Kyushu


Kyushu is the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. We went down to Kagoshima. A city around a bay with an active volcano at its center. From there, we took a ferry to the island of Yakushima. We spent a few days hiking and soaking in natural hot springs. The best onsen of those three weeks was, without a doubt, the Hirauchi undersea hot spring. It's a group of pools that are under the sea during high tide. At low tide the pools fills up with spring water bursting from the rocks. If you're shy don't go there, cause it's unisex and you can't wear a swimsuit, just like the bath used to be in good old times.

Dolphin from the Kagoshima aquarium. Three times a day they let them play in a closed part of the sea around the aquarium. Thus we could see them for free.

Trail close to the summit of the Miyanoura dake. It's the highest peak of Yakushima and the whole Kyushu region (1936m).

Yakushima is famous for it's forest covered in moss. Some says that it was the main inspiration for the forest setting of the movie "Princess Mononoke".

The many patterns of Yakushima




Milky way as seen from Yakushima.

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