaumi -- Gelato and Sorbets on the Sunny(er) Side of Yakushima

Until recently, Yakushima had no speciality ice cream stores. I mean, you could find ice cream at a few cafes or restaurants, but the only real way to satisfy a sweet tooth was to go to the grocery store.

Until 2014, when TWO completely independent ice cream stores opened.
1.) Just north of the airport in the town of Koseda, Cafe Mori offers soft-serve vanilla made from Jersey milk.
2.)Near the town of Mugyo, right next to Pension Echoes and Mori-no-Ferry Cottages, Sola Umi spoons out a variety of gelatos and sorbets.

At Solaumo, I always get a double cup so I can pick two flavors -- something exotic like papaya or avocado(?!) or my favorite coconut, and something more traditional like chocolate. A small double-cup costs a little less than 500 yen. They also serve coffee.

Then comes the best part of the experience: Indoor hammock chairs. After a couple days in Yakushima, you may understand why this is such a brilliant idea, even in one of Yakushima's sunnier towns. The name of this ice cream parlor translates to "Sky Sea," and sometimes I wonder if that's a reference to sun-and-fun or to incredible rainfall! On rainy days, bring a book or some headphones and watch the sky poor down outside as you lounge in one of six individual hammock chair.*2019 Edit: I hear the hammocks have been replaced with something just as cool.


I advise you call ahead though, because they keep some unusual business hours.

Yakushima Gelato SolaUmi
Location: Mugio (30.262792,130.6045482)
Business Hours: 1pm to 5:15pm, closed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the first Saturday of the month*
Website: http://ameblo.jp/yakushima-gelato/

*Hours of business may change, so please check the website or call ahead.