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kuchinoerabu island
口永良部島
In three words: Onsens. Volcanos. Wild.
Recommended for: Onsen lovers. People with a wild side. People visiting Yakushima who want to get further out.
Size: About 40km²
Population: About 100
Boats depart from: Miyanoura Port, Yakushima.
Kuchinoerabu and us: We live right next door and we love it there!
In Brief:
Kuchinoerabu Island is a wild wonder. The whole island is a national park, home to one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. The hot springs are plentiful and are said to have healing powers. The shrinking population of Kuchinoerabu gives it the flavour of truly rural, old Japan, where the people are relentlessly kind and friendly to strangers. This is a luscious, biodiverse haven for wildlife. Look out for the indigenous and critically endangered Erabu fruit bat.
Too touristy?:
You will be the only foreign tourists and maybe even the only tourists on Kuchinoerabu when you visit. This means you will be seeing unedited, authentic, rural, old-fashioned Japan, in all its glory.
getting there:
Getting to Kuchinoerabu Island is easy if you are already in Yakushima. Ferry Taiyou island hops between three islands on a daily basis. Those islands are Yakushima, Tanegashima and Kuchinoerabu Island. It takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Yakushima. The schedule is different on even and odd dates in the month. It sounds complicated but take a look at the timetable and you will quickly work it out.
Depending on the wind, you can smell the sulphur coming off the volcano when the boat gets closer to Kuchinoerabu.
The official ferry website can be found here in Japanese. The prices are 2,100 yen for a one-way ticket from Yakushima and 3,510 yen from Tanegashima. Bicycles and cars can also be taken on the boat at a cost. Contact us if you would like more details.
The boat stops running with high waves so watch out for the weather or you may get trapped (which might not be a bad thing).
getting around:
Kuchinoerabu Island is big. It is about 48km to travel all the way around it. The onsens are very spread out, so if you want to see all of the island you will need your own transport. There is only one car to rent on the whole island. My advice is to take it. It costs 5,000 yen per day and is quite the beautiful grey, old-man mini-truck ideal for mountain roads. And be warned: the roads are wild, bumpy and hilly. There is also one scooter to rent but no bicycles.
Failing that, take your own transportation with you. A mountain bike or a scooter would be ideal and can be rented in Yakushima and taken with you for an extra 330 yen/660 yen respectively one-way. A car is more costly at 5,230 yen one-way.
If all you want to do is be still in the quiet of the main village of Honmura with one onsen, enjoy good food in your accommodation or have a BBQ at your rented holiday cottage then you will be fine on foot.
The sights:
hot springs:
This is a healing hot-spring island, so let’s start there. There are four onsens on the island:
Honmura onsen is open 16:00 to 20:00 and is an iron-rich internal body warmer. It costs 350 yen.
Yumugi onsen is white and wonderful for skin problems. Rub the white particles on your skin for full effect. 24 hours open and 200 yen honesty box system.
Nemachi is said to be closed but in really people still use it. It is famously good for the skin but do be careful getting there. Free of charge if you can get there, but seriously do be careful because the roads are dangerous. Might be better to get a guide.
Nishinoyu onsen is currently being fixed and when it is, it is right on the coast and gorgeous.
shrines:
Kanamine shrine - This shinto shrine is beautifully kept and is hidden on a little walk away from Honmura. Great views of the village from here.
Gangen shrine - Right next to Yumugi onsen is a shrine to a chicken god. Legend has it that two hunters saw a chicken. They were going to shoot it, but it seemed to not be afraid of them. They got close and it disappeared. Where it disappeared, hot springs started to gush from the ground.
Wildlife:
The whole island is a national park covered in Yakushima deer, mountain goats, cows and horses. But the real star of the show is the indigenous Erabu fruit bat. This cute flying fox is critically endangered and rare to see, but we were lucky enough to glimpse them. My advice is always look up when you are under a banyan tree. The rest of the island is wild too. Huge trees, a couple of amazing, ash spewing volcanos and sweet smelling wild flowers everywhere. It is a treat for the senses.
Sea life:
With the nutrient rich currents of the kuroshio and the volcanos providing extra goodness for sea creatures, Kuchinoerabu’s sea life is known for being plentiful and big. However with no dive shop on the island, any divers will have to take trips from Yakushima, these could be day trips to overnight trips. Snorkelling is possible from the coasts of the island. Please bring your own gear if you want to do so or book a tour with us. I recommend the port near Nishinoyu onsen for easy entry and plenty of sea life.
Tours and organised activities:
The self catered accommodation do offer walking tours around the village with explanations of culture, nature and volcanic experiences. They will also take you to some of the onsens if you request it too. They can be difficult to find so contact us to use out booking service. Alternatively you could book our onsen therapy tour to be truly well looked after and to deeply understand the places. We will also use the local guide, but with us you will be able to understand everything more fluently with our translations. You will also get much more including snorkelling, yoga, transport etc.
Accommodation:
There is one self catered holiday cottage and several small minshukus on Kuchinoerabu. The self catered cottage is called Yuukei. It comes with a great view, a big garden and BBQ facilities and is around half the price of the other accommodations at 3,500 yen per person. It is great for couples, families or groups. The owner speaks some English and will be able to help you. She is also a wonderful guide. The minshukus come with two meals and sometimes have the local lobster on the menu. Almost all of the minshukus are in Honmura, the main village, but one minshuku exists in the tiny gorgeous, coastal onsen hamlet of Yumugi. They all cost around the same standard price of 6,000 - 7,000 yen for one night and two meals per person.
Food and Drink:
There are no restaurants in Kuchinoerabu Island. There is one local grocery store and one liquor store in the main village of Honmura. They open at 8:30 and close at 17:00. There is one self catered accommodation and all of the others come with breakfast and dinner, but no lunch.
Kuchinoerabu is a fishing island and when you stay in the minshukus (mid-range hotels) there, you are going to be fed some of the freshest seafood going. No guarantees, but it is common enough to be served the local delicacy of Japanese lobster. In Tokyo you would pay crazy amounts for that!
Itineraries:
Self-guided (with a car) -
Day 1: Arrive, check in and familiarise yourself with the main village of Honmura. Check out the Kanamine shrine. Then go rent yourself the only car available on the island. Drive to Yumugi. Jump in the wonderful onsen there. After drying off, drive a little further out looking out for bats along the way (this is where we saw them). When you get to the cow farm turn back. After dinner head to the local onsen in Honmura. Then take a walk at night looking at the stars and searching for bats.
Day 2: After breakfast, head to Nishinoyu onsen. Swim in the sea around there. It has some great snorkelling. Then get lunch things from the store and have a picnic before the boat picks you up.
Guided -
Day 1: Check in and then get out there. You tour will be tailor made for whatever you are interested in. In the evening onsen with the locals, enjoy a BBQ, search for the infamous Erabu fruit bat and look at the stars.
Day 2: Morning yoga, breakfast, snorkelling and Nemachi onsen before catching the boat back to Yakushima.