Yesterday, it was time to say goodbye to paradise, when we left Yakushima and returned to Kagoshima via ferry. Paradise tried to make the departure easier on us by sending heavy rain and wind our way.
On Sunday, we left Hirauchi and took an early bus to Anbo to enjoy some canoeing on Anbo river, which was quite pleasant. We’ve adjusted to life in Japan by now, not freaking out anymore whenever we have to leave our luggage somewhere unattended, and locking our doors becomes more or less optional. We also noticed our tolerance towards bugs and critters has significantly increased.
After safely returning from our canoeing experience, we took a dip in a natural seaside pool called Haruta beach, which, while not providing us with the breathtaking beauty of Isso beach, had something else in store: Corals, inhabited by different kinds of fish. We even saw clown and zebra fish, which was, of course, awesome.
Our last night in paradise we spent in a mongolian yurt. That’s right, a mongolian tent/hut on a Japanese island. Our landlords had moved to Yakushima from Fukushima in 2000, therefore escaping the devastating tsunami and nuclear meltdown of 2011. Although, once again, we shared the space with plenty multi-legged creatures (not a sign for lack of hygiene, by the way, as cockroaches are everywhere in Japan due to the hot and humid climate), and going to the (outdoor) bathroom without being eaten alive by giant hornets proofed to be a major challenge, we slept well and enjoyed our stay, complimentary and delicious sake included.
Critters everywhere
On Sunday, we had intended to return to Isso beach, but once we arrived, we sadly had to give up on trying to swim due to the heavy wind and rain, so we spent some time (and money) in the souvenir shop in Miyanoura instead.
The ferry ride back to Kagoshima was awful, to say the least, as I spent the whole 4 hours being horribly seasick and wishing someone would provide me with a quick and painless death. Once we arrived at our former hostel (where we had left most of our luggage), we decided to book a capsule in the dorm, because none of us felt like moving anywhere anymore.
This morning, after 10 hours of dreamless sleep and with the floor finally deciding to stop moving, we will continue our journey on the Shinkansen towards Okayama.
Goodbye, Yakushima