Japan: Yakushima — The Enchanted Forest

Off southern Japan, Yakushima Island rises from the East China Sea, its peaks nearing 2,000 meters (formed 15 million years ago when magma solidified beneath the ocean). Isolation and a lack of large predators fostered a rare symbiosis between endemic Japanese macaques and sika deer. The island’s highlands hold the world’s last cedar-dominated ecosystem, with some trees dating back to antiquity, surviving centuries of logging. This mystical landscape inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke. After years of human exploitation, Yakushima now strives to restore its natural balance.