Yakushima*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Japan
Type	Natural
Criteria	vii, ix
Reference	662
Region†	Asia-Pacific
Inscription History
Inscription	1993  (17th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Yakushima (屋久島, Yakushima^?) is an island of about 500km² and roughly 15 000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The Vincennes Strait (Yakushima Kaikyō) separates it from Tanegashima. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 meters (6,360 feet). It is covered in dense forest noted especially for old growth Cryptomeria trees known as Sugi in Japan and magnificent Rhododendrons. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File linksMetadata Jhomonsugi_in_Yaku_Island_Japan_001. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia, Australia and the Pacific (Australasia). ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... KyÅ«shÅ« region of Japan and the current prefectures on KyÅ«shÅ« island KyÅ«shÅ« ), literally Nine Provinces, is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ... Kagoshima Prefecture ) is located on KyÅ«shÅ« island, Japan. ... Yoshinobu Launch Complex (© JAXA) in Tanegashima Tanegashima (Japanese: 種子島) is an island lying to the south of Kyushu, south Japan, and is part of the Kagoshima Prefecture. ... Binomial name Cryptomeria japonica (L.f. ...

Yakushima's unique remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest is a natural World Heritage Site since 1993. It is said to rain "35 days a month". Precipiation is one of the worlds highest at 4000 to 10 000 mm. There are in fact dry periods in autumn and winter, while heaviest downpours occur in spring and summer often accompanied by landslides. It is the southernmost place in Japan where there is snow in the mountains, often for months, while the ocean temperature is never below 19°C. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

The "pristine" Yakusugi Forest of Manga fame is visited by 300,000 tourists every year. It is said to have inspired the forest setting in Hayao Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke. The island was also seen in the 1996 movie Rebirth of Mothra where Mothra Leo laid his cocoons on one of the trees there. Hayao Miyazaki ) (Born January 5, 1941 in Tokyo, Japan) is a director of animated films and a co-founder of the animation studio and production company Studio Ghibli. ... Princess Mononoke ) is a Japanese animated film by Hayao Miyazaki that was first released in Japan on July 12, 1997 and in the United States on October 29, 1999 in select cities and on November 26, 1999. ... Rebirth of Mothra , Mothra) is the first in a trilogy of kaiju eiga produced by Toho, in which Mothra saves the world from environment-threatening monsters. ... In Tohos Mothra Trilogy of the late 1990s, Mothra Leo is a child of the original Mothra. ...

The island has been a test site for Honda's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle research. Yakushima's electricity is more than 50% hydroelectric, and surplus power has been used to produce hydrogen gas in a small experiment by Kagoshima University. There are no hydrogen cars stationed on the island but a few electric cars are run by the municipality. The logo of the Honda automobiles The logo of the Honda motorcycles Honda Motor Company, Limited )   (TYO: 7267 , NYSE: HMC), or simply called Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, engine manufacturer and engineering corporation. ...

See also

• Kamiyaku, Kagoshima
• Yaku, Kagoshima
• Yakushima White Pine

Kamiyaku (上屋久町; -chou) is a town located in Kumage District, Kagoshima, Japan. ... Yaku (屋久町; -chou) is a town located in Kumage District, Kagoshima, Japan. ... Binomial name Pinus amamiana The Yakushima White Pine (Pinus amamiana) is a native of southern Japan, on the islands of Yakushima and Tanegashima south of Kyushu. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External Links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Yaku Island

• UNESCO World Heritage Site Entry

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Japan

Buddhist Monuments, Hōryū-ji Area · Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu · Himeji Castle · Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) · Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) · Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara · Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama · Itsukushima Shinto Shrine · Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape · Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range · Shirakami-Sanchi · Shiretoko · Shrines and Temples of Nikkō · Yakushima Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Horyu-ji. ... Katsuren Gusuku Ruins Gusuku is the Okinawan word for castle or fortress. ... view from Nishi-no-maru Himeji Castle (姫路城; -jō) is a Japanese castle located in Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture. ... Citizens of the city pass by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial on their way to a memorial ceremony on August 6, 2004 Hiroshima Peace Memorial, called Gembaku Dome (原爆ドーム), the Atomic Bomb Dome, or the A-Bomb Dome by the Japanese is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hiroshima, Japan. ... Kyoto )   is a city in the central part of the island of HonshÅ«, Japan. ... Byodoin Uji (Japanese: 宇治市; -shi) is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. ... ÅŒtsu ) is the capital city of Shiga, Japan. ... Nara ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. ... Gassho-zukuri in Shirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture. ... The torii of Itsukushima Shrine, the sites most recognizable landmark, appears to float in the water. ... Mine shaft at the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was a silver mine in the Shimane Prefecture of HonshÅ«, Japan. ... The Kii Peninsula is one of the largest peninsulas on the island of Honshu in Japan. ... Shirakami-Sanchi (白神山地) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Honshu, Japan. ... Shiretoko National Park ) covers most of the Shiretoko Peninsula at the northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaido, Japan. ... Nikkō , literally sunlight) is a city located in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. ...

Coordinates: 30°21′31″N, 130°31′43″E Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...