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Shiratani Unsuikyo moss forest

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Shiratani Unsuikyo moss forest, Yakushima

Shiratani Unsuikyo moss forestPhoto: KimonBerlin / CC BY-SA 2.0

Shiratani Unsuikyo is one of two natural recreation forests on Yakushima, run by a council of the Forestry Agency, the prefecture and the town.

Round trip
5 hr
From the ship and back
Fits
a 7-hour call or longer
Margin already counted
Getting there
Bus from the 宮之浦 stop, about 20 min on foot from the quay: 8:23, 10:08, 13:13, 15:33, about 35 min, ¥530
See the rides below
Booking
Just turn up
Nothing to reserve
Getting there
Bus from the 宮之浦 stop, about 20 min on foot from the quay: 8:23, 10:08, 13:13, 15:33, about 35 min, ¥530; taxi about 25 min, ¥4,200 from the quay, our estimate

Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada

Why go

Cedar, moss-covered granite and clear streams at 600–1,050 m, 10 km above Miyanoura. The Taikoiwa route reaches the moss forest in about 1 hour 15 minutes each way; the whole round trip to Taikoiwa Rock is about 4 hours. Forest fee ¥800 from April 2026. Parts of the short Yayoisugi course stay closed after Typhoon No. 24; the Taikoiwa and Bugyosugi routes reopened on 18 October 2026.

Why it earns the hours
  • Number 1 of ten on our list for Yakushima.
  • On a 4–6h ashore call our verdict is "Yes, the short version" — taxi both ways (about 25 min, about ¥4,200 each way, our estimate) and walk as far as time allows on the Taikoiwa route.
Before you count on it
  • 5 hr door to door needs a 7-hour call: a 2–3 hour stop cannot hold it. Pick something closer instead.
Open the full guide →
Before you go

Things worth knowing

  • Wear shoes with grip and carry a rain jacket: the paths are wet granite and roots.
  • After heavy rain the streams rise; the forest council asks hikers to wait until crossings are safe.
  • Bring coins or ¥1,000 notes: the bus takes cash or local IC cards only, not Suica.
Where it is

Shiratani Unsuikyo moss forest and your ship

Both pins on one map, so the distance is a fact rather than a feeling.

The arithmetic

Where the 5 hr goes

The hour before all-aboard is not in this bar; it is already set aside. The minutes are our estimates from timetables and maps, not timed on the ground.

Outabout 55 minBus from the 宮之浦 stop, about 20 min on foot from the quay: 8:23, 10:08, 13:13, 15:33, about 35 min, ¥530; taxi about 25 min, ¥4,200 from the quay, our estimate
There3 hr 20 minWhat you came for
Backabout 55 minTo the gangway

If your ship is late, cut the 3 hr 20 min in the middle. Never cut the hour at the end.

Asked about Shiratani Unsuikyo moss forest

Questions

How long does the Shiratani Unsuikyo moss forest walk take?

About 2 hours 30 minutes from the entrance to the moss forest and back, on the Taikoiwa route. The full round trip to Taikoiwa Rock is about 4 hours; the short Yayoisugi course about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Can I go to Shiratani Unsuikyo from a cruise ship?

Yes. The bus from the 宮之浦 stop, about 20 minutes on foot from the cruise quay, takes about 35 minutes, ¥530, at 8:23, 10:08, 13:13 and 15:33, and comes back at 9:00, 10:40, 13:45 and 16:10. A taxi from the cruise quay is about 25 minutes.

The day this belongs to

Routes that already include it

Finished days timed from official timetables and our estimates, with this stop in them.

Shiratani Unsuikyo: to the moss forest and back, YakushimaShiratani Unsuikyo: to the moss forest and backNeeds a 7-hour call · ~5h door to doorCalls of 7 hours or more with the ship in by 09:00: out on the 10:08 bus, back on the 13:45. The 8:23 bus also works but leaves you waiting for the 13:45. A ship that tenders loses 30–60 min each way: on Mitsui Ocean Sakura’s 21 April 2027 call the 10:08 cannot be caught, so take a taxi both ways; on its 1 July 2027 call (08:00–17:00) take the 10:08 out but a taxi booked for 13:45 back from Shiratani (about 25 min, about ¥4,200, our estimate), because the 13:45 bus and the walk reach the quay at about 14:32, after the 14:30 an hour’s tender run needs. Not after heavy rain, when the streams rise
Pairs well with

What to put beside it

Each of these still lands you back aboard with the hour to spare.

Build your own day
Yakusugi Land, YakushimaSee · ~5h

Yakusugi Land

The higher recreation forest, at 1,000–1,300 m above Anbo, with five boardwalk and trail courses among named cedars: Buddhasugi, about 1,800 years old, and Hahakosugi, about 2,600.

See the detailKigensugi cedar, YakushimaSee · ~5h

Kigensugi cedar

A cedar of about 3,000 years, 19.5 m tall and 8.1 m round, beside the forest road.

See the detailOhko-no-taki waterfall, YakushimaSee · ~5.5h

Ohko-no-taki waterfall

One of Japan’s 100 best waterfalls, on the south-west coast.

See the detail
The one rule: be back on board 60 minutes before all-aboard. Build the whole day on the Yakushima plan page.
Everything in one pageThe complete Yakushima guide: berth, into town, your hours, tours that fitOpen the complete guide →