Visiting One of Japan’s Most Remote Islands

Yakushima is Japan’s oldest World Natural Heritage Site

Hiking deep in the woods and off the beaten path invites a lone traveler’s reverie. [Image: JH]

Allow me to tell the story of two separate encounters with a magical place on a remote Japanese island.

Reaching it takes a full day of travel. Getting there, in a nutshell — take the bullet train from Tokyo across Japan’s main island, continuing through Kyushu to the…