Yakushima

Leaving Nagasaki by train, we took the same route out to Sin Tosu to join the main line south in Kyushu on a Shinkansen to Kagoshima.
Whilst waiting for the ferry, we had lunch at a sushi restaurant where you took the different coloured plates off the carousel or some were brought by waiters. The prices on the menu were exclusive of 10% sales tax whereas those on the wall were inclusive of tax. Japan needs to start quoting inclusive prices like the UK does with VAT. It was unnecessary for us to work out the bill because a waitress came with a hand-held device, put it against the stack of different-priced coloured plates, and the bill was almost instantly given to us.
The hydrofoil ferry carried about 200 passengers for 110 minutes from Miyanoura Port to the island of Yakushima. This was followed by a 45 minute local bus ride to the ryokan at Anbo which overlooked a river estuary with the forest in the distance.
We went to a local restaurant for dinner.
Today was another day when we used our JR Pass opening many turnstiles. The 14-day Pass was worth about £300, good value if you made many journeys as we did. The price was increased substantially in October 2023.En savoir plus